Konami has found a way to magically recreate a new Animal Crossing.
With all the miracles of cloning taking place in the world, Animal Crossing fans will be excited to know that Konami has literally recreated a new experience that AC fans will love. And they've tossed in a little of their own magic too boot. I'm talking of course about Magician's Quest: Mysterious Times for the DS. And when I say clone, I'm actually talking more along the lines of duplication of an engine, but using a new world and objectives to treat Animal Crossing fans to as close to a DS sequel without the big N lending a hand. From the tree shaking, fish catching, animal greeting, money earning, bug collecting and goodies that the AC world has given us for many years, now comes to life from Konami, but adds a little twist in the form of magic.
You attend a Magic Academy that is a living breathing world, with real time clock included, and each week you will use wizardry skills to take certain tests that will unlock new magical adventures. This is where the game takes a different turn as you attend classes, practice a ton of spells, and venture into a world that is a little darker and more…well…magical than the world of Animal Crossing. Your quest is to learn and obtain over 100 magic spells, greet over 150 in game characters, and embark on 52 adventures to become the greatest magician of all time.
Using the same techniques as Animal Crossing, you travel in the globe-styled world, visiting homes, places of business, fish, catch bugs, and performing deeds for the friends you make in order to earn "Ritch" which is the game's in game currency. While doing so you must attend classes to gain knowledge about the game, the places in the world, and of course learn new spells and tricks to complete adventures. You have all the little side objectives to do such as buy furniture to spruce up your dorm, changing the town tune when the bell tolls every hour, and making sure you get to certain shops before they close or you lose out on the day's special items. You can even grab up to 4 friends and venture together thanks to Wi-Fi.
For anyone who hasn't given Nintendo's originator of this game style a try, I still would whole heartedly recommend Animal Crossing over Magician's Quest. There is just something about the charm that AC offers that seems to be more inviting to the everyday gamer. On the other hand, if you are like myself and have played Nintendo's versions to death since it's incarnation on the Game Cube, then you will be ecstatic to know that Magician's Quest is as close to a sequel or follow up to AC as you can possibly get. As far as Konami goes, I generally frown upon clones or obvious rip offs of popular games, but since this territory isn't over saturated as say Grand Theft Auto, you have my gratitude for providing me with a fix for my AC addiction. I'm sure many gamers will thank you as well.
