As a child, I remember playing Nintendogs on Nintendo DS. Caring for my own virtual dogs when my parents wouldn’t let me have the commitment of raising one in the real world. Little Friends: Puppy Island has the same sort of vibes, but allows my child to pretend to have pet dogs!
Little Friends: Puppy Island has a bit of a story going on — you have just arrived on a paw-shaped island with your best dog friend. You are watching over a massive house, set up perfectly for dogs, while your friend is away. You are constantly texting your friend, and after finding another dog in the forest, have decided to make the island a tourist attraction so that people can come and play with puppies!
Taking care of your puppies is a big part of playing Little Friends: Puppy Island. You need to wash them, feed them, pet them and play with them! They each have different stats that you can keep track of to make sure they are well taken care of, as well as a bunch of stats that can be levelled up on things like agility and endurance. Taking the pups on walks will allow you to use these skills as you cross bridges and jump over obstacles.
Little Friends: Puppy Island has these little micro-games, where you suddenly have a pixelated world where you need to jump your pup over an obstacle by aiming and firing them into the air, or you need to drag your pup over an opening to complete the mini-game. These allow you to accomplish different things on the trail and are a nice touch as they give a bit of a break from the realistic world and walking around. There are also quick-button mini-games to stop your dog from scaring squirrels. These little one-button mini-games are also fun!
Your dog can dig around on the trail, accomplish various jobs to help make the island ready for tourists, and you can find more dogs to bring home, clean up and take care of. Digging, you can find different outfits that you can use to dress up your dog! There is just a lot to do in Little Friends: Puppy Island, and plenty to keep both you and your puppies busy.
Robin has spent quite a bit of time playing Little Friends: Puppy Island, and though it took her a bit of time to understand the various mini-games, this game has definitely decreased the amount of time she asks for a pet dog, and shown her a bit of how much walking they seem to want to do! It’s a lovely game for those who love dogs and those who are younger and might want a pet of their own.
You can find Little Friends: Puppy Island on Nintendo Switch and PC.
