Littlest Pet Shop (DSiWare) – Review

A WiiNintendo game review by hattrick.

Game – Littlest Pet Shop
Platform – DSiWare  (800 Points)
Obtained – From EA (review copy)

Introduction
Along with various other toys created with young girls in mind, Littlest Pet Shop has been around for quite some time.  The jump to digital game distribution was a while back, but more recently, the little pets have moved onto the download scene with Littlest Pet Shop for the Nintendo DSiWare service.

Gameplay
Essentially, you get 3 pets – a dog at first, but you will soon unlock the other 2 (rabbit and horse) by completing games.  In order to unlock these other 2 pets and various clothing options for your pet, you must play and master 3 main games.  The first is a throwing game where you flick an item through various hoops.  The second is a music based rhythm game, similar to Elite Beat Agents (but not as good) where you draw on dotted lines while music plays.  The final game has you matching a clothing outfit – you get to see it, but then it disappears, requiring you to remember what it was and dress your pet like that. The only other part of the game allows you to interact with your pet in 3 ways: feeding, petting, and brushing.

Controls
The entirety of the game is played using the touch screen. Because this is essentially a mini-game collection (albeit small), it is necessary to compare.  None of the games have names, so for the sake of the review, let us call them the tossing game, music game, and clothing game.  The tossing game has you grabbing an item (different for every animal) and tossing it through hoops placed around the screen. This is ridiculously simple, but the controls are usually spot-on. The music game is not as easy, mainly due to the controls. While the countdown timer does make it tough, it seems the game sometimes did not recognize my gestures.  The clothing game is simple and straightforward in its approach. Due to that, it is hard to go wrong on controls.  You simply tap the left or right arrow, and then click the checkmark.  Overall, there are no qualms about the controls. They are simple and easy.

Visuals & Sound
The game’s visuals follow the bright colors and cartoon-like approach of Littlest Pet Shop.  There is not much to the visual presentation, as much of the game takes place on one screen, only switching when you go to a new game or menu.  The majority of the gameplay also takes place on one screen (the bottom), and the top usually just states the score and pet name. The animals sound similar to their real-life counterparts, and the music is also bright and fun.  Designed with the young girl in mind, visuals and sound are bound to capture the intended audience.

Concluding Overall Impressions
While Littlest Pet Shop might not be a game I will go to over and over, it does seem to have an appeal to younger female gamers, especially fans of the franchise.  My only complaints lie in the length of the game, as I was able to finish around 85-90% of the game in only 1 hour.  Maybe if each pet had a different set of mini-games, it would have made it longer.  With that in mind, I am not sure it is worth the 800 Points.  Littlest Pet Shop will keep your 7 year old entertained for a couple hours, but they will soon move on to something more entertaining.

FINAL SCORE: 2 out of 5

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