Pets & Stuff made me a VR pet groomer and I didn't want to stop
Pets & Stuff lets you get neglected pets back on their feet. Read on for our hands-on with this feel-good VR game, which recently had its full release on Meta Quest.
Pets & Stuff is accessible, takes advantage of VR's strengths, and is incredibly cute.
You take on the role of a veterinarian who has opened a new, modestly furnished clinic. It's a dump, to be honest. But there is hope.
The customers come in droves and gradually, you will learn the groomer's job. You will remove lice and other insects, pluck debris from their fur, administer eye drops, treat infections, and clean their teeth. Virtual reality thrives on hands-on interaction, so it's fun to get to work on the animals and restore their happiness with lots of care and a few loving strokes.
After a successful treatment, you earn stars that you can invest in improving the clinic. In this way, the dilapidated building is gradually transformed into a luxurious practice.
Don't do this in real life
Pets & Stuff is a casual game that doesn't take itself too seriously, so there are a lot of crazy things you can do that you definitely shouldn't do in real life: clean your pet with a handheld vacuum, paint it with a spray, or style it with fancy (sun)glasses. In the fantasy world of VR, this is possible and, thanks to the great animated fur and well-implemented interactions, it is a lot of fun.
You will have to deal with a wide variety of mammals: In addition to cats and dogs, there are raccoons, foxes, deer, and many other creatures in need of care. Later in the game, you will leave the practice and run an open-air clinic in various locations.
The range of tasks is huge, but I still wonder if Pets & Stuff will keep you entertained and provide challenges, as these were completely lacking in the first hour or so that I played. Still, I didn't want to stop, partly because I wanted to finish upgrading the clinic and see where the field work would take me.
Casual VR with great success
The only thing that annoyed me about the game was that I accidentally pressed the "Finish" button several times, sending the animals back to their owners in an unhappy state. A flaw that the developer will hopefully fix by moving the button to a less prominent location.
Pets & Stuff was developed by HyperVR Games, whose Shave & Stuff is a big hit on the Horizon Store with nearly 14,000 ratings so far. The dentist sim Titans Clinic was also well received with 4,500 reviews. The studio has found a lucrative niche with its casual games, which are reminiscent of classics such as Job Simulator and Vacation Simulator.
You can purchase Pets & Stuff for $14 on the Horizon Store.
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