Probably my favorite Animal Crossing game. In my first week of playing I was called basically every PG version of "freak" possible. The "mean" villagers give the game a super unique tone, and make the villagers more endearing to the player. They really do act like animals. They're often irrational, prone to quick shifts in temperament, blunt, sometimes annoying, mischievous, and a little stupid. I lost a game to Samson, a little rat guy in my village, and he took all of my money and gave me a pitfall seed for my troubles. Fucker. Villagers in Animal Crossing don't just exist to hang out, look cute, and occasionally give you items like in future titles, they're a key part of the play experience. They feel real, whereas in New Horizons they feel like vaguely personable humans wearing animal flesh.

The player has limited influence on their town, but honestly I feel like that enhances the experience for me: In New Horizons especially and New Leaf to an extent, the player is bombarded with quality of life tools which can be used to fully decorate and beautify their town. It gets to the point where I feel obligated to engage with these systems and create a spotless, boring town that is exactly to my liking. Animal Crossing doesn't even give you the chance to do this- aside from planting flowers and trees, there is little you can do to influence the layout of the town. This made the game far more relaxing for me, as I could play at my own pace and enjoy whatever the game decided to throw at me. I really like this game, and see myself continuing to play it for a long time.

(also the music and graphics are really good)