When you first see Magician’s Quest: Mysterious Times boot up, it’s difficult not to make comparisons to Nintendo’s supremely popular life sim Animal Crossing. You control a stubby, big-headed character, talk to strange-sounding, anthropomorphic animal-people, collect bugs and fish, and complete daily tasks to enrich your DS life. And to be honest, as a huge Animal Crossing fan who played Wild World to death, I expected some of the familiar activities — fishing, inventory, decorating my room — to work just like they did in Nintendo’s game. But while Magician’s Quest clearly took AC as a jumping point, what I’ve played of the game so far is just different enough that, against all logic, I find myself enjoying many of the done-to-death-in-AC activities.
So, here are five ways — large and small — that Magician’s Quest offers a little variety to the AC formula.