While Nintendo Switch players have Animal Crossing: New Horizons to look forward to in just a few weeks, PC players feeling left out just need a bit more patience. Later this year, Hokko Life comes to PC and the resemblance is about as close as it can get without someone getting sued.
Hokko Life is developed by just one person, Robert Tatnell, who previously worked on Fable 3 and Heavenly Sword as an art designer, so it makes sense how he able to so closely mimic the Animal Crossing aesthetic as seen in the reveal trailer below. Other similarities you'll notice in the trailer: fishing, gardening, meeting and greeting wit neighbors, and even arriving to town on a train. The staples are all there.
That's not to say Tatnell isn't interested in innovating. Watching the trailer also reveals many of the usual mechanics go a bit deeper in Hokko Life, like gardening and fishing taking on a more Stardew Valley depth. Furnishing your home in Hokko Life is also more than spinning a couch on a grid to your liking. Furniture is fully customizable and, Tatnell promises, will one day be able to be sold to other players. Customizing clothing with your own paint shop is present too, and it's safe to expect it'll go deeper than what we've seen in Animal Crossing over the years.
There's no set release date for Hokko Life just yet, but Tatnell lists the game as a 2020 release, at least for its early access period. It seems like the kind of game that could spend many months or even years in early access, especially when you consider it's being developed by just one person, but if you want to get in on the ground floor, you can check out the game's Steam page or its official Discord channel.
