Avid Animal Crossing fans, listen up. Nintendo has just recently released a new installment for the Animal Crossing game series – Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.
Pocket Camp is an app-based game developed by Nintendo which has been made available for both Android and iOS operating systems. First released in Australia, almost a month before it’s official release date of 22 November, this latest installment of Animal Crossing is now available for download; worldwide.
Graphics
As someone who has only grown up playing Animal Crossing: Wild World on the Nintendo DS Lite and New Leaf for the 3DS, witnessing the crisp and crystal graphics offered in Pocket Camp was an incredibly pleasant surprise. The graphics in the game are absolutely stunning as the colors are vibrant, the animations move seamlessly, and every single element on the screen looks crisp while retaining the specific Animal Crossing art that we all know and love.
Gameplay
It can safely be said that the gameplay offered in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, just simply can’t beat those which were offered on the GameCube, DS, Wii and the 3DS. With that said, it has perfectly captured a nostalgic and refreshing version of what we love about Animal Crossing – which makes it the perfect version of Animal Crossing for mobile gameplay. Of course, as it is a game made for the mobile, a few of the features and elements from the original games had to be removed. However, there have been quite a few new factors – that have been made available in this game – which offers a rather delightful gameplay experience
Unlike previous Animal Crossing installments, which determined your character’s appearance through your selected speech or required you to pay to alter your character’s appearance, Pocket Camp allows players to have total control over the customization of their characters from the get-go. Changing appearances is also not an issue as players are able to do so within the game’s settings at any given time for no extra costs! (Be it bells or game micro-transactions) For those who are also worried that this game would involve spending actual money in exchange for game credits, fret not. While the game does give you the option of purchasing ‘leaf tickets’, there really is no need for it as the game often rewards you with these for completing goals and leveling up.
Leaf tickets form a new form of currency in the game which allows you to purchase items, speed up crafting creations or the growing of fruits and even allows you to enter the new quarry – a mining site that offers you bells, essence or materials. While the quarry allows for a creative change, the game does feel kind of empty without places such as Tom Nook’s store, the Post Office, Town Hall, The Roost, Museum, etc. Instead, Pocket Camp remains faithful to its theme by offering a handful of nature locations allowing you to catch bugs, fish and pick fruits to complete other animal campers’ requests.
Pocket Camp‘s concept is simple yet still incredibly addictive as it involves completing requests, placing orders for crafting items, designing the ultimate campsite and inviting your favorite animal pals to join you. It ultimately allows you to build the most incredible campsite imaginable.
Nostalgia Factor
While Animal Crossing spin-offs, such as Happy Home Designer, tend to leave out features from the main installments – such as catching bugs, fishing and picking fruits – Pocket Camper gets in touch with its roots again by bringing back these features that we all fell in love with in the original games. However, while players might notice this new installment makes it almost too easy to complete tasks such as catching bugs and fishing, Nintendo has also included new elements such as the use of honey and fishing nets. Honey allows players to capture multiple bugs quickly by attracting them with honey while the fishing net will enable you to catch numerous fishes simultaneously. It is a rather exciting new feature as it showcases absolutely adorable animations while the items are in use.
Many characters from the previous installments of Animal Crossing also make an appearance in Pocket Camp; which allows for a nice touch to the game. For example, K.K. Slider and Tom Nook can literally be purchased from the game. Well, technically the items that they appear with can be crafted. However, once their respective objects of stool and foldable chair are placed at your campsite, you’ll be able to see them whenever you please. I personally love the fact that K.K. Slider is perpetually strumming his guitar at my campsite.
What’s the Difference?
Other than not allowing your player to consume fruits, plant flowers or pull weeds, Pocket Camp also replaced your house with a camper caravan. You can customize it as you please, expand it and even take and pay off loans for it. While it is rather exciting visiting OK Motors and meeting great new characters there, I do slightly miss having a stationary house of some sort, and I was disappointed that players aren’t able to enter the tents that are placed at campsites.
Players are also able to interact with other online players in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. While the interactions offered with other players online does not meet the excellence of New Leaf‘s Dream Diary feature, it is enjoyable to accept friend requests, give kudos, visit other players’ campsites and even completing trades with one another.
Upcoming Features
The range of items that are available for crafting is somewhat limited at the moment, as most of it is restricted to furniture, however, there are plans for Pocket Camp to include the Able Sisters – to allow for the availability of clothing crafting options – in future updates of the game. There are also currently only 40 Animal Crossing characters available in the game, leaving many favorites out. Hence there will be more characters made available in future updates; allowing for players to invite a whole variety of characters to their campsites.
YouTube: Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Digest
Photo credit: Nintendo
