Developer: Torus Games
Publisher: Bandai Namco, Little Orbit
Platform: Nintendo 3DS, Wii, Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360
Tested on: Nintendo 3DS
Barbie and her sisters: Puppy Rescue – Review
We all know Barbie from our youth and it seems that her striving to be relevant on the current generation of consoles is not yet over. In this title, you can rescue puppies and get them back to their rightful owner or find a new one. Although this game is meant for children, who can resist those cute little puppy eyes?
Story
Barbie and her sisters have started a shelter for lost puppies, as they tend to come up quite frequently. Everyone has their own particular task in this growing business. For example, Skipper will do the first check-up, while Chelsea will make your sweety nice and beautiful. Stacie will take the learning of new tricks under her wings and Barbie’s task is to find these poor lost animals.
At the start of the game, you can watch a video, explaining what is happening. There isn’t really any story value for the rest of the game, as you can keep finding puppies. This isn’t that bad for children of course, but a bit more background would have been nice.
Graphics
We have gotten the chance to test the Nintendo 3DS version and you can’t expect the ultimate graphical quality for a handheld game such as this, but this one is even below average. The size of the map is really small and although the developers tried to insert different areas, they all still look very similar which makes it is really hard to know where you are precisely. Yes, you do have a map, but you need to pause the game before you can actually see it.
The NPC’s in the game are at least a bit better in comparison with the environment, when they are static at least. When Barbie runs around, it’s like you’re teleported back in time and you’re watching PS1 movements. There is something unnatural about her, but it is hard to pinpoint. Barbie’s legs don’t move natural and the way she bends while running isn’t that comfortable-looking either.
When you see the different characters up close, you might think that you’ve stepped into another game, as this is a lot better in comparison with the rest of the graphical quality of the game.
Sound
This is on the same level as the graphics, as the music and sound effects aren’t that amazing. You’ll be hearing a lot of the tunes over and over again, although this might not be that annoying for the younger audience, a little more would have been nice. Next to that, there is voice acting present, which is always a small plus for such a title. Nonetheless, for a game that could be rather adventurous for children, it lacks a lot to truly give it the proper atmosphere.
Gameplay
Barbie and her sisters: Puppy Rescue is an action game that focuses around saving helpless puppies that are scattered across town. There are several different phases in this game, so there are a lot of repetitive parts, which is not uncommon in children’s games.
First of all, you need to find some puppies. Barbie can run around or she can use her bike (left and right trigger) and you might get the possibility to talk to some people or you get called, which directs you to a new location. Thanks to this a new area of interest will be available where you can find that poor creature. This mostly implies that you need to do a small minigame, for example to earn the thrust of the scared lost animal. When you’ve rescued the little cutie-pie, you can get back to the shelter and get started on treating this puppy and hopefully find his forever home.
Your sister will check for a chip to see if there is a rightful owner. When this isn’t the case, you can choose your own name! There is something weird though, as you cannot use the bottom screen as touchscreen. You cannot select letters with the stylus, you need to use the D-pad to navigate between them. This is quite strange as this is a 3DS game, known for its touchscreen. Something else particularly weird is the map. You can open it when you’re in the city, but the game pauses. It would have been better if the map was on your bottom screen all along, as it isn’t used. Things would have played a lot more fluently if the touchscreen was properly implemented into the game’s mechanics.
Let’s get back to the puppy, shall we? After checking for a chip, there is something else that needs to be done and this is different per animal. One will need a vaccination, while the other has to get rid of some lice, and so on.
When everything is settled, your dog gets a place in one of the kennels. Now it is up to you what you will do. You can set out for new lost puppies if you still have room or you can check out the dogs you have at the moment. This means that you can continue your objectives, customize the kennel with bones or play/train with a dog. If you want to have some quality time, you’ll need to wait until your puppy has rested enough. After you’ve completed all of the objectives, the rightful owner is contacted or you need to find the perfect new owner.
The mentioned bones are received when you complete certain objectives, giving you a nice bonus when you want to customize certain elements or get more kennels. This is all that the game has to offer, but this isn’t too bad as it is meant for children. They surely will enjoy finding puppies, although you might need to help now and then.
Something what’s worth mentioning is that there are certain lag spikes, especially when you receive a random picture on your screen. This seems to be a picture of someone’s dog and you can reply automatically then. Truth be told, this function does not really serve a purpose and feels more often than not very out of place.
Conclusion
Barbie and her sisters: Puppy Rescue is a game for children in which you need to save lost puppies. You get the help of your three sisters in the growing family business. When it comes to the graphical and sound quality the game could have been better, although your children probably won’t mind (that much). If you’re looking for a fun present, then this might be something to consider.
Barbie and her sisters: Puppy Rescue - Review,
No Comments