Play Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp if you don’t have a Nintendo Switch

Animal crossing: new horizons has become a comfort blanket for Nintendo Switch players during quarantine, social distancing and on-site orders Coronavirus pandemic. The game’s simple tasks like catching fish and beetles, decorating your island, gardening, and collecting fruits – even if you just stop by on a friend’s island to say hello – help many deal with the loss of normalcy to become. Island life has started to bleed into reality and people have turned their real habitats into makeshift paradises. One of our editors even brought a virtual birthday party into play.

I admit a bit of FOMO started when I saw so many of my friends playing the game, but I don’t know if I could justify buying a Nintendo Switch – especially since the gaming devices are sold out almost everywhere at the moment. Fortunately, there is another option – Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.

Pocket Camp is a free version of Animal Crossing that works iOS and Android. At Pocket Camp you are responsible for a campsite – make furniture, personalize your tent and customize your motorhome. You can travel to different resorts, meet animals, and make friends for rewards. During your visit, you can fish, collect fruit, and collect beetles for later trading. Any friends you find can also visit your campsite.

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Here are five reasons why it is worth visiting Pocket Camp:

You are new to Animal Crossing

If you’ve never ventured into the animal crossing world, Pocket Camp can help you learn the ropes of the game quickly. I was playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf at the time and was quickly frustrated by Tom Nook, the grumpy capitalist raccoon. Pocket Camp was far less frustrating for me than it would have started with New Horizons.

Pocket Camp also offers a smaller world to manage than New Horizons. There are four resorts to explore: Breezy Hollow, Lost Lure Creek, Saltwater Shores and Sunburst Island. The longer you play, the more points on the map will be unlocked, e.g. B. Pete’s Parcel Service, the Happy Home Showcase and Gulliver’s ship.

In addition, the tasks in the mobile version are easier and are updated daily. In essence, you get big rewards for picking everything up on the ground and shaking all the trees. Who needs Nook Miles?

You don’t have a switch

As entertaining as New Horizons looks, a game is not enough to spend a lot of money on a Nintendo Switch, provided you find one right now. Even if you have the money Getting a switch is difficult due to increased demand. If you have no plans to buy a switch, Pocket Camp is a great way to scratch it FOMO Itching without breaking the bank.

No system or pocket camp is required – you can download it to your mobile device for free. I play mine on my iPad. As a casual player, this is a big win for me. If you pay attention to your budget, this could also be a plus.

Playing the game on the phone makes learning control even more complicated. Everything in the Pocket Camp is just a tap away. So if you’re more of a mobile player, there’s not a lot of learning to do.

Bells are life

In my experience, it was really easy to collect Bells, Animal Crossing’s currency, at the Pocket Camp. You can earn bells by completing requests for other animals and completing small collectible challenges. The game also has Leaf Tickets, another form of currency that you can use to make items for your campsite. Regular gameplay gives you fewer leaf tickets, but you can also buy more with real money (the game can be downloaded for free, but there are some optional in-app purchases like this one). Leaf tickets can speed up tinkering and unlock more items, but I guess with Pocket Camp you can still experience the entire game without paywalls.

Continue reading: 17 Best Animal Crossing: New Horizons Tips For All Players

You don’t have much time

Animal Crossing: New Horizon is fairly involved, but Pocket Camp offers a more streamlined gaming experience. For example, there is a new animal in a specific location every three hours. The mobile game is designed for short, daily game breaks rather than hours of immersion. You can play longer, of course – there is less to unlock unless you use request tickets to do more tasks for friends.

Although there is a steady stream of events at Pocket Camp, you don’t have to attend if you don’t want to. Chances are that events are not as complicated as in New Horizons, such as Bunny Day, the island’s Easter equivalent. The first event I attended was Sakura Picnic in the park. Most, if not all, of the tasks consisted of collecting sakura glass balls, which were often rewarded for doing tasks.

The social aspect of the Pocket Camp is also a little different. If one of your friends (in real life) plays Pocket Camp, you can add each other with your ID code. The downside is that you can’t “play together” like in New Horizons. When you visit a friend’s campsite, you only see them standing next to their motorhome. Tap on them and you can view their market box or give them praise.

Goldie is everything

Pocket Camp doesn’t skimp on the cute characters. One of the first friends I found was Goldie, a villager with a cute dog. I can generally see her dozing on my tent when I wear the little flower hat I gave her. Each animal has a distinctive personality based on its style – cute, cool, natural, sporty, rustic, hip, elegant, modern or historical.

Together with Goldie, Jay and hazelnut are hanging out at my campsite. You can ask any animal to come to your camp, but it will make some bold requests in exchange for their friendship. Depending on their style, they will ask you to purchase certain pieces for their comfort. The longer you play, the more difficult it is to fulfill the invitations, but so far, if you don’t keep inviting animals, it won’t hinder the game.

You will also notice a clear lack of Tom Nook. Instead, you’ll meet Tommy and Timmy Nook in the market, but don’t worry, you can’t get into debt with them. Instead, you can take out loans with OK engines. The shop belongs to Giovanni and his bird brothers Beppe and Carlo. The trio works quickly when you order upgrades for your RV, but it comes at a price. On a positive note, they are pretty relaxed with the repayment.

If you are curious about Animal Crossing: New Horizons at all, I highly recommend grabbing your phone and visiting Pocket Camp to see if it’s the right game to suppress your pandemic boredom and fear.