In truth, Mineko’s Night Market may seem like it involves more shop management simulation than Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing. However, much like the former, there’s a lot more to do in the game including exploration, discovery, crafting, and socializing.
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What Is Mineko’s Night Market?
Animal Crossing has always been known for, firstly, its social simulation elements with the friendly (or sometimes not so friendly) villagers with an array of personalities. While some players choose to collect the cute and sisterly villagers, others choose to go for more entertaining personality types like lazy or smug villagers. In Mineko’s Night Market, there are plenty of interesting faces to interact with throughout this adorable adventure.
Mineko’s Night Market follows Mineko, a young and curious girl who has just arrived at her new Japanese home at the base of Mt. Fugu, but aside from the shop-selling mechanics, players can expect a story around the sun cat Abe that the townsfolk worship and have spotted recently. Resembling Stardew Valley a bit more, however, Mineko’s Night Market will task players with managing their day-to-day cycle of activities, which includes crafting items for the night market and exploring. The workbenches are simply combining ingredients and pressing a button, though. Mineko is filled with minigames and night market games like cat racing and stage performances.
It also includes the changing of the four seasons similar to Stardew Valley, and according to Mineko’s Night Market’s Steam page, there are “hours” of exploration to be had around the island of Mt. Fugu. The map is also split into a few distinct areas, including the grounds where the night market is held, forests, and what appears to be a city, as shown in official screenshots. At the night market, players will sell the items they come across through exploration such as flowers and fish as well as oddities that they craft at workbenches. They’ll also be able to barter with the locals to sell “almost anything” while getting to know the area. Other activities include fishing, a favorite among casual gamers, riding cats around town, mining, and what appears to be farming cats.
Games that have taken inspiration from the likes of Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley have seen great success, catering to audiences that enjoy sweet and relaxed titles such as Moonglow Bay and Wytchwood, both games to release over the last few months. Hopefully, Mineko’s Night Market can scratch the itch for another chill crafting experience.
Unfortunately, Mineko’s Night Market doesn’t have a release date quite yet. But after being announced years back, it’s set to release sometime this year. And with Wholesome Games promoting it recently, hopefully, the developer Meowza Games will have a date to announce shortly.
Mineko’s Night Market is in development for PC and Switch.
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