Pupperazzi is the gaming equivalent of cotton candy. It’s cute and makes the day more festive, but it won’t put you off if you’re looking for something with real substance. Wisely, the game doesn’t take itself too seriously, borrowing from the playfully absurd concept of becoming a leading member of the paparazzi puppies, with laugh-making quests, lively levels and plenty of opportunities to pet virtual puppies.
Developer Sundae Month doesn’t attempt to explain Pupperazzi’s conceit. You’re a humanoid camera (whose stretchy arms and awkward shadow are either silly or the stuff of nightmares, depending on how you look at them). From the start, your goal is to become the best dog photographer you can be in a world dominated by frolicking puppies. It’s that simple. Pupperazzi knows wThat’s it, and instead of letting me get bogged down by an exhibition-heavy beginning, the game lets me dive right into the fun photo action.
My first task, as an authoritative dog in rain gear explains, is to build my notoriety by completing goals. Instead of getting quests from NPCs, you’ll find a log of photo-centric quests in the menu. Many requests are airy and humorous, like that of a game developer requesting an image of a dog on a bike with a pixel lens because they don’t know how to draw a bike and need it for reference.
Completing objectives earns rewards such as: B. a bone-shaped currency to buy better gear and more followers – which shows your progress as experience points might do in another game. Gaining followers also means opening up more areas to explore. These challenges did a good job of pointing me to things to see or do in each level and motivating me to upgrade my gear. Pupperazzi’s menu-based objectives are important because there isn’t much direction in the gameplay. There aren’t any characters or overarching narratives to advance you, which might have been more engaging, but the requests give players a reasonable reason to explore the landscape and snap snaps of adorable pups.
Photo controls are intuitive; Simply press the left trigger to bring up the camera and the right trigger to take a photo. After capturing this perfect moody black and white shot of a Dalmatian with a dramatic collar in my target list, I verified that claiming my prize satisfied my client. I also gained more followers by posting my picture on the game’s social media page, dogNET. NPCs give feedback and can follow you if they like the theme and help unlock new levels. Attempting to soothe the whims of these armchair photographers adds a much-needed layer to the game that might otherwise feel boring given so little is happening from moment to moment.
Pupperazzi does not completely avoid pitfalls. I’ve spent a lot of time in menus and the game doesn’t always convey things clearly. fFor example, the game doesn’t indicate when a photo meets the requirements for your current goals. I constantly had to go into the menu after each shot to see if I could claim a reward.
In addition, I need to check the menu to see what my goals were for each section or if I want to access dogNET. This all results in a lot of tabbing rather than photographing out-of-focus creatures. I also found it a bit off-putting that a message popped up warning me that my photos might not save every time I want to move to the next zone. This left me confused and hesitant about what to do when I first tried to exit the starting level. However, after waiting longer than I was willing to admit, I took the risk, exited the level and found that my photos were fine when I switched to a new location.
Exploring the vibrant and uniquely themed sandbox levels made up for the inconvenience. From the Bubby Boardwalk, which features a skate park and covered arcade, to the natural trails of Mellowstone, each zone is a delight to explore. Different worlds have new objectives, hidden objects you can use to interact with your furry subjects, secret currency stashes, and vending machines to buy gear or items. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover a handful of optional platforming opportunities at different levels, like using awnings as trampolines to jump onto rooftops where more dogs were hanging out.
I’ve been rolling Pupperazzi with credits after a few hours, having accomplished almost every objective in that time, and I have little reason to go back. My short time, however, was filled with light-hearted entertainment, only slightly marred by a few annoyances. The animated levels, playful setting, and engaging premise make Pupperazzi a wonderful game to jump into if you just want to escape and play with pretend puppies for a while.
