Think about the last time you took a picture of a dog.
Did it go according to plan? Or every time you tried, did the dog rudely stride toward you demanding more pats, refuse to look directly at the camera, or run away seemingly to an urgent meeting? Most importantly, did the eventual photo make you internet famous? These are a few of the challenges of Pupperazzi.
Developed by Vermont-based indie Sundae Month and published by Kitfox Games (yup, the folks behind Boyfriend Dungeon) comes Pupperazzi, a game in which your rather pressing objective is to photograph all the dogs to earn widespread acclaim and personal validation on social media. Like a dog version of Pokémon Snap, your role as "pupperazzo" is to complete your Puppypedia by collecting snaps of various breeds in an array of poses and outfits, for no other good reason than...it's fun. Remember fun?
In the game's three locations, dogs both rule and drool, leaving the "boring stuff" — "like cleaning up, paying taxes, doing math..." to the "humanorphs." Meanwhile, the pups bounce around riding skateboards, stomping on sandcastles, and going fishing. Whether the sandy shores of Lighthouse Cove, the busy beachfront of Buppy Boardwalk, or the mean streets of Muttropolis, humans are merely pawns. But you're not one of those, instead 'you' inexplicably appear as a giant camera with legs — a shocking reveal when first activating "Selfie Mode." And unlike Pokémon Snap, you're left to your own devices in each environment, rather than being ferried through the level.
If you want the narrative set-up, a pushy dog called Scoopmaster Timmy will apprehend you on arrival on behalf of the Doggo Documentation Project. Someone in their record-keeping department "got distracted by a tennis ball, and accidentally deleted everything." So, you need to photograph all the dogs again. "For science!" Timmy says.
For science, then!
Finding your objectives in your journal, you’ll need to take photos of dogs in various situations: wearing a party hat, skateboarding, riding a bike, fishing, in a group shot. You can create more animated happenings for your photos by patting dogs, dressing them up in little outfits, or throwing different items. Fair warning: If you pat the dogs, they will send love hearts into the sky and follow you around, then start barking at you for more pats. It’s cute, then frustrating — until you remember this is exactly what most dogs do when you try to take their photo.
With pretty simple controls, the game operates through first-person photographer mode. The viewfinder is very touchy on the Xbox controller I'm using. So you might take a while, nudging your way to get the perfect shot. Your photos appear in your journal, where you can choose to Save to Favourites. Saved photos will be added to the Puppypedia system, where snaps of different breeds, poses, and other features will be automatically added. You can replace images if they're not up to scratch. Otherwise you can Recycle (not trash) or post to dogNET, the game's social media platform.
Social media dominance is inevitably one of the major goals of Pupperazzi. Because if you’re snapping dogs in raincoats and not sharing them, did it even happen? Sharing your snapshots 'online' (only within the game) prompts anonymous comments and gains you followers, which unlocks upgrades, locations, and different times of day for each setting. All this keeps the small map interesting enough. Another upgrade lets you "approach dogs and edit their outfits," which I routinely wish to do IRL. You get extra follower points if the dog's wearing more than one piece of clothing ("outfit" points) or if it's just been patted and is offering up hearts or a happy pant ("friendly" points). And you'll be praised for getting into unique angles or getting close up or centered. However, if you post too many photos, you'll get backlash for spam — uh, how dare they?
As the internet's newest dog photo sensation, you're inexplicably shooting with film, which you will need to keep restocked at all times. (Hot tip: rather than buying film from the store, you can recycle your photos back into film). As you progress, you can upgrade your gear in the shop or at vending machines using "bonks" (golden bones) to take superior shots, adding zoom lenses (I almost exclusively used the fisheye), changing up the film and filter, and enjoying the addition of slow-mo. You’ll quickly notice the game’s jaunty music is rather relentless. So, if you don't last long with it, just throw on a podcast or your own tunes and continue your snapping.
A few recurring characters, who you'll meet along the way, will send you email requests (go with it). Clad in tiny little rain boots, hat, and coat, Sea Dog will apprehend you, thematically barking "YARRR! Are ye the new pupperazzo? It's about time we sea dogs had someone to photograph our adorable wee faces!" A snooty dog called Olivia will intimidate you with "society guidelines" that “require a dog to be centered in the photograph and facing the camera for a photo to be considered professional quality." A pup called His Majesty will refer to you as "machine" and himself as "king of all dogs," and deep down, you'll know it to be true.
Pupperazzi is a sweet, fun photography game that you probably won't play for hours on end, but instead might drop by for a few snaps every now and again when you're in need of a little joy. You might catch 'em all, you might not. It doesn't matter. What matters is there's a pack of cute dogs chasing you for more pats, so you'd better have enough film.
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