GAME OF THE DAY
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp
Decorate your dream campsite!
So I visit my colleague’s campsite in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and find a halfpipe. Which is weird, because he’s not much of an athlete in real life. Could he be expressing his inner skater bro through Nintendo’s charming game?
Great, now I want a halfpipe… so the next day at work, I ask him how to get it. He tells me to befriend sporty animals and collect a load of “sporty essence”.
So straight away I talk to Jay, the sporty sparrow, and find out that he's looking for a red snapper. I go fishing at Saltwater Shores, but the only fish I catch are horse mackerel. I decide to hurl a throw net from the pier instead, and luckily there are a couple of red snappers in my haul. Result.
The next morning, I speak to Jay and present him with my prize catch. In return, he gives me some of that sporty essence I'd heard about, plus a bunch of Bells (Animal Crossing’s in-game currency). I'm getting closer to that halfpipe… I’ll let my work friend know about my big haul at work tomorrow, I think.
This is the magic of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. It’s an alternate world which somehow becomes part of your real life routine, sparking conversations with fellow players about how to get the hot new item or find some rare new fish.
Those familiar with the long-running Nintendo series will know that the game revolves around fishing, insect collection and helping other animals in the game. Every good deed is rewarded, and every scavenger hunt unearths fun little secrets.
Ultimately, the goal is to build your dream campsite, one that is crafted and designed by you. The more cool items you add, the more the other animals in the game flock to your crib just to hang out there.
A clever friend system also allows you to check out other players’ campsites, so scout around and you’ll certainly find inspiration for your own camp. You’ll return to your own abode determined to get that rare item you just saw elsewhere; “camp envy”, we call it.
Animal Crossing’s gentle humour brings real warmth to the game, and as we fire it up again to see what we can buy from Timmy at Nookling Global, it’s clear Nintendo has done it again: reimagined one of its most-loved series beautifully for iPhone and iPad.