Eyepet has got to be one of the most unique titles to hit the PS3 this year, sure you can’t fire guns or team up with friends online and take on a rival clan of monkeys, but that’s not what this game is about. This title is about bringing an animal into the world and interacting with it in such a way that you will never have seen on any console anywhere before and more importantly it works, in fact it works so well that it may just have given Sony a leap ahead in the forthcoming motion control battle.

 

When you begin Eyepet you are introduced to the game by a friendly scientist, he will teach you the basics of the game, including how to use the included Magic Card which allows you to use objects and play games with your pet. More importantly the Scientist will help you set the game up, which includes adjusting the camera so that it is pointing at the floor and giving general advice on clearing space around you and how bright the lighting should be.

 

 

Once the pleasantries are out of the way your pet then arrives in an egg, you are then required to place the Magic Card on the floor, at which point the camera reads it and a fan then appears on screen in order to heat the egg, then you simply lift the card while at all times facing it at the camera and it basically looks like you are holding a fan next to the egg. To use the fan you need to keep pressing the button which is located on top and it will start working. It’s quite an impressive start to the game and it shows just how well the camera technology works.

 

Once you have mastered the fan, some cracks will appear on the egg, from here you will rock the egg back and forward using your hand and then eventually your pet will appear from inside. At this point the fun and interaction really begins as you can pet him, wriggle your fingers in the air to make him jump or get him running by tapping your fingers on the floor. I really was quite impressed by how well our pet (named Ben by the children) responded to the movement on screen, it really was like he was in the room with us.

 

Obviously just playing with a pet would get boring quickly if that’s all there was too it, however the developers have included all manner of challenges, games and objects to keep your pet and its owner happy.

 

The main area of the game is the Pet Programme, this takes the form of daily challenges which allows you and your pet to get acquainted and build up a rapport. The challenges are quite basic to begin with, the first day for example has you learning how to play, feed, wash and style your pet, however things soon get a lot more fun and later in the game you will find yourself bowling, driving cars, flying airplanes, playing with robots, gardening and all sorts. Completing the challenges will reward you with new items and clothing for your pet, there is some replay value here too as some challenges reward you with a bronze, silver or gold medal depending on how well you do and the better the medal you get the more items you will unlock. It’s also worth mentioning that to get the trophy for completing each day you will have to achieve gold in all of the challenges, which even for an adult is quite difficult.

 

Perhaps the most interesting and fun parts of the game come when you first get access to the sketchbook. When you use this for the first time you are asked to copy the pictures by getting some paper and a marker pen, once complete you then hold your drawing up to the screen and once the camera recognizes it your pet will then copy the picture and then show you the results. The beauty is that as you and your pet’s relationship grows the better his understanding of your drawing will become. Later in the game the sketchbook evolves and once this happens you are able to draw cars and airplanes which will then come to life in the game, meaning that you can drive and fly around. This latter part does make up quite a few of the Pet Programme challenges.

 

The challenges using the vehicles you create are a lot of fun, one has you racing through gates with your pet sitting on top of your car, while another has you flying high into the air popping balloons with your airplane. Other challenges I didn’t mention have you teaching your pet to sing, then trying to break drinking glasses using your voice, which I imagine would be easier for some people than others (yes you X factor contestants).

 

Obviously this is a game aimed at children and in that respect it does a wonderful job, I tried this out with both my nine year old and three year old. My nine year old picked it up easily and was able to play all of the challenges without any problems at all, in fact he loves the game and has been looking forward to each morning to play again. My three year old needed no encouragement to play, although she did need me to sit with her and explain what to do, however she also really enjoys the game and seems to be very enthusiastic, especially when it comes to dressing and generally looking after the pet.

 

 

As with any game there are a few issues, for example if you do not face the Magic Card to the camera then it will stop working, also in some of the challenges your pet will sometimes ignore you, like when I had to get him to sprint 100m as fast as I could and he just stood there. To be fair this technology is bound to have flaws, especially in low light, however it does work, better than any other game of a similar nature and also better than I could ever have imagined.

 

Although there is no online mode in Eyepet the longevity of the game may be helped by the fact that there is an Eyepet shop and one of trophies does suggest that some of the items which will be available should be free. There is no doubt that some items will be charged for, however the possibilities for new challenges, items, games and maybe even new types of pet should help to keep people playing.

 

Sometimes it’s easy to judge a game based on the core audience of the console but to do this would be an injustice to Eyepet because this is a casual game, aimed at families and in that respect it’s a wonderful title. Nintendogs may have been THE virtual pet game to beat, but now there is a new pet in town and he is streets ahead of anything else on the market.