Have you ever had someone in your life that is out to challenge everything you seem to do? A rival, following you around forever, trying to beat you down? Well, in the small town of Snuggleford, Amy Cares has a rival with a storied history.
Dr. Cares – Amy’s Pet Clinic is a casual-targetted mobile game where you play, mostly, as Amy — a lovely individual who has a big heart for animals, a small crush on a guy called Jack, and is always working. Before each level, you are shown a little bit of a story, showcasing what’s going on during the day. This story, themed by the various chapters within the game, give greater depth into who Amy Cares is. You’ll start to learn about her not only at her current age but as a child and growing up.
There is a constant in Amy’s life, and that’s Sam — her best friend turned rival. She’s now back in town, with a rival vet clinic, tearing down everything Amy has worked for her entire life. Sam and Amy have a complex past that’s slowly revealed through these bits of stories — and you can actually contribute to them through making small decisions here and there. But, back to the actual game.
Each day, you are able to see inside the current clinic you are working at, refilling stations, performing tests, selling items, and playing mini-games to cure various pets that are brought into the clinic. The game starts with you at your own little vet’s, but soon you will end up at your elementary school’s pet room, a camp, volunteering with animals, and at a larger clinic.
I found actually playing the first few levels in each chapter to be quite challenging, as there are a bunch of new items, new objects and new mini-games — many of which aren’t explained at first. Instead of walking you through these new features like how to restock a bag of treats, you have to wait until a customer has lost a few hearts (getting closer to leaving and decreasing your tip) before some arrows appear to help you. This is a business after all and I do wish the placement of everything was better explained. Mini-games are far less hard as your first attempt is always done without a timer, explaining everything clearly.
There are upgrades that can be made to each place, giving more tips, easier mini-games and generally helping you actually get everything done! On top of keeping customers happy and treating pets, you will also get a daily goal that changes all of the time, rewarding you in some premium currency. A mouse also appears in the level, for a few moments, which you can pick up for a little bonus. This premium currency is used in a shelter you are running, giving a few pets new items to enjoy!
My biggest issue with the game was actually the amount of ads within them. After each level, there is a five-second ad and if you play another level right after it, it’s a 30 second ad to continue. Although this isn’t a lot, when playing many levels at once, it’s a challenge. You can get rid of these ads, but it seems to be through a subscription model.
Aside from the general use of ads, the story is very predictable and somewhat cheesy, but it’s still fun to follow and adds a bit more than a normal management game. I do really enjoy the variety in different mini-games and how challenging the game gets as you continue the story.
With a total of five chapters, I finished the game within a week — and now all of the pets are saved and I can rest easy. If you’re looking for a cute mobile game where you get to help pets (and you don’t mind many ads) Dr. Cares – Amy’s Pet Clinic is one to take a look at.
You can find Dr. Cares – Amy’s Pet Clinic on PC, iOS and Android.
