Imagine a vibrant, colorful, and beaming veterinarian whose values always revolve around providing the best care for your furry friend. Sounds like a pipe dream right? Well, in Pups & Purrs Animal Hospital, this fantasy becomes a reality as you will head a medical center specifically designed for pets of every size, shape, and breed! Developed by Nippon Columbia and published by Aksys Games, Pups & Purrs Animal Hospital is a veterinarian simulator that has the player character take care of a myriad of pets through a number of mini games that are meant to resemble treatments (i.e., burns, flea baths, and disinfecting wounds. Do not fret however, those with a revulsion towards blood, it never gets macabre or distasteful).
The user interface is quite simple, and I would go so far as to argue that this title resembles games like Pokemon, like the upcoming Shining Pearl or Brilliant Diamond. You play as a, excuse the redundancy, veterinarian in charge of treating pets. Surprisingly, Pups & Purrs Animal Hospital includes a fairly detailed and expansive character customizer, which includes a plethora of outfits and hairstyles to experiment with. Calling back to what was stated earlier, Pups & Purrs Animal Hospital gameplay loop revolves primarily around treating pets through the use of minigames (much more like Warioware over Mario Party minigames) and has the player either scrubbing their little furry friends or even pulling out splinters. There is also a days off mechanic, which allows the player to go shopping, go to a café, or to an amusement park! This aspect was the most surprising as it adds another layer to the already lengthy activities that fill the game.
The music, just to touch on it, truly reflects the cheery ambience this title exudes. It is chipper and cherry, which sort of raptures the player into a nice tune. I personally am not too much of a fan, but I do think that it captures what the game is going for.
Onto the actual review aspect, while I am not an avid simulation game player, I did enjoy this title much more than I thought. The pets that you typically work with were beyond cute and truly tugged at my heartstrings when they would come in hurt, but this made the recuperation all the more gratifying. Much to my chagrin however, is that, like a lot of simulation games, there is quite a bit of reading that comes very frequently. Do not get me wrong, however, I love a good read and I love dialogue exchanges much more (my favorite game is literally Pillars of Eternity), but there is a bit too much for a game like this. Also, I do think that Pups & Purrs Animal Hospital takes a bit too long on the tutorial aspect. Overall, the game was good, it does everything it sets out to do and does it in spades, however, I do not think I could justify a $40 (US) price tag as it feels a little shallow at times (there are only about 20 or so minigames).
Pups & Purrs Animal Hospital scores a solid 8/10. This game is perfect for anyone who enjoys small-scale, relaxing titles (Animal Crossing fans should really check this out!).
For more information, visit: https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/pups-and-purrs-animal-hospital-switch/
Whether it be diving deep into uncharted oceanic depths, wading through knee-deep pools of demon blood, or taking a leisurely walk through a fictional western frontier, I am always eager to explore previously unknown sectors of the creative space, impatiently overturning every stone begging to be flipped over. Dabbling in both speculative and realistic fiction, with a sprinkle of journalistic fanaticism, I enjoy any game that displays narrative magnificence, or if it's just plain fun!
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