For those of you who love animals, Nintendo, and camping, have I got the perfect treat for you!
Nintendo hosted a livestream on October 24 that announced a new game for mobile devices – "Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp." The game, which will be officially released in late November, appears to be in beta mode in Australia and features many elements from the Animal Crossing series that are adored by many fans while also adding new elements to make the game stand out on its own.
The "Animal Crossing" series is one that I have adored for many years now, but when I heard about the mobile game months ago, I wasn’t sure how to feel. How would a game like Animal Crossing translate into a game for phones? Would real money be incorporated into it? Would it be similar to the “Happy Home Designer” spinoff that was released in 2015, or would users get to build an entire town within their phones? Sure, I was excited, but with those questions spinning around in my head, it was easy to feel a little apprehensive.
After watching the Nintendo Direct last night, however, any potential weariness I felt toward this game has seemed to diminish.
"Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp" is a game where your character arrives as the new campground manager. Upon arrival, Isabelle greets you and explains what your duties will be to build up the campground and get visitors. From there, you can do favors for animals, build your friendship with characters, make furniture, and design the campground exactly as you’d like. From there you can host a variety of visitors, which includes other Pocket Camp players.
The game itself looks like a lot of fun. The addition of a campground was introduced in the "Welcome Amiibo" update to "Animal Crossing: New Leaf" just last year, and as much as I loved Harvey’s laid back personality, I think it’s going to be fun to get to step in his shoes for this game. Plus, you can add amenities to the campground and make it look so different from how the campground in "Welcome Amiibo" looks that I’m almost not sad to see him go. Sorry, Harv, but I’m willing to bet my campground will look cooler than yours.
One element of this game that I love is the amount of customization that is a part of it. The "Animal Crossing" series has always been big about self-expression and letting characters design their homes and towns however they see fit, but "Pocket Camp" seems to have added more to it. At the start of the game, you are able to customize your character, from skin color to hairstyle and even eye shape/color. This was introduced in "Happy Home Designer," and I am glad it has returned for "Pocket Camp." Even though the element of surprise that the former games used to choose your looks was a fun twist, it’s nice to be able to choose what you look like as well.
Beyond that, you are even able to customize your RV, which serves as a home in this game. You are able to design the inside as you would in any other "Animal Crossing" game, and you can also customize the outside. The outside customization requires taking out a loan, of course, but with new characters Giovanni, Beppe, and Carlo on the job, the results seem to be worth the wait!
There is, of course, a way that the game can get a hold of your actual money. Leaf Coupons have been introduced in this game as a way of purchasing different items and convincing characters to move faster on building/designing different things for your town. These coupons aren’t able to be obtained in game, at least not easily. Instead, you can purchase a bunch of them at once using actual money. Tom Nook, I see your sneaky methods at work.
As an "Animal Crossing" fan, I am looking forward to seeing how "Pocket Camp" works for myself. The different elements of customization look to be exciting, and the addition of new characters and components to sit alongside well-loved parts of the game has me feeling optimistic about this game’s lifespan. Even though I’m looking forward to the day when they announce an "Animal Crossing" title for the Nintendo Switch, I think "Pocket Camp" will be a great way to pass the time. Hopefully, I can do so without having to go into debt.
