Pupperazzi Review – A Short But Sweet Photography Treat

Pupperazzi, the gaming version of cotton candy is called Pupperazzi. It’s sweet and makes the day feel more festive, but it’s not going to tide you over if you’re looking for something with real substance. Smartly, the game doesn’t take itself too seriously, leaning into the playfully absurd concept of becoming a leading member of the puppy paparazzi with chuckle-inducing tasks, lively levels, and plenty of chances to pet virtual pooches.

Developer Sundae Month doesn’t try to explain Pupperazzi’s conceit. Your camera is a humanoid (whose ungainly shadow and stretchy arms are either ridiculous or nightmare-inducing depending on your perspective). From the start, your goal is to become the best dog photographer you can be in a world dominated by frolicking puppies. It’s that simple. Pupperazzi is an expert on what it is, and instead of being bogged down by an exposition-heavy beginning, the game lets me jump right into the fun, photo-taking action.  

According to a canine wearing rain gear and authoritative, my first job is to increase my fame by accomplishing objectives. You will not find any NPC tasks, but a listing of photo-centric task-to-dos. Many requests are breezy and humorous, like one from a game dev requesting a picture of a dog on a bike with a pixel lens because they don’t know how to draw a bike and need it for reference.

Completing objectives nets rewards, like bone-shaped currency to buy better equipment and more followers – which marks your progress like experience points might in another game. Having more followers means you have access to new areas. I found these challenges helpful in pointing me to things to do and see, as well as motivating me to improve my gear. Pupperazzi’s menu-based objectives are important because there isn’t a lot of direction in the gameplay. There are no characters or overarching narratives to move you along, which might have been more engaging, but the requests give players an adequate reason to explore the landscape and get snapshots of adorable puppies.

It is easy to use the photography controls. Simply hit the left trigger and click the right trigger to start taking a shot. Once I captured that perfect moody, black-and-white shot of a dalmatian sporting a dramatic collar in my objectives list, I checked to see if it satisfied my client to claim my prize. I also picked up more followers by posting my picture to the game’s social media site, dogNET. If they like the subject, NPCs may share their feedback with you and follow you to unlock more levels. This adds an extra layer of fun to the game that might feel dull with the little happenings at the moment.

Pupperazzi doesn’t completely avoid pitfalls. I spent a lot of time in menus, and the game doesn’t always clearly convey things. For example, the game doesn’t indicate when a photo meets the requirements for your current goals. To claim my reward, I needed to bring up the menu for every photo.

Aside from that I have to look at the menu to determine my goals for each section or to find dogNET. All of this leads to me flipping through tabs instead of photographing fuzzy animals. I also found it a little off-putting that a message popped up warning me my photos might not be saved every time I want to move to the next zone. It left me confused and uncertain about how to proceed from the initial level. However, after waiting longer than I’m prepared to admit, I took the risk, left the level, and discovered my photos were just fine as I moved on to a new locale.

Getting to explore the vibrant and uniquely themed sandbox levels made up for the inconvenience. Every zone at Bubby Boardwalk is worth the effort. It has a shuttered arcade and a skatepark. Mellowstone offers nature-filled pathways. Each world has its own objectives and hidden objects that you can interact with furry friends, as well as secret currency stashes and vending machines for equipment purchases. It was pleasant to find a few platforming options in different levels. For example, I used awnings to jump onto roofs with more dogs.

After I had completed the entire objectives, I spent a good amount of time rolling credits to Pupperazzi. There is no reason for me to return. However, I enjoyed my short time with Pupperazzi. It was lighthearted fun, though there were some minor annoyances. Pupperazzi is a great game for those moments when they just need to get away from the world and have fun with their pretend dogs.