"Why is everyone so focused on brain training and virtual dog games, when they could be ripping off Animal Crossing for mobile?" we wondered aloud at the Mobile Games Forum conference in January.

Little did we know that Zed was ahead of us. The company has taken the wrappers off Pumpetland, a connected game that has got us dribbling with anticipation.

"It's a cross between Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon and Viva Piñata," says Chris Head, director of game development at Zed. Nice.

You start by customising a Pumpet character, choosing between six professions including cook, wizard and farmer. The core of the game involves tending your garden, with the twist that each type of Pumpet grows a certain type of fruit.

"If you're a cook, your garden produces cooking-related items, but if you're a rock star, it produces musical notes," explains Head.

This is where the online aspects come in, as to advance in the game you'll need to visit other players' gardens to get some of their fruit, which can then be combined with yours to buy new items, such as furniture and foliage.

A fully-featured chat client means you can strike up friendships as you do so.

"It's cute characters mixed with personalisation, collecting, and exhibitionism," says Head. Don't worry, that doesn't mean the Pumpets start flashing one another – it's more the element of showing off your carefully-tended garden to other players.

We can't wait to try it, although Pumpetland isn't out until next month, and will only be available through Zed's own community.