Pillow Pets

Pillow Pets
It's a game, it's terrible...It's a terrible game...
Protagonist(s): The Pillow Pets Genre(s): Platform Simulation Rating(s): E (ESRB) Platform(s): Nintendo DS Release Date: October 25, 2011 Developer(s): 1st Playable Productions Publisher(s): GameMill Entertainment Country: United States Series: Pillow Pets

Pillow Pets is a 2011 2.5D platform game developed by 1st Playable Productions and published by GameMill Entertainment for the Nintendo DS on October 25, 2011. It is based on the popular toy line and brand of the same name and was only released in North America.

Why It's Not Our Pillow Pet

1. The idea of making a video game based on Pillow Pets, while not outright terrible, is quite poorly executed here just like a lot of games based on licensed franchises.
2. Despite the game clearly being a platformer, it also tries to mix that genre with virtual pet simulation elements, even though it's obvious that the two genres don't fit at all with each other.
3. The whole game isn't very original as it feels too similar to that of various Nintendo platformers, specifically Mario, Kirby, and Donkey Kong Country.
   • The cannons in this game act as barrels just like in the latter game, such as being able to launch from one cannon to another. What a nice case of unoriginality.
   • The magic wand behaves very similar to the Super Mushroom in New Super Mario Bros. as the Pillow Pet turns into a giant, allowing it to easily destroy anything in its path. However, unlike the latter game, you immediately turn back small again if you go past the magic wall.
4. Speaking of the cannons, it is possible to get stuck in an endless loop of launching between them, and while you can change the direction of the cannon, the game does not tell you this, which is pretty unacceptable for a game aimed at young kids.
5. The character models, mainly the Pillow Pets, look very off and uncanny. At times, their heads and eyes are a bit too big; on the box art, none of the Pillow Pets, except for the Ladybug and Monkey, have Velcro straps for some reason, making it unknown on how they are able to walk without it.
6. The level design is flat and pretty boring as it's possible to complete a majority of the levels without letting go of the right button on the D-Pad.
7. The music, while not terrible, sounds really short and just loops over and over again throughout each level, and it also sounds too similar to the Yogi Bear movie game, which they made the previous year, given that they both run on the same exact music engine.
8. Generic story: The meat of the plot is that you have to get the entire Pillow Pet gang back together, essentially making the game nothing more but an advertisement for the Pillow Pets brand at this point.
9. The game is very short as it can easily be beaten in less than 15 minutes, which is far too short for a console game, even for that of a handheld one, with the levels not being that long either.
   • Not only is the game short, but much like Ryan's Rescue Squad, it is also devoid of any challenge, even for its standards, making the game feel pretty boring, even for those of young children.
10. Contrary to the time this was released, there is absolutely no reason for a DS game to be released around late 2011 as the 3DS was around for a lengthy period of time. Was it too much to ask?
11. The game overall is just a shallow and bland cash grab that was only made as an attempt to promote the Pillow Pets brand and franchise.

Redeeming Qualities

1. Despite all of its flaws, the game can still be fun for young children and Pillow Pets fans.
2. Generally, the concept of making a Pillow Pets game isn't really a bad idea, despite the otherwise poor/mediocre execution here.
3. You can customize your Pillow Pet with clothing/accessories, which is a decent addition to the game.
4. The music is at least pretty good, despite sounding very short and loops nonstop.

Reception

The game currently has an average rating of 3.06/5 on GameFAQs, and is the 38th lowest rated DS simulation game on the site.

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