Original Post Date: 2024-03-20
If you’re familiar with the Nintendo DS or the Nintendo Wii, you’ve likely seen this Petz logo (or a logo in the same text) slapped onto a game made by Ubisoft at some point.
This game will be a virtual pet sim, sure (with a few exceptions – more down below!), but it won’t be anything like the Petz 1–5 series. These games are collectively called the “Ubisoft Petz”, and I had no idea there were 70 of them and counting!
Thanks to the Petz Wiki.
Most players of the original Petz games dont acknowledge these, and I understand why, but I actually own a few of them: Petz Dogz 2 and Petz: Puppyz and Kittenz for the Nintendo DS, and the game that is the main reason I wrote this article.
“But Ivy,” you might be asking, “how could you possibly like an Ubisoft Petz game? Aren’t a ton of them derivative knockoffs of a bunch of Japanese-developed games with the Petz label slapped on frivolously?”
Yes. And that’s why I like this one:
(If you see a pause symbol in any of these screenshots, no you don't. /lh)
Petz: Dogz 2 (and Catz 2, but I never had nor ever saw that version) for the PlayStation 2 and the Wii here in North America, not to be confused with Dogz II and Catz II of the proper Petz series, is an Ubisoftized version of わんこと魔法のぼうし, or Puppy and the Magic Hat (Kitten for Catz 2; henceforth PupHat and KitHat because I don’t feel like writing any of these things out again).
I got PupHat for the PS2 and later the Wii, and played them numerous times throughout my childhood and even now, as evidenced by the screenshot above.They’re cute games, being a very kid-friendly adventure that mostly revolves around helping adorable dog characters and stopping the evil wolf Ivlet.
(Though I will admit there were some scenes that were intense for little me, me being a crybaby notwithstanding.)
Running around and just… existing in this game was one of my favourite pastimes. You could explore, fish, catch bugs, find fruit, and get cute clothes from the local tailor.
There was a part before the boss fight where you could do anything without any more quests, and that part was where I spent most of my time, just vibing. I did finish the boss fight, but it pretty much just takes you back to this point anyway, so I haven’t completed it since. I’m still working on 100%-ing the game, but I don’t think that changes anything.
The only reason I actually like Petz: Dogz 2 is because, well, it’s the only port of this amazing game that we get here in North America. I’d love to see a remake of this game under the original PupHat title, but unfortunately outside of some very dedicated fans I don’t personally see that happening.
I honestly highly recomment trying this game out! It's cute, it's cozy, there's no time limits, there's only a few real moments of peril, and the music is great!
Just for fun, to leave off, here is my favourite piece of music from PupHat.
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