DS Review: Planet Rescue: Animal Emergency

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the cover of this game implies that you'll be working with exotic, safari type animals in this game. Lions, zebras, tigers, giraffes, you name it. Seems like an interesting shift from the usual vet games...

Your game starts up, and you have to watch a poor quality 3D animation of your animal shelter, where evidently you have a pet tiger cub. Don't ask me why. Nevermind that you bend down to pet a dog while this tiger is running at your heels. ....Is it just me, or would the tiger not just eat the dog while he's at it? Eh, whatever...

This is about as close to the game the cover portrays that you're going to get. You're playing the role of a vet who has her own clinic, who, just like every other vet game on the market, specializes in cats, dogs, and rabbits. But wait! Your first patient it...a baby tiger cub! Seems exciting. Except that this tiger cub never once becomes relevent again, despite the fact that you keep him for the whole game.

Basically, the plot is this: A lot of the animals living in the general area have been contracting mysterious patches of itchy spots on their bodies, and nobody can quite figure out what they are. They've been making the animals very sick, however, so this is a problem that can't be ignored. It's your job to eventually figure out what's going on. (I won't give a spoiler and tell you what it ends up bring, but I will tell you this: it's very predictable.) So you diagnose their ailments, treat them, nurse them back to health, the whole shebang. Nothing particularly new or groundbreaking here, folks. But then again, given the genre...did you truly expect there would be something?

As the game progresses, you'll learn to do housecalls for horses, and eventually be taken to the large rescue station to help wild animals...the extent being pandas, tiger cubs, grizzy bears, and baby seals. Now, how does that live up to the cover of the game? I have no idea. Especially since you'll get maybe 5 requests, tops, to help them at all.

For a young player where repetition is key, they'd probably love this game. For adults, though? It's just monotonous and boring. More or less just a waste of your time. Rating this a 4 out of 10 baby tiger cubs.