Kingdom Hearts Would Be Wise to Follow Animal Crossing…

At first glance, it may seem like the Kingdom Hearts franchise has nothing in common with Animal Crossing. After all, both games fall into very different genres, with Kingdom Hearts for the most part following into the fantasy-adventure RPG camp and Animal Crossing being one of the most iconic simulation video game franchises of all time. Yet, one Animal Crossing could have a good lesson to teach Kingdom Hearts.

Kingdom Hearts notoriously has an incredibly intricate plot that jumps back and forth in time across platforms and the franchise’s thirteen titles. However, titles under the Kingdom Hearts umbrella are difficult to access or have ceased access entirely. While fans of the franchise have collaborated to make the story of these discontinued titles accessible to players that want to understand the entire plot of Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix needs to make these games more accessible to players on their own time.

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By Matt Anderson

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete Keeps Its Playerbase

Fortunately, Animal Crossing has a solution to Kingdom Hearts’ issue. Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp was a mobile title launched in 2017. In addition to a change in platform, players were tasked with running a campsite rather than a village or an island. The game was released prior to the Nintendo Switch and the franchise-defining release of Animal Crossing: New Horizon. In addition to being overshadowed by New Horizon, Pocket Camp had less of a playerbase due to it being a mobile game.

Nevertheless, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp was successful enough that many players were heartbroken when Nintendo announced it would stop servicing the mobile game in November 2024. But Nintendo reassured players that they needn’t worry, for a new Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp edition would take its predecessors’ place.

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete is practically the same Pocket Camp that fans know and love gameplay wise. There are a few notable changes, such as Pocket Camp Complete’s initial pay wall, a lack of premium currency, and most importantly its lack of online connection. Unlike its predecessor, Pocket Camp Complete is completely offline. Players that downloaded the original Pocket Camp were able to download their save data and contacts to transfer to Pocket Camp Complete for a limited time. Visiting other players’ islands and villages, or in this case campsites, is one of the most fun aspects of Animal Crossing. Thankfully, Nintendo announced a new system for campsite visitation despite the game’s lack of connection, so that Pocket Camp could maintain its community.

Kingdom Hearts X Deserves to Stay

Some Kingdom Hearts players may consider the franchise’s mobile games to be inconsequential to the overarching narrative of the entire series. But those in the know have a deep fondness or nostalgia for the Kingdom Hearts X games. While this prequel series was available for web browsers in Japan upon release, North American fans are more aware of the series’ mobile release for the continent in April 2016.

Unfortunately, service for Kingdom Hearts X, which had been rebranded to Kingdom Hearts Union X Dark Road, began to shut down in February 2021. The process began similarly to Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp’s transition, from an online service to an offline app, beginning with Union X in May 2021 and later Dark Road in August 2022. However, both games were delisted from all app stores in August 2024, shutting out players who would like to experience this aspect of Kingdom Hearts lore first hand rather than watching cutscenes.

The numbers behind the Kingdom Hearts X series were good, at least at first, with the mobile version of the game downloaded over two million times a month after release. The game scored fairly average reviews, but regardless of critical response, it remains a crucial aspect of Kingdom Heart s’ lore. Square Enix pulled the plug on this offline version of Kingdom Hearts Union X Dark Road, out of nowhere, without an official announcement. Though the series may seem unimportant, even to its developer, perhaps Square Enix should explore Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete’s success and reinstate these important titles in Kingdom Hearts’ history.

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