Pupperazzi by developer Sundae Month and publisher Kitfox Games embodies the wholesome moniker with its straightforward premise. You take control of a literal walking camera, snapping pictures of dogs across five levels in various situations, whether they’re skating a halfpipe, fishing, or playing with sticks. It’s as harmless as can be.
Wholesome vibes
Even progression lacks any of the associated stress due to its low-stakes gameplay loop. Some objectives may ask you to take pictures using a specific lens or filter you haven’t acquired yet. Rather than forcing you to grind out hours of repetitive tasks, you can leave levels at any time without consequence.
Upon returning to said level, the currency respawns, meaning you’re never strapped for cash. Beyond this, objectives themselves cycle until you whittle down the complete list of objectives. Perhaps a specific task is asking for too much engagement from you at that moment. If that’s the case, just leave the level and it’ll likely be replaced by something else until it’s placed back on the docket.
Despite centering around dogs, you’re never placed on any sort of leash. It’s entirely possible to reach the end credits having experienced only a fraction of the content nestled within. Taking pictures of random things that catch your eye is enough to progress as long you remember to upload images to the dogNET to increase your follower count, which dictates the core progression. While slower than completing objectives, it doesn’t matter. Pupperazzi is more or less a constrained photography sandbox. As a player, you’re allowed to mess around at your own pace without feeling like you’re missing out.
Technical issues
We can’t speak for the PC version, but Pupperazzi’s console iteration feels a bit compromised. Pupperazzi doesn’t look cutting edge, nor does it need to. Its simplistic art style aids scene readability. Modern triple-A games have to rely on visual cues to direct players because the density of detail makes it difficult to discern what is interactive. Luckily, this kind of friction doesn’t exist in Pupperazzi.
Unfortunately, input latency on Xbox is a major cause of concern. Even though all you do is take pictures, the act of walking and aiming the camera can sometimes feel daunting because of the inadequate controller response. Increasing the sensitivity slider only slightly helps. If latency can’t be ironed out on last-gen Xbox consoles, native Xbox Series X/S support could mitigate this issue. For the time being, however, the lack of responsiveness does drag down an otherwise frictionless player experience.
Current impressions
Pupperazzi is the kind of game that is perfectly suited to its target audience. We would recommend it to any player looking to absorb a harmless time-waster — one which you can dip in and out of as you please. Pupperazzi won’t leave a lasting impression, but it might put a smile on your face. After all, how mad can you get after dressing up a Dachshund in a hot dog bun?
