The player moves into a village where everyone is an animal. Only the player is human. Only four people can move to the village and live together in one house (different to Animal Crossing). They have to pay money (called "bells") for the house, and when they did it the house will get bigger. Bells can be earned by fishing, catching insects, selling things and other ways. Every player can buy the things he/she likes by Tom Nook (a racoon who has got a shop in the village) and put them in the house. If the house looks nice, they get points and things from the HRA (Happy Room Academy). They also can buy clothes at Able Sisters. The game is played in real time and has no ending. You can visit the villages of other players by using the Nintendo DS wireless connection or Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. It's almost like the older "Animal Crossing" GameCube version.