When it comes to cozy games, there are few titles quite as revered asAnimal CrossingandStardew Valley. While the former has been around a lot longer than the latter, both games have proven themselves to be some ofthe best the cozy genrehas to offer, setting the bar for social systems, gardening mechanics, and a whole host of other staple features. Naturally,Tales of the Shirefollows in these titans' footsteps.
ThoughTales of the Shireuses its license to put its own spin on them, its core gameplay mechanics follow the same path trod by the likes ofStardew ValleyandAnimal Crossing.Tales of the Shireclearly takes inspiration from both of these beloved series, but there’s one key mechanic in theLord of the Ringslife-sim that follows more inStardew’s footsteps thanAnimal Crossing’s, and that’s undoubtedly for the best.
Tales of the Shire Was Right to Borrow Stardew Valley’s Day/Night Cycle and Not Animal Crossing’s
Tales of the Shire’s Day/Night Cycle Explained
Anin-game day ofTales of the Shirelasts around 17 real-world minutes. These 17 minutes are split almost equally between the day’s five periods: dawn, morning, afternoon, evening, and night. Though it should be noted that players always wake up halfway through dawn.
Not going to sleep in the evening or night inTales of the Shirewill see players falling asleep on the spot, stopping any activity they were in the middle of. A loading screen then appears, showing the player’s Hobbit being carted home via wheelbarrow. Players who missed a night’s sleep will then wake up halfway through the morning.
In this respect,Tales of the Shiremodels itself more closely onStardew ValleythanAnimal Crossing. Each ofStardew Valley’s dayslasts around 13 real-world minutes, and once one day is completed, players simply go into the next.Animal Crossing, on the other hand, uses a real-world timer to track its in-game days, meaning that the player’s timezone is mirrored exactly by the cozy life-sim. To advance to the next day inAnimal Crossing, players need to wait in real life, that is, unless they want to manipulate their console’s internal clock.
Tales of the Shire’s Day/Night Cycle Strikes a Careful Balance
Though it might not sound like a long time, 17 minutes is actually a great length forTales of the Shire’s day/night cycle. These 17 minutes give players more than enough time to complete daily tasks like watering their crops, make some strong progress withTales of the Shire’s social clubs, and complete a quest or two. And if players don’t manage to fit all of their tasks into a single day, it takes just one loading screen before they’re allowed to get right back to it.
On the other side of the coin,Tales of the Shire’s days don’t last too long either. Many ofTales of the Shire’s questsask the player to wait a whole day before they can progress, such as shared meals, which require the player to first invite villagers and wait for their RSVP.
IfTales of the Shiremoved in real-time likeAnimal Crossing, these quests would totally block progress for not just a few minutes, but an entire day. And thoughTales of the Shirehas plenty of other activities to engage in, they’re not strong or varied enough to be the sole reason players should stick around.
