Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp players have been getting really attached to their villagers. They love Apollo, the surly eagle and Goldie, the cute dog. Which villager is the best of all? I can definitively say it’s Beau.
Beau is a kindly deer in a sweater, and also my son who I would die to protect. His biography says that people can’t help but fawn over him (har har), but also that this attention may have stunted his maturity. We have so much in common.
When Beau first came to town, I knew he was something special. Was it his super cute, thick knit sweater? His nickname for me—saltlick? His half lidded, stoned looking eyes? He’s a villager that prefers the “natural” type furniture and decor, so I was afraid he’d be a little boring. Nothing is more boring than talking about wood. But Beau wasn’t like that—he’s a bit vain, sometimes referring to you as a fan of his. He’s also kinda lazy, and whenever I see him at my campgrounds he’s asleep. He’s kind of like an old hippie that runs a store where you can buy crystals and sage to purify your apartment, except instead of old he’s a young stylish deer. He likes natural things in the same way you like going to a spa in the mountains. The air is fresh and clean, the hot springs nice and warm, and you don’t have to worry about a single thing.
In fact, before I met Beau, I wasn’t sure I really liked the natural style furniture. I was pouring my money into the cute and cool stuff, and my camp was a mish mash of black couches and frilly pink rugs. The things that you have to have to bring Beau to your camp weren’t the same worn wooden tables that I had been expecting, though. He wanted a mini cactus, a ranch bed with a cool pink bedspread. It was kind of hip, in that “fairy lights and mason jars” kind of way. Even though the desk he wanted took eight fucking hours to construct, I rushed through the requirements to get Beau to my camp. Once he got there, it was totally worth it. It was something out of an Anthropologie catalogue spread, and slowly but surely the natural style has edged everything out.
The other villagers have their charms. I know why people like Apollo, a grouch who takes some time to warm up to you. I see the appeal of Goldie, who is effervescent and kind, just like a golden lab. I even sometimes think my favorite villager is Cherry, a goth fashionista. But Beau’s motivations are so pure, it’s hard not to like him. He literally is only here to have a good time. When you give him gifts, he says that this will make it the “best vacation ever!” I truly believe that the three fruit beetles I just gave him will entertain him for hours. He’s a kind, handsome dope with a great sweater. I know people like this is real life, and they’re some of my best friends too.
When you add it all up, Beau is the ideal kind of villager for Pocket Camp. He’s low key, he just wants to spread positive vibes, and when you raise his friendship level high enough he’ll give you that sweater as a gift. These are the qualities I associate with Animal Crossing as a franchise, and things that Pocket Camp doesn’t entirely embrace. But when Beau’s at my camp, I can halfway pretend that this isn’t a mobile game, and that I’m not being bombarded with microtransactions and timers. It’s just me and my nice deer friend. I wish I could write him a letter.