Video Game Review - Little Friends: Puppy Island

Ellie reviews Little Friends: Puppy Island on Nintendo Switch…

An adventure on an island with man's best friend and the change to make many more. Whats not to like? Join me as I give you a glimpse into island life.

Little Friends: Puppy Island is the new adventure game in the ‘Little Friends’ series from developer Big Blue Bubble and has been published by Fireshine Games.  Once you’ve loaded into the game, your soon asked to dog-sit by your best friend; Sam. It’s not all plain sailing as while Sam is away on vacation you’ll get roped into rejuvenating the island and making it the go-to for pet owners - and their pets. To help achieve the goal for the island, your soon given a pet of your own - a Husky. You’ll get to chose its name, and then it’s off to see what tasks Sam has in store, who instructs you via text message.

The islands Summer House is the main hub of the island, and it’s here where you’ll take care of your furry friends. Heading to the garden, and it’s here where you’ll be able to tend to the basic needs of your dogs. There’s a lot to do such as; giving them food, bathing and grooming, dressing them up in cute outfits, and even using various enrichment toys. There’s even space allocated for tied puppy’s to take a rest if needed. 

As with all gardens there’s a gate that then opens up to the wider world. Much like real life, your puppy is more at home traversing the various trails that litter the island. It’s also on these walks that you’ll be able to “level up” your chosen puppy by training them in agility, speed, endurance and friendliness. Along these walks you’ll also come across spots where you can get your puppy to dig, as well as plenty of obstacles. These obstacles each have their own mini-game to perform which then determents if the action was successful. These range from having to play a game of balance to cross a log, holding a puppy head over a  light to get through a tunnel, and tapping  paw prints to cross a river. These mini games are fairly simple, and it shouldn’t take more than a couple of attempts for younger players to succeed. While on these rambles, you’ll also encounter other dogs which can be adopted by simply interacting with them. 

Across the game you’ll be able to make friends with nine different breeds of dog, which a are all modelled well after their respective breed. The breeds available are Pugs, Bulldog, Chihuahua, Corgi, Dachshund, Dalmation, Husky, Labrador and the stunning Shiba Inu. To keep things original, there’s also over 140 variations of these breeds that you can come across. This means that not everyone will have the same style of dog. Once you go back to the house your new adopted puppy will be waiting in the bath for you to wash them down. It’s here where you’ll find out which colour and markings your new best friend will have.

Each trail area also features its own shop where you can buy new cosmetic items and toys for your puppies. These all come at a cost so make sure you get your puppy to dig up the dig spots as these will give you bones which act as the islands form of currency. With eight different areas of the map to explore the island is fairly large, and your never short of somewhere to explore. Away from this and Sam keeps you on your toes with tasks that relate to rebuilding certain features of the island.

At its heart Little Friends: Puppy Island is a game tailored for young gamers. Upon first loading the game you’ll soon notice how bright and pleasing on the eye the game is. Everything is bright an colourful, and the games soundtrack is very upbeat. Each puppy is also designed really well, with plenty of care and attention made to make them ok and feel real. A personal favourite of mine is a Pug and I have no chance of ever getting a dog so to have four of them so far in my save is pretty awesome. The puppies run to you to be petted when you return after a walk and I find myself smiling as their happy little faces enjoy being interacted with. 

As touched upon earlier - this game is perfect for little children with the bright colours, cute dogs, the option to play with them and even dress them up. Smaller children may need help with the mini games but some shouldn't struggle at all. This is also the perfect game to play with your children on the sofa. My daughter is 13 and liked watching over my shoulder as I played. As an adult I really enjoy the game. Its been nice to chill out to after a busy day. I don't have any major criticisms to the game, just personally I would have like some more dog breeds like French Bulldog, or Shih tzu. However this is incredibly minor and didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the game. but it doesn't stop me from enjoying the game.

Overall, Little Friends: Puppy Island is a great game for both younger gamers, and those looking for a casual experience. While it is a somewhat watered down vision of owning an animal, it’s a fun experience nonetheless. With plenty to see and do, Little Friends: Puppy Island is a game that’ll last quite a while, and with the Summer Holidays coming up - it could be an essential purchase. 

Rating: 8/10 

A code was kindly provided for the purposes of this review. 

Little Friends: Puppy Island is available now, and can be purchased from the Nintendo Switch Store. 

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Ellie Woodcock - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow us on Twitter/Facebook @GeekCultureRev, and TikTok/YouTube @Geekculturereviews.