Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley Fans Should Play THIS Game (Nintendo Switch, PC)

Find out why Littlewood is the next Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley-like social simulator experience you need to get your hands on. Read now!

Wally

Updated:

October 18, 2023

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If you are a fan of social simulators such as Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you owe it to yourself to play Littlewood. It’s that good.

Littlewood is a fun, polished life simulator that is just as addicting, relaxing, and charming as Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Stardew Valley. Fans of those games will find something to enjoy in the world of Littlewood.

Now, let’s check out why this vibrant game is just as much fun as its peers.

If you are interested in checking out the most popular Animal Crossing products, you can find them by clicking here.

What is Littlewood?

At the start of this brilliant pixel-art game, the player wakes from amnesia after having saved the world and is now mayor of Littlewood. And the player is tasked with rebuilding Littlewood to its former glory.

This unique premise serves to differentiate Littlewood from other social simulators and to give it its own trademark charm.

Yet, the underlying gameplay is just as addicting as its counterparts.

Today, I’ll be going over why you should play Littlewood if you are a fan of such games as Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, and the Story of Seasons franchises.

When did Littlewood release and what platforms is it for?

Littlewood was developed by Sean Young and published by SmashGames.

It released on various platforms on separate dates:

GOG Store (Windows 10 PC): June 18th, 2019
Steam PC Store: August 4th, 2020
Nintendo Switch Digital Store: February 25th, 2021

Why Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing Fans Need To Play Littlewood

Littlewood is a great game for Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Stardew Valley fans looking for their next game because it contains so much of what made both of those games so popular. From its visuals to its charm, Littlewood will appease social simulator fans for a multitude of reasons.

It’s Just As Relaxing

Littlewood is a relaxing experience through and through, from one play session to the next.

The game contains bright colorful graphics and a high definition pixel art style reminiscent of Stardew Valley and is played without a time limit similar to Animal Crossing.

The game’s upbeat visuals and go-at-your-own-pace gameplay tempo encourage relaxing play sessions without taxing the player but, instead, supports a calmer and healthier play experience.

It’s Just As Charming

Littlewood’s characters, environments, visuals, and sounds are all brimming with charm.

The game contains compelling character interactions and dialogue, interesting places to visit, and cute pixel artwork all with a relaxing soundtrack playing in the background.

Characters come to life with quirky conversations; additionally, each townsfolk is unique and has their own interests.

Locations are just as varied, from the beautiful but dangerous Endless Forest to the dark and dank Dust Cavern to the wide open fields of Littlewood itself.

And everything is accompanied by a whimsical yet never foreboding soundtrack that accompanies the players every action.

It’s Just As Addicting

Littlewood’s core gameplay is addicting and makes it hard to put the controller down.

Game sessions revolve around selecting a personal goal for the in-game day then gathering the crafting material to complete said goal while also socializing with the townsfolk all to make Littlewood a bustling town once more.

There is always much to accomplish at any given moment while new things become unlocked on a consistent basis.

It is fairly easy to become giddy at the amount of choices one has when playing that one hour of play time becomes two, and two becomes three, and so forth.

This game always provides something to work towards which only makes it harder to pull away from.

And as social simulator fans know, this is a good thing!

It’s Just As Robust

Littlewood is packed with features and things to do.

At any given time players can

go fishing
craft new items for neighbors
cook recipes for profit
sell items at the market
visit other lands
reconstruct the entire town and everything in it
complete villager requests
collect a wide assortment of crafting blueprints
visit the forest for wood material or the mine for ore
socialize with townsfolk to improve relationships
increase proficiencies in an assortment of skills
and do so much more!

The sheer amount of things that can be done prevents gameplay from ever getting stale or boring yet it never complicates matters.

Everything listed above can be done at one’s own pace and on a need-to-do basis.

This game packs-in gameplay features that actually affect gameplay but never hinder it which is the perfect balance for a game such as this.

It’s Just As Polished

Littlewood is a polished quality experience with near peak performance.

In my time with this game, I have not experienced any slow downs, crashes, misspelled words, or out-of-place graphics or sounds.

All in all, I’ve only experienced one glitch that was easily fixed by ending my play session and loading up my save file.

This title is as technically sound as can be, a great feat for a game that players will sink dozens if not hundreds of hours into.

Nothing is worse than spending an hour playing only to have the game shutdown and crash.

Fortunately, this addicting gem plays as smooth as butter.

It’s Just As Fun

Littlewood is a colorful interactive experience that will last for dozens (if not many more) hours.

I have played hundreds (if not thousands) of hours of Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley combined and I can say that Littlewood stands alongside them as an enjoyable play experience in its own right that deserves to be mentioned amongst its peers.

The game’s relaxing nature, charming aesthetics and characters, addicting gameplay, robust features, and polished performance make it a fun game for anyone looking for their new favorite game to play.

It’s Just As Portable (Nintendo Switch)

And just like Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Stardew Valley, Littlewood is on the Nintendo Switch.

This charming game can be played in either docked and attached to a television or in handheld mode to be played anywhere.

Any fan of Animal Crossing: New Horizons or Stardew Valley knows how beneficial handheld mode is for hopping in for a quick play session, and Littlewood benefits from the Nintendo Switch’s hybrid approach as well.