With the Nintendo Switch taking in most of the spotlight, it's easy to forget that Nintendo has begun to enter the mobile market. With the success and quality of Mario Run and Fire Emblem Heroes, their newest release, Animal Crossing Pocket Camp, shouldn't be ignored. It's slated for release on November 22nd for both Android and IOS.
What is Animal Crossing
For those unfamiliar with the series, it's a community simulator in which the player lives in a town with a bunch of animals–in this case a campsite. The player must collect items, play minigames, and build up a village and its residents. The animals can offer assistance, or even move out, depending on how the player interacts with the environment and animals. Animal Crossing is played in real time, so stuff like seasons or holidays affect the gameplay and options available.
The series originated on the N64 and has had multiple entries since then, most notably, the 3DS entry Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
Pocket Camp
The player will control a campsite manager, and it's up to the player to turn the empty space into the ideal site for new animals to come and visit. Animals will need your help with stuff such as gathering fish, fruit, and bugs, and they will offer new materials to build the campsite in return.
Furniture and amenities can be made from the materials, and it's up to the player on how the camp will look. It could be more traditional with tents, campers, and bonfires, but Nintendo allows players to spice it up a bit with unique elements such as amusement park rides and halfpipes.
There are a lot of items to collect and, like Mario Run, Nintendo will hold promotions and special events on certain days or special occasions to keep the game fresh and updated.
Per usual in the series, the player can choose his/her own appearance. The facial details, clothing, and body type is highly customizable, and the open world and non-objective based gameplay will allow players to go at their own pace and build however they like.
Animals that have visited the park, who can be attracted by adding items and locales they like, will be able to return anytime.
Leaf Tickets
Leaf tickets will be a kind of currency in the game. Nintendo is allowing in-game purchases with real money, but they also say these tickets can be earned through gameplay measures. The tickets are used to expedite the process of crafting new stuff. It's hard to say, as of now, how much of a factor this will have on the gameplay and ability to enjoy the free version of the game. The game is considered "free with in-game purchases".
Animal Crossing Pocket Camp certainly looks like a familiar but fresh game within the series, and it's really cool that the game will be mostly free as well as highly customizable. It looks like a game that could be fun on a long bus ride or even to just to kill a few minutes; knowing Nintendo and their track record so far, this game should be worth a download.
