Campoca Review (PC)

It didn’t take much to curb my enthusiasm; a frog in a party hat did the trick, weirdly. Yet, that wasn’t all Campoca did to pull me into its campfire clutches. No, because if it was just a frog in ill fitting clothes that I wanted, then I would have turned to the likes of Frog Detective and been done with it. Yet, this cozy free-to-play delight offered just that little bit more—a spot to put my feet up after a grueling shift; a chance to wax weirdness with a troupe of woodland critters; an opportunity to converse with an overjoyed monitor with a beaming smile. And those few things, frankly, were just the sprinkles on the cake—a cluster of wisps among campfire flumes.

I didn’t waltz into Campoca with the expectations of a perfect game, but I did, on the other hand, expect to receive precisely what it described on its tin: a simple and cozy DIY camping experience with handfuls of mini-games and wholesome encounters. The images spoke volumes, and the general setup of it all seemed almost too good to be true. Oh, and I knew that it wouldn’t be enough to move mountains. But I also knew that, with an open mind and a willingness to bypass the limits of its world, it would be enough to ignite a sense of warmth deep within my heart. That’s all I wanted: a chance to feel just a slither of comfort in a spot that didn’t require much effort or strenuous activity to be a part of.

Campoca wasn’t the Belle of the campfire ball, nor was it a modestly superior game; it was a simple and joyful strand that emitted the heart and soul of a small team of creators who knew what they wanted and, more importantly, how to get it done right without tapping into immoral cliches and pay-to-win schemes. It didn’t step foot into the pit with the intention of stealing anybody’s thunder — just a speck of interest from those who were more than willing to spend an hour or two basking in a seemingly idyllic world. It didn’t take long to discover that, nor did it take me all that long to finally sing its praises over the fact that it didn’t try to be something it wasn’t. It was simple, true — but boy was it beautiful.

Memories of Campfire Cradles

There’s a fundamentally straightforward indie game here that doesn’t need a thousand words to describe. For the sake of fleshing out the context, though, I’ll give you this: Campoca is a relatively short camping-centric homage to friends and mementos, mini-games and passion projects. It’s a game about finding the chance to bathe in simple pleasures, whether that means conversing with eccentric birds or adding the finishing touches to a candlelit woodland retreat. Of course, there is a little more meat on these bones, so to speak, but that’s about the extent of its purpose: to bring you joy with small handfuls of activities.

There isn’t a lot for you to learn in order to truly enjoy Campoca; in fact, it’s as easy as leaning on a couple of clicks and spreading your artistic flair wherever you see fit. Admittedly, there are only so many things that you can do with the amount of space that you have, but to give credit where it’s due, Campoca does do a brilliant job of handing you the tools to make small adjustments in order to make an otherwise small retreat just that little bit more personal. That, along with its beginner-friendly mini-games and wholesome embellishments, frankly, come together to make an incredibly adorable and entertaining afternoon trip.

While on the subject of mini-games and activities, the game itself has a small bouquet of interactive bits and pieces for you to enjoy, with certain encounters having memories and other items that you can unlock and stow beneath your belt. To summarize, you will help paint landscape pieces, create sticker books, build the perfect picnic tables, befriend local folks, and take part in all sorts of simple yet creative projects to help transform the world into a wholesome haven of joy and homely comfort. Like I said, wholesome.

Communal Spirit

I won’t lie to you, but the word wholesome gets coined a lot by industry veterans. And you know, as much as I’d hate to sound like a broken record here, I have to address the elephant in the room and say that, as far as Campoca goes, wholesome feels like the correct moniker. From its delightful and easy-to-play mini-games to its original characters and charming score, its free-to-play approach to its trove of neat touches, Campoca finds a sweet spot between being a cozy indie and a well-rounded entry-level experience for teaching younger players the fundamentals of gaming.

Verdict

Campoca is a beautifully crafted bouquet of campfire delights that also happens to bring a sense of peace and harmony with its wholesome characters and pleasurable pastimes contributing to a short yet irresistibly wholesome indie adventure that you won’t want to turn a blind eye on. It’s still a simple game that misses out on various opportunities to broaden its appeal, but with a free-to-play schematic that allows you to experience the breadth of its world without needing to dip into your hands into your back pocket, it does offer more than enough to warrant your attention. And honestly, that’s exactly what I’m taking away from all of this: Campoca isn’t a perfect game, but it is one that’s as equally generous as it is charming. Maybe that’s all that it needs to be.

If you’re all for cutesy concepts and simple pleasures, then you have every reason to venture into the brush and experience Campoca for yourself. Aside from it having a solid selection of mini-games and campsite mementos, it also features a warm spot for you to kick back and enjoy without having to bend over backward for the sake of acquiring more content. That’s a huge thing that I adore about this world, and something that, like so many other indie passion projects that have come before it, has the power to make a lasting impression on the demographic.