Does Animal Crossing: Wild World hold up today, in comparison to the first Animal Crossing? Absolutely not. But from both a technical and design standpoint, for a 2005 Nintendo DS game, this may very well be the most impressive leap to a handheld device I've ever seen.
In comparison to its predecessor, this truly feels like a full execution of the original's odd "prototype" state. The top-down segmented map has been replaced by a modernized seamless rolling map, and there is nearly double the amount of content here this time around, all fitting on a single 32MB cartridge. The game of course pushes the hardware to its limit, with the framerate itself seemingly capped 20fps; a significant drop from the original's 60fps (through the GameCube port). At the end of the day though, its limitations still emit the game's charm, whether through the polygonal furniture or the wacky sound design. And that soundtrack, of course? Immaculate as ever.
Really the only disappointing thing I found in this game was the removal of national holidays, due to localization/release decisions, as far as I'm aware. However, the events in their place are still nice, with one of my favorites being the Flea Market event, where villagers will enter your home and purchase furniture from you.
The pick-up-and-play nature of this series is perfectly at home on a handheld device, and Animal Crossing: Wild World proves that. It's definitely not the one I would recommend new players check out nowadays, but you can't help but admire how remarkable this experience was translated to Nintendo DS like this, especially with the advent of online multiplayer.
Truly wild.
In comparison to its predecessor, this truly feels like a full execution of the original's odd "prototype" state. The top-down segmented map has been replaced by a modernized seamless rolling map, and there is nearly double the amount of content here this time around, all fitting on a single 32MB cartridge. The game of course pushes the hardware to its limit, with the framerate itself seemingly capped 20fps; a significant drop from the original's 60fps (through the GameCube port). At the end of the day though, its limitations still emit the game's charm, whether through the polygonal furniture or the wacky sound design. And that soundtrack, of course? Immaculate as ever.
Really the only disappointing thing I found in this game was the removal of national holidays, due to localization/release decisions, as far as I'm aware. However, the events in their place are still nice, with one of my favorites being the Flea Market event, where villagers will enter your home and purchase furniture from you.
The pick-up-and-play nature of this series is perfectly at home on a handheld device, and Animal Crossing: Wild World proves that. It's definitely not the one I would recommend new players check out nowadays, but you can't help but admire how remarkable this experience was translated to Nintendo DS like this, especially with the advent of online multiplayer.
Truly wild.