In 4Gamer’s end-of-the-year talk with Yoko Taro, the creative legend behind NieR Automata shared his game of the year. Drumroll please….
Animal Crossing Pocket Camp is my GOTY. Honestly. https://t.co/4JgxbKgeSj
— yokotaro (@yokotaro) December 11, 2017
Here we can revisit and relive my past life at the Swine Crossing. I will never forget that anger. Revenge is a dish best served cold......
— tctc副官 (@ToastCrust) November 22, 2017
Note: He links to an old blog post where he wrote about playing Animal Crossing on the 3DS. https://t.co/R6yFAYdURt
“I’ve been telling everyone, but Animal Crossing’s latest title on smartphone is amazing,” said Taro. “It is missing various functions from the 3DS version, but to make up for it, the framework is made for a social game and I can’t get enough of the gentle characters. As I level higher, the number of offerings the animals demand casually keeps increasing, so I think the sense of fear that comes from wondering ‘If these animals’ requests become extreme then what will they demand from me!?’ is part of its good spice. I’m already trembling while waiting for the moment I lose myself and become impoverished in the social game world that never ends.”
Isabelle: I'll give you some Leaf Tickets so let's try using them right away!
— tctc副官 (@ToastCrust) November 22, 2017
YT: I've heard that "giving the first taste for free to get you hooked on the pleasure of a paid good" is a common tactic of drug dealers. https://t.co/utTdAnwJcf
In a previous Gamasutra post where other devs were asked their thoughts about Animal Crossing Pocket Camp , Taro went out on a limb with a dark, deconstructionist take on the F2P mobile title:
“Let's take, for example, what the "monsters" eat. The rabbit seems to be of the normal herbivorous variety, but can be seen, in this game, grilling and eating fish. Also, in this game, pigs and cows enjoy barbecue (but you can't see what they're grilling). What is going on in this ecosystem? When you run out of things to eat, do you resort to cannibalism? Is there so much difference in the intelligence of birds and fish? If you walk on two legs and talk, does that mean you won't be hunted? Is the value of your life determined by your intelligence? There are so many interesting themes hidden in this game,” said Taro.
I'll never forget what your father did to me...... Forcing onto me, a fresh foreigner, debt enough to buy a house many times. Indenturing me to labor under beasts. I bear no grudge with you, but by your blood ties mayhaps you'll pay for your father's sins. https://t.co/XwN3l6EmXA
— tctc副官 (@ToastCrust) November 22, 2017
He even added a little Marxist flavor by adding, “I want to say something about the unreasonable shopping. You need to predict what those monsters want like an esper (human who possesses ESP), and give those things to them to get your big reward. What is this a metaphor for? Why do you have to collect things that are right next to the monsters to make them happy, like a slave? I guess this represents the divisions between people in class society.”
Comrade Taro’s love-hate-despair relationship with the Animal Crossing is well-documented. Twitter user @ToastCrust translated Taro’s old liveblog of Animal Crossing New Leaf, where Taro seemed equally drawn in by the sinister undercurrents lurking within the game’s innocent facade. The full thread is worth a read and is available here.
I don’t know if I’d call it my game of the year, but unlike a lot of outlets, we loved Animal Crossing Pocket Camp too. Really, we did. Even if it does have its dark side...
What’s your Game of the Year 2017? Does it line up with Comrade Taro’s? Really, his dark take on the wide-eyed innocence of Animal Crossing feels apropos for 2017, but it actually was a good year of gaming with a wide field of quality games to enjoy. Feel free to let us know your GOTY 2017 thoughts in the comments section below.
