Why Animal Crossing’s Tom Nook is badder than Stardew’s Mayor Lewis

If you ask people what their favorite comfort games are, you’ll hear two mentioned quite often: Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Stardew Valley. I downloaded Stardew Valley to my older 2020 MacBook Pro, and I jumped on that New Horizons Train wagons in 2021. Both are considered to be low-stress games and both fictional cities have a lot in common. These include their own leaders: in new horizons, capitalist overlord Tom Nook ensures your island vacation comes with strings attached, in stardew valley, Pelican Town Mayor Lewis is helming the show. These parallels led me to a hypothetical glove throwing; I thought of the criticism of these two people/animals (vertebrates?). Both have drawn the ire of fans, so I decided to find out who is the most ruthless.

Of course, this question is subjective. What is recklessness in a farming or lifestyle game, and which type of recklessness is “worse” than the other? I associate it with a lack of empathy for others: someone who uses their resources to achieve their end goal by any means necessary. Even if that means giving up responsibility and people for it should be important to them. I also like to think that true ruthlessness has tactics. Are they sneaky or just careless? Let’s dive in.

First Tom Nook

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Skye McEowen

This Tanuki businessman’s company, Nook Inc., is a one-stop shop for all your needs. But since his company is the only place you can get most items – and it includes an online service New Horizons Ordering goods – it’s a little too reminiscent of Jeff Bezos and Amazon. Do Nook’s employees, Timmy and Tommy, get living wages? Services? Can they unionize? Aside from potential labor law violations, no other companies appear to be competing with the Nook empire other than the Able Sisters and oddballs. What efforts has Tom Nook made to ensure he’s the only one standing?

Aside from shopping, Tom Nook is in control of the construction and lands on the island, and you owe him an ongoing debt. This starts at the beginning of the game when you learn that even your own island vacation has to be repaid. While the game is relaxed and meant to be played at your own pace, you can’t really “progress” until you start building infrastructure and houses, which requires taking out massive bell loans. Sure, he doesn’t seem to charge any interest, and there’s no set due date before your sweet Animal Crossing credit score is shattered, but Nook’s tactics often make the game feel like a college debt simulator with the added bonus of sane animal campers.

Continue to Mayor Lewis

Image: ConcernedApe via Skye McEowen

Stardew ValleyMayor Lewis is no sunshine himself. During my hundreds of hours of gaming – which included constantly Googling what gifts Harvey likes – I encountered some severe criticism of the Mayor of Pelican Town. Lewis doesn’t force you to pay loans, but he is a leader of unparalleled power. You could play the game for decades and never witness a mayoral election. I can’t fully comment on the intricacies of Pelican Town’s politics, but it seems fishy. And does he at least do good with his power? Well, when you get to Pelican Town, it appears to be in disarray. The bus has been broken for who knows how long and Pam is unemployed; the community center is an abandoned shell; and there isn’t even an established school. Penny uses her free time to teach the town’s kids.

I could never forgive Mayor Lewis for the way he treats Marnie. She is the ideal hay and animal supplier for farmers and we develop a good relationship with her over time. She took in Shane, her struggling nephew, and she takes care of Jas. The game obviously portrays Marnie and Lewis’ relationship as something romantic, but he drags her along and insists on keeping things a secret.

Ultimately, Major Lewis leaves town to revitalize the town and help the townsfolk to the new farmer. Sure, he organizes the city’s events. But we take control of listening to the residents, and eventually even work with Robin to build better homes for some of them. However, this is strange since Lewis has the resources to craft a literal gold statue of himself, which you can find from a secret note. We’re also getting the old community center working, which is helping fix other parts of Pelican Town. What does it really have to offer? Mad if we throw his purple shorts in the luau potluck?

Now the question remains: who is more ruthless?

Both Mayor Lewis and Tom Nook have undisputed leadership – even Machiavellian – over their respective domains. It’s clearly money-driven for Tom Nook. I mean we Yes, really Do you know if a simple bridge and construction cost almost 100,000 bells? That means he acts. He uses these loans to turn the island into a thriving community, even getting the famous KK Slider to perform there. Mayor Lewis largely disregards Pelican Town’s infrastructure and keeps Marnie busy, making him seem ineffective and chaotic rather than sneaky. Of course, the lack of fair elections is alarming – then again, for a town of 30, it’s unclear who would run against him. He seems to primarily use his power to garden and throw town events.

All said, I have to hand the award to Tom Nook, our beloved loan shark, who could easily be a formidable villain if he really wanted to. He has the appeal, lack of emotional connection, and tactical skills to pronounce him the most ruthless. Other than that, I don’t like Tom Nook. I have a thing for the adorable character — plus I still owe him Bells for my house upgrade, and I don’t want him suddenly charging me an interest rate.