Tales of the Shireis finally here, and while the game isn’t exactly a perfect life sim, there are some strong aspects that can hopefully help the game shine over time. As a cozy life sim based on the belovedTheLord of the Ringsseries,Tales of the Shirenails the atmosphere and lore of its source material, but as a life sim, there is still a lot of potential that still has yet to be met.
When it comes to the world of cozy life sims, titles likeStardew ValleyandAnimal Crossingreign supreme. With such heavy-hitters in the genre, it’s hard forTales of the Shireto meet those high expectations, but there is one particular feature that the game does better thanAnimal Crossing, and that is NPC personalities. As the wait forthe nextAnimal Crossinggamecontinues, Nintendo may actually want to take note of howTales of the Shirehandles its NPCs.
After Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the Next Entry in the Series Needs to Take the Tales of the Shire Approach With NPCs
It has now been over five years since the last entry inNintendo’s beloved cozy sim series, and whileNew Horizonshad the benefit of reaching an even larger audience thanks to a worldwide pandemic, there were some aspects of the game that felt like a step back for the franchise. One of the most notable was with its NPCs. InNew Horizons, many of the characters players meet along the way felt static and robotic, lacking any distinct personality traits. This hasn’t always been the case for the franchise, and this made the lack of NPC personalities inNew Horizonsfeel even more jarring.
Now, granted,Tales of the Shire’s NPC interactions definitely aren’t perfect, but their personalities overall feel more fleshed out thanNew Horizons' side characters. When exploringTales of the Shire’s setting of Bywater, interacting with the various NPCs within the village opens up the game’s quests, so players get to interact with a fun offering of side characters.
Tails of the Shirenails the atmosphere and lore of its source material.
Tales of the Shire’s NPC interactions do have their downsides, too, though. For example, none of the characters inTales of the Shirehave voiced dialogue, which can make for some awkwardly silent moments.Animal Crossingdoesn’t feature traditional human speech, but the franchise’s special in-game language at least fills dead air. If the nextAnimal Crossingentry were to combine its version of speech withTales of the Shire’s expressiveness, its NPCs could be stronger than ever.
One specific NPC that manyThe Lord of the Ringsfans will recognize is Rosie Cotton, who runs the village’s gardening club.
Future Plans for the Animal Crossing Franchise Are Still Being Kept in the Shadows
Now that the Switch 2 is here, and five years have passed since the last entry, many fans of the series are wonderingwhenAnimal Crossingwill show itself again. It’s still surprising that the Switch 2 was announced and launched without any mention of a freshAnimal Crossinggame, but it’s still incredibly early in the new console’s life cycle.
There are 15 unique NPCs that players will interact with inTales of the Shire.
Only time will tell when a newAnimal Crossinggame is ready, but until then,Tales of the Shireholds a special charmthat a lot of cozy fans may enjoy.The Lord of the Rings-based game may not hit the high notes that many of the genre’s heavy hitters do, but it’s still a solid offering that can bring some comforting gameplay.
