Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Powerhead
Genre: Pet Simulator
Release date: Available now

As a man who strives to avoid giving the impression of decency, there is very little I find morally abhorrent. Still, I’m a lover of both animals and the English language, and when I rule the world, two crimes will still be punishable by death: dressing animals in human clothing, and pluralizing words with a “z” instead of an “s.” Alas, I am yet a humble journalist, so I tried to approach Petz Fashion: Dogz & Catz with as little bias as possible.

Petz Fashion is much like any other pet simulator, in that you adopt a pet and have to monitor it’s various needs: food, water, grooming, even cleaning up it’s feces. Fortunately, the latter of these activities is the least realistic. Still, this aspect of sim games continues to astound me: why would you want to do something in a video game that you wouldn’t want to do in real life (he asks while skulking around a virtual underwater city, beating virtual people to death with a virtual wrench)? The twist in this iteration of the Petz series is that you can also dress up your pet and enter it in fashion shows.

Upon entering a fashion show, you’ll have to dress your pet according to a theme. Each item of the pet’s clothing must conform to the theme to get a high score. During the show, you’ll also have to lead your pet around the stage and take pictures of it to increase your score. The closer your bond is, the more the animal responds to you when taking pictures. The higher the pet’s intelligence, the more it will follow your lead. The game incorporates the DS stylus rather cleverly, and barely requires the use of the D-pad at all. Using the stylus, you can stroke your pet or groom it with a brush to bond with the animal, or use the stylus to move a toy around the screen, teaching your furry pal to pounce and increasing its intelligence.

As pet simulators go, Petz Fashion is actually pretty entertaining. Leading your pet around the stage and trying to get good pictures is challenging, which keeps the game interesting. Moreover, the fashion show themes add a cerebral element to the game that many other pet sims lack. However, the controls can be infuriating, as they don’t give you much control of the camera. Often you’ll find yourself stroking your pet when you’re trying to lead it somewhere.

The graphics are decent for a DS game, although many of the pets look the same. Their expressions are varied and realistic enough that I found myself neglecting my real-life cat to pet my much less volatile virtual kitty, for which I will pay in blood. The visual experience is so focused on the pet that the environment doesn’t come into play often, but it looks fine when you can see it. The sound is on par with the visuals, cute and engaging. The music is appropriately upbeat, with an old-school game feel that suits it quite well.

If you’re a fan of pet simulators, Petz Fashion: Dogz and Catz is worth a look. If not, it most likely won’t change your mind about the genre. It’s a cute game with pleasing visuals that you can pick up for a quick play and put away just as easily.

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