Did I hear you say that, right? You wanted Animal Crossing on your phone?
Well now you can have it, and you can still enjoy some of the old timeless features from the game we were all introduced to in 2001 on the Game Cube, and grew to love throughout the last few years with newer versions for the Nintendo DS and 3DS in New Leaf and Wild World.
Animal Crossing Pocket Camp was released by Nintendo in the United States for iOS and Android devices on Tuesday, Nov. 21. The game combines parts of the old and parts of something new which add up to a good time-filler, but do not live up to the standards and desires of previous Animal Crossing games.
Pocket Camp once again allows players to become the only human in a vibrant and colorful world full of animals, however instead of living in your own country you are now the manager of a campsite which connects to neighboring campsites where animal residents will come and go on vacation. Your own site is fully customizable from details in your fences all the way to how many stories in your camper you would like to have. However the surrounding sites leave no such freedom.
Each of the sites near yours take a small load time to access but offer different resources like fish, fruit and bugs that your neighbors may ask for you to get for them. When you gather supplies, have conversations with and invite other animals to your campsite you increase your friendship level with them and unlock achievements that can be daily and timed, or part of a larger and longer list of goals to be achieved.
Your neighbors will reward you for your hunter/gatherer skills by gifting you with bells (currency) and other supplies like wool and wood that you need to use to craft furniture for your personal campsite. The catch comes from the fact that these animals will only visit your campsite if you have the specific furniture they like, which could be expensive for you to craft.
While the animation and locations are arguably better than previous console versions and the music and voices of many characters has carried through to this new generation, many users argue that the lack of purpose makes the game dull after the new and shiney wear off.
“I downloaded the game,” said Justin Lagace, senior communications major of Paris. “But I couldn’t find the point, so I deleted it.”
I too downloaded the game. I even convinced my boyfriend, brother and parents to download it. However, none of them share my enthusiasm for it. I play every day, but only in five minute increments. I find that these short bursts keep my site from getting boring and allows the game to feel new and exciting every time. However, for my loved ones, the game lost its appeal after the routine of collecting, delivering, rewarding and crafting became old.
I do miss the exciting and mysterious features of the old Crossings world where Resetti came after me, I could donate fossils and actually visit my real-life friends’ virtual towns. In Pocket Camp I can view my friends Market Box, a new feature that allows us to purchase items from others, or visit their campsite, but it’s not a real-time interaction and does not allow for communication the way the old world did. There’s also not much incentive to visit their campsites other than earning and giving kudos because you already have access to all of the possible fruits, bugs and fish in your own world.
Pocket Camp is lacking the Easter-egg type surprises that older versions had, it is restricting to the player by making goals so easily achievable and many of us who grew up with the game miss the challenges of trying to perfect our neighbors coffee orders.
Pocket Camp will satisfy you if you’re looking for easy amusement between classes or a bright and colorful vacation world to escape from finals with, but if you’re seeking the stimulation of previous versions, stick to your console. Earning candy canes will be much easier for you in Pocket Camp than getting a hair salon in Tom Nook’s shop or paying off your mortgage ever was in the old world.
I guess it’s true that the paths of the two worlds merely cross, but don’t coincide.
