There's a fair amount of crossover in the fandoms of Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley. Both charming games often see recreations and replicas of select facets of one game in the other, like Leah's house in Animal Crossing, but this may be the most impressive and faithful recreation of Stardew Valley in Animal Crossing: New Horizons yet.
Stardew Valley started out as a humble indie title, but has seen massive success over the years as the game has continued to expand and gain popularity. Animal Crossing: New Horizons already had an established fanbase to fall back on at release, but due to its coincidental timing of release with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it too has seen an absolutely staggering number of players.
One dedicated Animal Crossing: New Horizons player, acnh_kaylee, shared their island with the world, showcasing how they've spent their time. After revising the island following the Animal Crossing: New Horizons 2.0 update, they released a video, showing fellow players around their incredible recreation of Stardew Valley. The effort is staggering, as the town, individual homes, businesses, and even pathways are recreated in detail.
As the acnh_kaylee wanders through the town, players can spot familiar faces and clever easter eggs referencing Stardew Valley's world. Additional players on the Switch fill in as some of Stardew Valley's iconic residents, while others are replaced by animal villagers instead. Acnh_kaylee even took the desert into consideration, using a cleverly placed warp pipe next to the town's bus to jump to a different part of their island, which meticulously recreates the Calico Desert.
Redditor acnh_kaylee has clearly poured tons of effort into this, and made note that they don't know for sure how much time it took, but that it kept them occupied for the first half of the pandemic. The recreation is so spot-on that some in the comments reported feeling disoriented, as it legitimately looks like the 2D pixel world of Stardew Valley transformed into a fully 3D game.
Both Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing: New Horizons have offered players a way to get away from day-to-day life and socialize with friends during this unusual time. Both games let players take them at their own pace, making them a great choice to unwind with. While the gameplay emphasis does differ a bit, both provide players with enough ways to customize their farm or island to recreate their favorite places. With Animal Crossing: New Horizons' major updates having come to a close and ConcernedApe focusing on his next game, it's unlikely that these two will ever see an official crossover. But the fans will be there to make the connection themselves, like acnh_kaylee has.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now for the Switch. Stardew Valley is available on mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.