Ever since the release of games like Talking Tom and Angela, the popularity of virtual pets has skyrocketed, and mobile app stores are full of them. One of the most notable ones among them is Bubbu – a virtual pet cat. This game was released in 2015, but gained a massive amount of popularity in 2022.
Many developers tried making similar games to get a piece of the pie after the success of Talking Tom. While it gave us several options, Bubbu gave us something new while sticking to being the virtual pet game it was always meant to be.
So, we tried the game for several hours, and here is our opinion. We will talk about the game, its features, the good and the bad.
First Impressions
The game is available for free on the Google Play store and Apple App Store. The entire game is in landscape mode, thus giving you a wide-screen experience.
What makes virtual pet games like Talking Tom unique is the user interface. It is so simple that even toddlers and older people can handle it like a pro. The same can be said for Bubbu.
As soon as you start the game, a box will pop up showing you a mini tutorial. While it was a great addition in case people needed help understanding, it felt incomplete.
The tutorial only shows a simple message without prompting the user to do anything. And the UI is simple enough that people can play this game even after skipping the tutorial.
We Kept on Playing
There are six sections in the game – living room, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, art room, and the outer world.
Thanks to the landscape orientation, you get a lot of space in each room. Plus, you can tap at a point, and Bubbu will move there. You can also pull him up and drag him to some other place in the room by keeping your finger on the screen.
Every single item in this room is interactive, making this game a lot more engaging. For example, you can tap on the drawers to open or close them, and you can also pull down the blinds on the windows to make the room darker.
The bathroom has a loo, a wash basin, and a bathtub. You can tap on the shelf to feed Bubbu the potions you have bought.
If you are a fan of customisation and want to make Bubbu look prettier, you can check out his wardrobe by tapping on the cupboard in the bedroom. There are many categories to choose from, so that you can keep giving your favourite cat a fresh new look everyday.
By the way, if you click on the “remove clothes” icon, Bubbu gets angry, and we found it absolutely hilarious.
While many of the clothes need to be bought by using diamonds (that you can buy using real cash), there are several free options that you can get by simply playing the game.
The Outer World
In most of the virtual pet games we have played, most of the focus goes to interacting with the pet indoors. However, that is not the case here. There are lots of buildings like hair salons, beauty salons and hospitals, where you can roam with your cat.
There is so much you can do here. If your cat becomes sick, you can take him to the hospital and take care of him.
We loved playing this part of the game, because it gave us the feeling that even our digital buddy needs proper care.
There is also a mini-game included here where you have to drag a pill through his intestines, and we enjoyed it as well.
There are so many more things to experience in this game. You should check it out.
Never Get Bored with So Many Mini Games
Simply feeding and stroking your cat may become boring after a few days. The developers have kept that in mind and have showered us with tons of mini games to keep us entertained and earn coins to buy food, potion, and clothes.
You can access these games from several places like the living room and the open world. Even Bubbu suggests some games you can play by tapping on the thought bubble above him.
Besides the ones shown in the menu, several other mini games are integrated into daily tasks, just like the ones in the hospital. With so much to choose from, this virtual pet game will never become monotonous.
The Good
With a simple user interface and core mechanics inclined towards its roots, Bubbu is an excellent game and feels like an ideal successor to games like Talking Tom and Angela.
The outside world and the interactive rooms that Bubbu has provided us are excellent additions, and it feels like a next-generation game.
Integrating mini games inside the different tasks ensure that every task you do becomes more engaging.
With so many clothing options and other things to customise, you will have more reason to play this game.
Finally, the Bad
There is only one thing in this game worth criticising – the monetisation system.
Many features and items are locked in a paywall in this game. You can only do specific tasks if you buy its pack from the game, and it costs real money.
The hair salon and some other features unlock when you subscribe. It felt annoying as putting such core mechanics behind a paywall ruins a lot of the fun.
We understand that developers need to make money, but there are many ways to do so, like ads, currency, and booster packs. They should take a look into this matter.
One more thing that needs to be improved is the tutorial system. Right now, it has little to no use.
Wrapping Up
Bubbu is an excellent game as there is so much to do, and it makes the job of taking care of your pet so enjoyable.
While the monetisation system can be a drawback, Bubbu is an entire package of features, games, customisation, and fun.
