Pupperazzi
A photography game about taking pictures of dogs for dogNET.
Pupperazzi is a photography game from Sundae Month, with Kitfox Games as its publisher. Players take on the role of a humanoid camera, gaining followers by snapping pictures and uploading them to an in-game social platform called dogNET. The title launched on January 20, 2022 for macOS, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Nintendo Switch version arriving on April 6, 2023. Critical reception was mixed.
The game uses a first-person perspective. Players earn followers by posting photos to dogNET, where they receive comments from followers. Photos can be shared repeatedly, but posting too often leads followers to label the uploads as spam. Progress requires earning enough followers to unlock upgrades, new locations, and different times of day. Photo requests offer golden bones and followers as rewards; golden bones are spent at vending machines on upgrades that help complete more complex requests.
Development began at indie studio Sundae Month during an internal game jam, originally conceived as an arcade-style photography game. Work ran from late 2018 into 2019, but the project was shelved. The team later revived it in 2019, drawn to the concept. Lead developer Isobel Shasha noted that the team wanted to include multiplayer, but it proved "too complicated" and "just ultimately wasn't possible." A trailer announced the game on May 24, 2019, with a Steam release planned for that year. On August 25, 2020, Kitfox Games was revealed as the publisher during the Wholesome Snack showcase. A June 12, 2021 trailer at the Wholesome Direct of E3 2021 showed a location called Muttropolis. On August 10, 2021, the game was confirmed for Xbox One and Xbox Game Pass. It launched on January 20, 2022 for macOS, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with a Nintendo Switch release in April 2023.
Reviews were mixed, as reflected by Metacritic. Jill Grodt of Game Informer gave a 7.25/10, calling it a "wonderful game to jump into" but noting unclear communication. GameSpot's Jessica Howard scored it 5/10, praising the concept but calling the experience "incredibly empty," and criticizing rough frame rates, jerky camera movement, and limited content. Marcus Estrada of Hardcore Gamer gave a 3.5/5, saying the game "immediately impresses" but disappointing in content.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Pupperazzi
- Developer
- Sundae Month
- Publisher
- Kitfox Games
- Director
- Isobel Shasha
- Producer
- Levi Rohr / Ryan Huggins
- Designer
- Fisher Wagg
- Programmer
- Ben Sironko / Ryan Huggins
- Artist
- Campbell Fletcher
- Composer
- Jack Yeates
- Platforms
- macOS · Windows · Xbox One · Xbox Series X/S · Nintendo Switch
- Released
- macOS, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S / January 20, 2022 / Nintendo Switch / April 6, 2023
- Genre
- Photography
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Pupperazzi was conceived during an internal game jam as an arcade-style photography game. Development ran from late 2018 to 2019, but the project was scrapped before being revived in 2019. Lead developer Isobel Shasha noted that the team wanted to preserve multiplayer, but it became too complicated and ultimately was not possible. The game was announced via a trailer on May 24, 2019, with a later release date on Steam that same year. On August 25, 2020, Kitfox Games was announced as the publisher during the Wholesome Snack showcase. A trailer at the Wholesome Direct of E3 2021 showed a location called Muttropolis. On August 10, 2021, the game was confirmed to launch on Xbox One and be available for Xbox Game Pass subscribers. The game released for macOS, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on January 20, 2022, with a Nintendo Switch port following on April 6, 2023.
Reader's Guide
Pupperazzi is played in first-person view. Players earn followers by taking photos and sharing them on dogNET, receiving comments from followers. Photos can be shared repeatedly, but sharing too many results in followers calling it spam. Progress requires earning followers, which unlocks upgrades, locations, and different times of day. Players can accept photo requests rewarded with golden bones and followers; golden bones are used to buy upgrades from vending machines, enabling more complex photo requests. The game received mixed or average reviews on Metacritic. Jill Grodt of Game Informer gave it a 7.25/10, calling it a wonderful game to jump into but noting it did not always convey things clearly. GameSpot's Jessica Howard gave a 5/10, praising the concept but criticizing the overall experience as incredibly empty, with rough frame rate, jerky camera, and lack of content. Marcus Estrada of Hardcore Gamer gave 3.5/5, saying the game immediately impresses but was disappointed by lack of content. Ozzie Meija of Shacknews rated it 6/10, commending filter and lens options but criticizing lack of incentive to complete objectives, few locations, and rough dog animations. Lindsay Mayhew of Digitally Downloaded lauded the game as perfectly happy, though she found the saving system unclear, calling it a frustrating communication oversight.
Did You Know?
- Lead developer Isobel Shasha stated that multiplayer became too complicated and ultimately was not possible.
- The game was released for Xbox Game Pass subscribers on launch day.
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