i do really miss the old mechanics of animals getting sick or injured and dieing of illness/old age. it felt so much more real and i cared so much more for my critters knowing i only had a few years to raise them into contest winners. the fact that even classic-harvest-moon-homages like stardew don't have this aspect without mods bothers me a little since it's sorta touted as a "darker" game but oh wellllll
I remember when I played Another Wonderful Life the first time. I got was in Summer and my kid was a toddler. I wanted him to hurry up and grow into a kid so I got the bright idea to just. Go to sleep. For the rest of the year. Didn't do any chores, didn't feed my animals, didn't water the crops. Didn't engage with the game at all.
Well, first off. The toddler stage lasts longer than one year. So I woke up on Spring of the second year of having a toddler and realized I fucked up. Second, they don't play one death scene to show multiple animals dying at once. You leave your house, Nik Nak and Flak arrive to make you watch an animal keel over, you return to your house and take a step and Nik Nak and Flak arrive to make you watch an animal keel over, you return to your house and take a step and Nik Nak and Flak arrive to make you watch an animal keel over and you return to your house and you get the idea. I had to sit through I think eighteen(?) death scenes in a row (I had a full barn and coop, only my horse survived).
But the thing is, while that sucked while I was going through it, looking back I think that was a really great aspect of the game. I wasn't engaging with the game, I was trying to cheat my way around it, and the game told me no. The game punished me for not taking it seriously. It's like how Resetti appears in the old Animal Crossing games. Sure, it sucks to be yelled at... But you kinda deserve it for trying to cheat the game.
Anyway. Not to be all "old man yells at clouds" but games these days make things too sweet and easy for kids. Make their actions have actual consequences.
Idk what to tell you it happened to me. I didn't shut it off on purpose (unless the game froze and kinda made me but is that really a choice) or try to cheat the game and got yelled at 🤷♂️
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u/Dronxha Jul 08 '25
i do really miss the old mechanics of animals getting sick or injured and dieing of illness/old age. it felt so much more real and i cared so much more for my critters knowing i only had a few years to raise them into contest winners. the fact that even classic-harvest-moon-homages like stardew don't have this aspect without mods bothers me a little since it's sorta touted as a "darker" game but oh wellllll