If you're looking for a slow-paced, cute, quest-based video game for your child or girlfriend, this is the game for you.
This game is actually a very interesting and fun quest-based game. Similar to most RPGs, you run around as a character doing quests for others, solving problems and getting jobs done.
In the beginning you choose your breed of dog; There's a very wide variety of choices, mostly famous breeds. You can even choose different colors among most of them. As soon as the game starts you're placed into your home with your mother and father. Your father shows you a hat called "The Magic Hat" which he apparently uses to keep peace on the small island you live on, in a town called Pawville which is made up both a Northern and Southern side. The Southern side is where you live with your mother and father, and it's also where all of the shops are located, along with the Zoo and Aquarium. The Northern area seems to be where everyone else lives in their houses; it's where your best friend, Victor lives.
After your father shows you the hat and explains it's use to you, your best friend Victor enters. You and him head outside, and then he takes you to the Police Station in North Pawville to show you the evil wolf, Ivlet. Ivlet was captured off of the island and sent to it to be held inside the jail. He's a very bad wolf, who tricks people and who has done very bad things, none of which you ever really learn about.
In the Police Station you are confronted by Ava, the police dog. She kicks you out and tells you to come nowhere near Ivlet, because he could trick the younger pups. You and Victor leave, but Victor's too excited to care about what Ava has said; he and you decide to return at night, when Ivlet is supposed to be awake and moving around. You agree excitedly, then you both go play at Dolphin Coast.
This part is meant for you to learn the basic controls of the game, and to recieve the Bug Cage and Fishing Tackle for fishing and bug-catching.
Soon after learning the basic controls of the game, you head home where your mother has you give cookies to all of the shop owners, the zookeeper, and the aquarium owner, so as to get aquainted with them so you know where they are for future reference. After completing this easy task, you end up inside your house, it's nightfall, and when you go outside, you and Victor head over to the Police Station.
Inside the station, there's a very long cutscene. Eventually, Ivlet manages to trick you into retrieving the Magic Hat. He steals it, destroys the town, and disappears.
Now, you are forced to help the town to recover. All of the shops have been destroyed, save your own home. Each quest allows you to repair another thing or learn a new "move" if you will.
There's no actual fighting in the game. Unless you consider stunning your enemies tactically fighting. All you can do is sneak up behind any enemy you encounter and press - to bark, and it will temporary stun them. There's no killing, unfortunately. That's why it's a kid's game.
Later on, this is a slight spoiler, however, you are able to pick up rocks and throw them at your enemies from far away to knock them out so you can move past them, or for whatever other reason.
The gameplay can be fast or slow. If you want to play it effectively you should go slow, collect as many items and bugs as you can. It can be a challenging game as the story progresses, and even some of the better video game players could end up a bit challenged by it.
Despite it's cutesy touch with the dogs who all look like puppies, it's actually a very fun game, worth the money. If you have nothing else to play, it's a better choice than games like BoomBlox or Carnival.
The story is also very intriguing, and for people who enjoy storylines more than the actual gameplay, this would be a good choice.
But this game also requires patience.
If you're looking for hard, gore, violence, excitement, fast-paced adventure, non-RPG, this wouldn't be a good game choice for you.
This game is more for younger kids, or people who like slow-paced, easy, cute, good storylines, quest-based, long adventures.