Animal Crossing: Wild World

During their time spent in the village, the player is able to perform a number of various activities, such as collecting items, fish and insects, or socializing with the village's residents. The game is synchronized with the Nintendo DS clock and calendar, allowing the game to be played in real-time . For example, both daytime and night will occur in the village depending on the current hour, and snow will fall during the cold months. Different events occur at particular times of the year, such as holidays and the variation of collectible fauna depending on the month or season.

Wild World features a high level of customization. The player character 's appearance can be modified to the player's preference: it can be dressed from a large selection of available clothes and accessories, or players can design new clothing patterns from scratch with help from the village tailor, Able Sisters. The environment itself can be modified: trees can be grown or chopped down in any part of the village, and the players share a house that can be furnished with collected furniture and items. Wild World adds the ability to draw constellations that are visible in the night sky.

Wild World utilizes the dual screens of the Nintendo DS in various ways. The game allows players to interact via the system's touch screen and stylus , which is used to manage the players inventory , write messages, draw designs for clothes, or control the character. Unlike the previous iteration which had used a top-down perspective , Wild World allows both the ground and sky to be visible at the same time on each of the screens, allowing the players to view events occurring in the sky without needing to switch perspectives. This is done by using a "rolling log" effect, in which the terrain seems to bend and roll beneath the player's feet when travelling about the village.

Online connectivity Wild World was the first game in the Animal Crossing series to feature online play and was the second game on the DS to utilize the now defunct Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection , with which players could visit other villages. Because players were required to exchange and register Friend Codes prior to visiting, connection to random villages was not possible. Up to four DS systems can explore the same village simultaneously. Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection can be used to exchange items and custom-designed patterns between players, as well as receiving exclusive gifts from Nintendo while connected.

Wild World is compatible with its Wii successor, Animal Crossing: City Folk . Players are able to transfer their player from Wild World to City Folk via a wireless connection between the two consoles. As of May 20, 2014, online functionality offered through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection is no longer accessible. The discontinued services include online play, matchmaking and leaderboards in which Animal Crossing: Wild World , as well as many other online DS and Wii games, are affected.