- Master dozens of treatments to cure animals: X-rays, bandages, a stethoscope, preparing medicine…
- House the animals in different rooms of the clinic and come to the aid of your four-legged patients
- Listen to the animals and become the best vet ever!
- Expand and upgrade your clinic to take advantage of the best instruments for treatment
- Spend time with the animals and develop a true bond with them
This is now the 3rd My Universe title I have reviewed for the site, not sure why I like them but I genuinely do. Microids has created a great series for kids to live out dream jobs in a game that’s designed well, easy to play, and very relaxing. But let’s get into the nuts and bolts of this one.
The game starts just like the others with you having some basic customization options for yourself to set the stage. There is of course the Male/Female options and then an array of hair and skin color and then your clothes. Nothing too deep but gives you some sense of control over your person. The story of the game is your Grandfather Henry has retired, so now you are taking over the family business, you name your clinic (now under new ownership) and jump right into taking care of cats and dogs. At the start you only have a few rooms to get things going, you have a front desk where patients check-in, a waiting room where they….well you know, and an examination room. As you earn coins and complete objectives more rooms open up (giving you new treatments at the same time). Before you begin treatment of an animal you can pet them (every game needs to have a pet the dog/cat function, let’s be honest) but in this game, it actually helps calm down the animal which gives it some health back which makes successfully treating the animal easier to do. If you successfully treat an animal they will leave a gift after being discharged. Gifts range from customization options to help decorate your clinic (artwork, crafts, pictures, plants, etc) or coins that are used to unlock new rooms or upgrade them in the later levels.
Treating pets is done in the form of mini-games, just like the other games. At the start you do things like shots, check their heart, tick removal, and little wounds. In the much later levels, you can do other things like bath animals, x-rays, and others. The games can be a little repetitive of course but keep in mind this game is designed for kids, my five-year-old, who helps me review these games never seemed to mind at all. The faster you treat the animals the better your score, which means more rewards. Later as you continue to expand and improve your clinic you can unlock additional staff and places around to visit and interact with.
Now the game is limited to treating just cats and dogs, however, there is a pretty diverse group of pets that visit you in ten different breeds of cats and dogs to treat. So even though you will see the same animal many times it doesn’t get too stale seeing them, especially if you see your favorite breed in-game. They all have their own personality and act differently when you pet them to calm them down, nothing beats watching a little Corgis roll over for belly rubs.
The game looks just as well as the others in the series with cartoony graphics, bright colors, and calming music. Nothing to really write home about, but the big thing is, and I can’t stress it enough is these games play well. There are no glitching, no long load times, it just works. Which nowadays is rarer than it should be in games, especially ones designed for little gamers. This should really be celebrated more, to be honest.
Overall My Universe Pet Clinic Cats & Dogs is a great game for kids and the family to experience together. My five-year-old (almost six) has been saying for months how she wants to be a vet when she grows up, as a lot of kids do. This lets them live out this fantasy in a well-crafted game that everyone can get behind.
