I am a huge fan of wholesome games and do enjoy a game with a photography theme. After having finished The Good Life recently, I was pretty stoked when Pupperazzi made it’s way onto my Xbox, downloaded and ready to be played! It’s a game I remember seeing go viral on TikTok, as a relaxing, puppy photography game, and diving in it seems just like I remembered!
Pupperazzi is a pretty simple game. You are a walking camera with arms, who gets to walk around a world mostly full of dogs. Some of the dogs give you missions, others just bumble around the world, doing what they want to do. Some dogs surf, some wander around, some ride scooters or work jobs… It’s a world full of dogs.
As you take pictures, you have a limited film roll, which you replenish by culling your photo selection. You can then upload images to social media, and see what your fans in that area are interested in. This includes their interests, be it nature or dogs with accessories — and if you tailor to them then it will land you more fans, and unlock more things. If you stay in an area too long, however, you will get negative comments saying you are spamming, which means it’s time to leave.
There is a shop which has a bunch of different camera upgrades that you can purchase with golden bones, given by doing quests or by collecting them in the world. You can add in the different lenses or film types, as well as switch the mode to be selfie (once unlocked), portrait, or zoom in. It’s a casual game, where you are just completing quests, unlocking new times of day to take pictures, and exploring new locations.
I have fun seeing the goofy dogs and watching them interact with their friends or life. You can pet the dogs in this game, and get different items like bones, frisbys, and the like to throw, allowing them to bond and fetch with you. You can even dress them up when you unlock the ability, making them fit better for the picture in your head. You are able to find different envelopes dotted around locations so that you can do more quests, and once you run out, you can just change locations. That’s what you are mainly doing in Pupperazzi, taking photos for the quests and for social media.
Now, my main issue with Pupperazzi is the lack of polish. The game itself feels so cumbersome. I played on Xbox, and the controls just don’t make sense. Often, I find myself opening the settings menu when I mean to open the menu showcasing the different photos. At one point, a new tab appeared there, and there was no indication that it was located there. I then spent ages trying to understand how to use lenses, as there was just no guide or communication as to what I needed to do. Many of the aspects feel like this. The thumbsticks are slightly too sensitive, the buttons to crouch or take pictures sometimes get confusing. Nothing quite feels right.
I played the game for quite some time, in the hopes that it was just me not understanding the controls or needing to get used to them, but they don’t get easier. Robin has actually started playing the game, along with Amelia, because it is so cute and adorable looking, but they normally quit after a short amount of time, due to the buttons being confusing and hard to remember.
I wish there was more to Pupperazzi. I wish the controls were polished, that the locations pulled you from one to another when you are stuck on a mission, to remind you to go and explore. I feel like it would make more sense if there was something pulling you back, instead of just having the ability to do the quests, leave, and come back instantly to new quests. It feels almost as if the game isn’t finished quite yet, but here it is. Pupperazzi is a very adorable, casual, photography game with cute dogs. If only there was more love and care put into it. Pupperazzi is adorable, but lacks finesse.
You can find Pupperazzi on Xbox and PC.
