Pupperazzi Review: Dogs

Sundae Month's Pupperazzi is a small commitment packed with a whole lot of serotonin. It's simply a great time from start to finish regardless of what action you are taking. Whether it's snapping some great shots, exploring areas looking for comical scenes, dressing man's best friend in adorable outfits, or simply playing fetch, Pupperazzi delivers the tiniest yet most triumphant sandbox for dog lovers alike. Pupperazzi isn't trying to compete with other titles in the market. Instead, it knows its identity and succeeds at making a quaint yet quality product.

Lens And Leash, Garage Glamorous

Pupperazzi immediately welcomed me into its world. It lacks a proper introduction regarding what we as players expect when entering a game, but regardless, you are promptly introduced to one of the many pooch personas; Seadog. So, as expected, I was won over from the start - introduction or not. It wasn't too long after meeting Seadog that I was grinning from ear to ear, chuckling about while finding my footing there on the beach of Lighthouse Cove. Other areas like Buppy Boardwalk, Muttropolis, and Mellowstone are also available to explore and fall for. One place, in particular, is absolutely out of this world, but I won't say too much more about that.

I discovered fairly quickly that your player character is, in fact, a camera on legs. Humans are present in Pupperazzi and referred to as something much more adorable. But the fact that you play as a delightful sentient camera somehow enhances the overall experience knowing you aren't some boring schlub like the other humans hopping around. Not only do the people hop around, but the dogs do as well, adding yet another level of charm as if it needed any more.

While the tunes didn't wow me, they didn't need to. The music as a whole acts as an afterthought or companion to the overall calming feeling the game already conveys. It certainly doesn't detract from the game's overall quality, but it did destroy my ears when it first started playing. After I turned that bad boy down in the settings, it was smooth sailing from there on out.

Lights, Camera, Pets

As mentioned above, you play as a camera on legs. Maneuvering around said sentient camera feels floaty with a small side of jank, but I would say that it works in its favor. The movement pairs well with the goofy yet adorable world they created. If I saw a spot I wanted to reach, I could do just that after a few attempts at most. Luckily, you can sprint and even double jump because why not? 

When taking the photos of our furry friends, the bulk of the game's gameplay and overall selling point, aiming comes naturally. I never once had trouble getting the desired shot from any given angle. However, if you do find yourself struggling to grasp the controls, the settings menu has a simplified controls option and an option to increase the size of the lens. Personally, I think they strike a good level of calm-natured objectives with like-minded controls, but the option is there nonetheless. Seadog himself, is the first dog who has a name that we come into contact with. He acts as the tutorial and seeks photos of himself in his shop for ad material. Other dogs that you can encounter are His Majesty and Scoop Master Timmy. I, personally, refer to these good puppers as pooch personas.

After completing the first objective given to you by Seadog, you unlock the ability to pet the dogs. I could have just shuffled about never taking another photo and exclusively pet dogs for the rest of my experience, and I would have been content. Pupperazzi allows you to simply exist in their world and explore at your leisure, yet it's a positive experience even then. 

But, I did indeed take more photos and complete more objectives. By achieving these objectives, you earn both followers on an Instagram-like social platform with comical comments and bonks, which are golden bones that act as Pupperazzi's form of currency. You can use bonks in the shop to buy film packs that act as filters or increase the number of photos you can take per area, or different lenses such as pixelated, fisheye, etc. 

On top of petting the adorable mutts, you can also play fetch with an array of objects you can find lying around or even acquire via a free-of-charge vending machine. Other items with different uses include skateboards to ride, violins to play, a whistle to blow, and wind-up cars and Roombas. The point of the wined-up items is to startle the pups, and I was vehemently against them. 

Once you complete enough objectives, in turn gaining a set amount of followers, you can then go to another you've unlocked and take on an entirely new set of objectives. Area's have secondary objectives in the game's Puppypedia photo album, challenging players to take various photos of every breed, wearing certain outfits, holding certain items, playing, etc.

One slight knock, if I can even call it that, is that some objectives aren't as straightforward as they intend, or at least the result ends up being more particular than you perceive initially. For example, one objective asks you to take a photo of a hotdog floating in a specific pond. First of all, they get away with this being puppy photography thanks to it being a hotDOG, which is clever. Secondly, and more importantly, you can take the same photo about three or four times and only get a successful completion on the fourth one. The game struggles to register that you've completed an objective at times.

Despite that small struggle, the game aims to be a calm endeavor at the end of the day, and they achieve that in spades. If you can't quite grasp an objective, don't sweat it. Luckily, to progress, you need to acquire enough followers. You can do this by simply taking photos that you like and posting them online. In theory, you could take many pictures and never intentionally complete any objectives after the first, and you could still experience each unique environment and roll credits. 

Breakdown

Game: Pupperazzi

Developer: Sundae Month

Availability: Xbox One, PC

Reviewed on Xbox Series X|S

Pros:

+ Small Commitment

+ Serotonin Boost

+ Pooch Personas

+ Camera On Legs

+ Floaty Movement

+ DOGS

+ Calm Endeavor At Your Discretion

Cons:

- Objectives can be unclear or not register at times

Final Thoughts

Pupperazzi is pure joy. Sundae Month successfully grasps what a simple game made to boost one’s serotonin with lovable dogs should look like. They deliver a relaxing outing regardless of how you choose to play and do so in just a couple of hours. If there was ever a game that achieved its vision to the nth degree, it’s Pupperazzi, and it’s worth your time and bliss.

Reviewed by Austin Ernst