After reports surfaced last week that Nintendo would launch their latest mobile title on November 22, players on-the-go were pleasantly surprised to find Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp ready to download on Tuesday. The game is available on Google Play and the App Store for Android and iOS users respectively.
The game was initially due out earlier this year, but it was reportedly postponed to favor the launch of Fire Emblem Heroes, the first mobile game of the franchise and an ongoing success. Super Mario Run, the first major foray by Nintendo into this new setting, has seen little success in contrast.
Like other Nintendo titles for smartphones, the game is free to play and can be enjoyed as is, but it also throws in some in-game currency and microtransactions to help players who want to progress faster and obtain unique items. The video game giant has said there will be regular updates and seasonal events.
You need to be online to play Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp
For players who don’t know what Animal Crossing is about, they might be surprised to know that it is not your traditional type of game. It is a community simulation video game where there are no clear objectives or stories to follow beyond the interactions you make with the neighbors in your village.
Taking after the main franchise for the Nintendo DS and 3DS, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp starts small and gets progressively big. You, the player, will take the role a new human villager that moves to this camping settlement on your RV, and will meet with fellow campers and engage in fun daily activities.
The closest thing to a goal here will be to collect the items you need to craft other items, including furniture to decorate your RV and fish and fruit you can eat or sell. For those who were expecting a data-light game, Pocket Camp brings bad news: you need an internet connection to play at all times.
Seasonal events will keep Pocket Camp fun and trendy
If it is such a seemingly simple game, why would you need to be online to play it though? The explanation lies in Animal Crossing’s core gameplay. The franchise has always been characterized for its playability in “real-time,” meaning it uses the system’s internal clock to determine the time of the day and season of the year.
This gives players the chance to take on different tasks that might be available only at certain moments throughout the day, or to collect specific items that appear only at night, for example. With this in mind, Nintendo is planning to play to their strengths and launch seasonal events with limited edition items and challenges.
The in-game currency of the handheld titles consists of bells, but in Pocket Camp, you can purchase Leaf Tickets to exchange for special items you cannot obtain otherwise. Tuesday’s release of the game has crashed some servers, so you might experience some errors during the first week or so like many other players.
Source: Google Play