If there’s one series that’s taken the old adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” to heart, it’s Animal Crossing. Sure, it’s adopted new Wi-Fi capabilities, increased the number of items and villagers, and given aspiring interior designers myriad new design possibilities, but the core mechanic has stayed largely the same since 2001. With Animal Crossing: City Folk, Nintendo looks to switch up the formula just enough to keep things fresh, while still keeping what made the original such a charming diversion in the first place.

So, what’s new? In two words: the city. City Folk remains largely the same game everyone sunk hundreds of hours into, but with a new, separate area equipped with its own unique shops, denizens, and areas to explore. At Nintendo’s Fall Media Summit, I was lucky enough to get my hands on the game for a little while, and tried to uncover what exactly makes this version tick.

For anyone who’s played an hour of Animal Crossing before, City Folk feels instantly intuitive. The series survived the transition to the current gen rather well, with smoother and cleaner textures that look great along with a new point-and-click interface that utilizes the Wii remote for easy inventory management. Even though I spent about an hour with the game, it’s hard to recall exactly what I did as it all seems to blend into your average Animal Crossing play session.. I dug a few holes, did some fishing, hocked my wares, and visited with nearby neighbors to get an inside scoop as to how my individual town was doing. I was starting to worry that little had actually changed when suddenly I stumbled upon a bus stop to take me to the big and bustling city. Score!

If you're one of the few diehards who worried that the city might damage the tried-and-true formula, let me finally set your mind at ease. The city is almost exactly what any player would envision: a sizable, not too big, not too small town plaza with all kinds of new shops to explore, and many new townsfolk to meet and interact with. While a few of Wild World’s shops simply migrated to the urban area (like Shampoodle’s hair salon), many of the shops are headquarters for the various traveling salespeople and minor characters in previous games. Instead of waiting for the right day for designer giraffe Gracie or shyster Redd to grace you with their presence, you can just hop aboard the bus and see them at your leisure.

In addition to the returners, I was pleasantly surprised by the handful of newbies and additions to the city. I could tiptoe over to Kicks, the shoe shining skunk, to change up my shoes, or swing by the new Auction house to buy and sell items via Wi-Fi (with WiiConnect24). Many of the returners had new skills and facets to their personality, including the ability to learn updated facial expressions, view sample Happy Academy rooms, and change into your Mii; all welcome additions to a familiar game.