2024.08.26 ★ Pack up the Camper, We're Heading Out
A few days ago, I whipped open Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and got this notice.
End of an era, I guess. But I can't say I'm totally upset. I did think it was weird that their annual Leaf Ticket sale was during the summer instead of during their end-year anniversary event, but I never expected this.
In any case, the game kind of served it's purpose, to me.
I've been playing Animal Crossing since City Folk, so since then I've been on any new releases on day one. I wondered how such a game would translate to a mobile app, but it's pretty simple. Every three hours, do three favors each for four of the needy animals - give them the requested fruit, bugs, seashells or fish. Get crafting materials in return. Craft furniture. Use said furniture to convince them to stay at your base camp. Gain even cuter items through monthly events, and the cutest items by buying with Leaf Tickets (earned in-game or paid for with cash) or from fortune cookies, the in-game gachapon (I'm not one for spending on gacha, but they do offer plenty of freebie cookies). I played for a while, then comfortably put it down to... play console Animal Crossing or literally anything else. I came back to the game in 2020 because, if I remember correctly, I just wanted a Dodo Airlines bag from the Nintendo points shop and Pocket Camp is arguably the easiest way to farm points. But it also was a good way to scratch the itch in my brain that felt the need to square off tasks during lockdown. For some time I ended up vigilantly responding to all the camper requests, even waking up to make sure they got their fill of fruit and seashells.
The game is cute, and notably has much nicer items than the base game (to the point that people have tried to replicate them in New Horizons by designing custom patterns), but it's even more repetitive. Every month has 3 main events: gardening (grow flowers and collect bugs for furniture), fishing (catch fish for furniture) and scavenger hunting (collect gyroids for... furniture). The event furniture... some of it is super nice and creative but 8 years later, well, I personally think it's safe to say they're running low on ideas. Not to mention that the player's character can only interact with some seats. For all the cute interactive furniture there is - swings, slides, spinning teacup rides - it's for the animals only.
Interaction? Tap a button or two to assist other players, leave stickers on their 'photos' or send them presents. You can also visit their camp and see how they've decorated (or not). Ironically, the safest version of Animal Crossing is the mobile app with paid subscription plans and gachapon. LOL
Nintendo announced that rather than leaving it at that, they are working on a paid game that people can transfer their save data to; it will lack paid features or interaction, however. A lot of people are happy that they're offering an option instead of leaving a lot of people, especially people who paid a lot, empty-handed. But when I think about it, I'm not entirely sure I want to make the jump. It entirely depends on what the new game offers, but as it stands, I mostly play Pocket Camp because it's there. It's a way to kill a few minutes at a time. I haven't created any deep friendships; I have a handful of people who regularly trade gifts with me and once the app is gone that will be that. The campers? I have New Horizons at the ready any time. The mountain of furniture? I have some really nice stuff, but nothing I'm so attached to. Plus, for all the furniture I have and like, there's not much room to display it all (Campers can't enter my camper, so putting interactive furniture in that crampy space ends up being a waste. There's a 3-floor cabin but the rooms are all the same size and have an off-limits space that can make designs look awkward).
I think the one feature I wanted was a way to trade fortune cookie prizes - I have no use for FOUR veils that animals can't wear, I should be able to trade them for something of equal rarity. Trading by rarity would mean no horrible effects on the in-game bell economy, which is only for selling... bugs, fruits, shells and fish. What might sway me is if the paid version of the app makes all the paid craft items available for crafting since Leaf Tickets won't be a thing anymore. Games with customizable avatars bring out the diva in me that probably doesn't exist elsewhere.
But alas.
This makes me sound like I hate the game, but I don't - I just feel like for me, it's run its course. It's cute, but not fun. A pastime, a distraction. The ideal Animal Crossing experience for me is having ample space to decorate, customizing items and playing with friends - Pocket Camp misses out on all that, unfortunately.
Well, now to figure out how to "go all out" for the last few months of the game. So far I've noticed an uptick in people trading gifts with me - yay for more... free furniture!