Not having a Nintendo Switch is driving me nuts.
Being a casual gamer, I usually don’t invest in consoles—instead choosing to hoard what my rich friends own instead. Sadly, I will never understand simple pleasures like completing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of Wild, bashing Kirby in Super Smash Bros Ultimate and, of course, entering the virtual world of Animal Crossing: New Horizons (AC).
Often, I feel like a Homer Simpson meme. I’m talking about that one in which everyone was surrounding him in a bar. I’m just a casual gamer in a sea of AC addicts, laughing over Tom Nook’s dank stonk memes. And I know, deep in my subconscious, that the quarantine is not the reason why I don’t own a switch.
But I do own a PC and reliable Steam and Origin accounts. So maybe, there’s hope for casual gamers. If you’re a lost cause like me, I assure you we can live our quarantine life without AC on our side. How? Consider these alternatives for different consoles.
Stardew Valley
If you grew up with Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town, then you’ll probably dig Stardew Valley’s vibes. It’s an open-ended country life RPG available on other mobile devices as well. In this game, you’ve inherited your grandfather’s old farm plot in the Valley. With secondhand tools and only a few coins, the challenge is to thrive in your new rustic life.
My Time At Portia
This might be the only post-apocalyptic game that somehow falls under slice of life. In the world of Portia, you are a workshop builder creating items for the betterment of society. Your goal? Generate and upgrade them, expand your workshop and take on commissions from the town’s citizens.
Hokko Life
As Eurogamer describes it, Hokko Life is basically AC for PC. This Steam game is a creative community simulation. The player takes over an old workshop and is free to go crazy when it comes to upgrading it. In this game, you can use crafted materials and design however way you want your town to be. It’s gentle and friendly and has anthropomorphic townsfolk too.
Harvest Moon: Light of Hope
As a child of Natsume’s Harvest Moon, I can’t be more excited about its PC-friendly installment. Harvest Moon: Light of Hope was created for the franchise’s 20th anniversary in 2017. Here, you’re on your ship’s maiden voyage until the weather had other plans, drifting you to a small harbor town nearby. It’s up to you to help rebuild the town and save their lighthouse.
Staxel
Don’t let the sharp pixels fool you. This is not a Minecraft reboot. Like the others on this list, it’s a game about creative farming and village life with quirky characters to boot. You can also interact with your homies within the game. You can build your farmhouse, grow crops and live your best, pixelated country life.
Still from Stardew Valley