It’s that time again! AJHQ decided to spoil us and release August’s update in very late July. I’m Asteralium, and it’s time for a review of the August 2021 update to Animal Jam Play Wild!

Scottish Fold Cats

We’ll get to the good stuff right away, the Scottish Fold Cats. Much to the disappointment of many players, AJHQ has released another cat. I’ll admit, I’m getting tired of the cats and dogs too. But I feel like this has to be the last one for a while. The numbers of cats and dogs are even now. However, I’m not going to let community disappointment affect the overall score of the review.

For 250 sapphires, you’ll get the animal itself, and two Scottish themed outfits. The highland outfit (shown later) is exclusive to this bundle. You can also just buy the animal itself, and save 100 sapphires if you’re not interested in the outfits.

Here’s the Scottish Fold from the side profile. I think the default look is pretty good, but it falls flat if you want to use any pattern other than the regular. You actually can’t turn off the regular stripes, and every other pattern doesn’t have a design on the tail. Yikes. I’m not a fan of the ears, either. I like being able to see them. I realize that comes down to personal preference though.

It’s worth mentioning though that I think the body shape for the Scottish Fold is excellent. The short legs, fluffy tail, and head shape are all fantastic.

The first outfit is the exclusive Scottish Highland outfit. The hat is definitely the best part, and the same can be said for the other outfit as well. I actually like every piece except for the tail, but only because I don’t like how AJ handles tail items in general. Sadly, the set effect feels a bit broken. These green step effects occasionally appear behind you, with some blowing grass as well. But they’re so hard to notice that it feels incomplete. I wouldn’t buy the bundle for this set, honestly.

The Scottish Cat set on the other hand is great! This one is also available in stores. The music note and emblem particles fit the set and work properly. The bagpipe pendant also has note effects regardless of if you have the complete set on. I really like this one.

The last image I’ve got shows off the Scottish Fold in some random popular items I have in my inventory. The rocked it all except the furry arm cuffs.

So overall, I’m gonna have to give the Scottish Fold a 5/10. The patterns really kill it for me, even with the well rounded body shape. The items are cute, but the ears are meh. A 5/10 isn’t bad, it’s just middle of the road.

As for the outfits, if you want both the cat and the good outfit, just go ahead and buy the bundle for an extra 20 sapphires. It’s worth it for that amount. It’s really up to personal taste if they’re good or not.

Here’s some quick math on the bundle: Assuming you’re buying sapphires from the membership bundle for $6.99 in the premium shop, each of those 500 sapphires is worth 0.01398 cents. Multiply that by 250 for the bundle, and it comes out to being about $3.50.

The actions didn’t really effect my rating, but you can see them in the above video.

Sapphire Shop Remodel

Where have I seen that arctic wolf statue before? Hmmm…

AJHQ has redone the inside of the sapphire shop. And I’ll be honest with you, I don’t like it. It’s really pretty, I’m not going to deny that. Stepping in here feels way more grand than the old layout. The stained glass windows, vines, and sapphire plants along with the color scheme all work together to make a nice looking room. The circular camera like Moku’ahi is also nice.

But practically it just doesn’t work. Everything is just more confusing to navigate. Bundles are now spread out into their own areas; the difference between clothing sets and regular clothing is made more confusing than it already was, and the “Sapphires” section is just leftover for whatever they couldn’t fit in.

Also, AJHQ, I would really appreciate if you added a conformation window before you purchase something expensive like a bundle. While trying to turn off the bundle for the Siberian Husky, I accidentally bought it… I also don’t think they really took into account that people traded alot in this room. There’s certainly more space but it really feels like too much. Everyone is so spread out. This room almost feels land sized.

Animal Jam Birthday

Animal Jam (Play Wild) is having it’s sixth birthday this year, and the Birthday Party has returned. Below are some pictures of the party, as well as the special item sold there. The item actually has multiple colors, so I’d try and buy them all of you can afford it. Click on the images to make them bigger!

Scottish Fold Genes

I’m glad that AJHQ put out this PSA about Scottish Folds. Due to selective breeding, Scottish Folds have unfortunately ended up with joint issues. If you do have a Scottish Fold or know one, be sure they do get regular checkups like the Jamaa Journal says.

Pet Contest Winner

The winner of the Design a Pet Contest has been announced. Later this summer, Glow Worms will be coming to Jamaa. They will presumably take advantage of the day/night cycle, similar to the glow ring items in the July rewards calendar. Congratulations to wolfbatgragon!

A few other entries were also showcased in the Jamaa Journal. I don’t think these will be added, which kinda stings. I almost like the idea of the slime monster more, and the highland cow is cute too. Hopefully we can see them in the future. I’m glad that these creations got featured at least. I’m still super excited for the glow worms. I love the items that have special day/night effects.

Miscellaneous Announcements

There’s a few other bits and pieces to this update, including a returning pack run and a new Sir Gilbert themed My Shop (Finally! And it looks good too.). There’s also a new prize calendar as usual. This month’s items are pretty cool looking. I’d definitely recommend grabbing that Eco item. I’m trying to collect all of those.

That’s all for this update jammers! I enjoyed it, even though it wasn’t groundbreaking or anything. However, AJHQ has some more stuff planned, as teased in their sneak peek video. Pet cardinals are coming soon, probably in mid-August, as well as a Scottish Loch Den. It kinda looks like a miniature castle, which is exciting for fantasy lovers like me. In September, it looks like they’re going to add a new kind of item type? An Alpha tag… interesting…

Well, thank you for reading! I hope to see you next month, or whenever I make another update post again. Stay wild out there!
- Asteralium