While it’s unclear whether Bendon actively sought to ‘top’ Animal Crossing, the multi-layered direction of Dinkum seems to suggest that approach.
Bendon has clearly been a keen observer of Nintendo’s flagship franchise, and has studying New Horizons meticulously in his crafting of the game. Each feature in this game is an iteration and innovation of what’s come before. While it’s unfair to compare these titles, given the nature of Dinkum, the pair are largely inseparable.ĭinkum would not exist without Animal Crossing. Mining for ore, digging for artefacts (CD players, headphones), exploring, gathering food, completing scientific research, and being able to raise farm animals also spice up gameplay in ways that Animal Crossing doesn’t. Combat is fairly simplistic, but it’s another challenge to be prepared for when you’re out exploring your world. With a spear or hammer in your inventory, you can defend yourself, adding to the many layers of Dinkum‘s gameplay. There are also greater elements of danger in every lake there are deadly crocodiles lurking, and cassowaries will fight you as soon as they see you. This has long been a major bugbear of Animal Crossing – that days are too slowly-paced since they correspond to real-world time – but with Dinkum‘s fast-moving clock, the complaint is easily done away with.įishing is more complex here it requires you to tension the line and wait until the fish has stopped struggling to reel it in. That means if you’ve just established the town shop, or the museum, you can simply go to sleep, wait two days, and have it fully built before your eyes. Hours tick by in long minutes, and going to sleep when you feel like it resets the day.
Mechanics like cooking, farming, jetboating, and spelunking dangle just out of reach in the early phases of the game, and with each passing day, you get closer to unlocking new and better features in your travels.Įach day in Dinkum can be played as you choose. But it goes several steps further, with quality of life features that make every in-game day more exciting and engaging than the last. From the mechanics to the core gameplay loop – even to the art of catching bugs and fish, there’s a lot that Dinkum owes to the team at Nintendo. Dinkum is led by strong quests and a well-paced story Screenshot: GamesHubĭinkum is as Animal Crossing as life simulators come, without actually being Animal Crossing.
CAT GOES FISHING GAMEPLAY SIMULATOR
The lack of acknowledgement is a notable dampener on what is a thoroughly well-designed and impressive life simulator that gets so much right about the genre’s gameplay cycle. The burden of solo development understandably makes this difficult, but an acknowledgement of this historic tension is warranted, even if it comes in the form of an opening statement or brief dialogue – anything to address the lack of Indigenous representation in a game that so closely reflects Australia’s roots. This relation doesn’t impact overall gameplay, but it does inject the game with a real sense of awkwardness that should be addressed as the game progresses further into its early access phase. By establishing Dinkum as a game inspired by Australia – from its native wildlife to its whimsical dialogue – where you build from scratch on seemingly unoccupied lands, Bendon forms an unfortunate tie to colonial history. The difference between this game, and a title like Animal Crossing, is that the world of Animal Crossing is entirely drawn from fiction, as you move into an existing township populated by magical frog, dog, and horse creatures. Read: 2021 was the year of Indigenous excellence in games and tech Digging into the ground uncovers relics like light bulbs, smartphones and tablets, indicating there were people living on this island before you arrived – and given white Australia’s history of establishing townships on lands that don’t belong to them, Dinkum is unfortunately tied to a bloody and painful history despite being, on the surface level, an engaging and cutesy life simulator.
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