Desk Paws

Feels really slow to progress even for an idle game, but it's so ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ adorable that I don't care, and I'm keeping it open for eternity. Definitely the cutest out of the "bottom of your screen" idle game trend. Also reminds me of some toy I had in the early 2000s called Pixel Chix so it gets bonus nostalgia points. I would raze entire nations for Pupu Rat, he brings me so much joy. Bless the Pupu Rat.

Edit: Okay after leaving this open for almost 3 days, I absolutely love this little game. I squeak with joy every time I see a cute new animal and colour variants from breeding. Best purchase I've made in a long time. Also the dev(s) are super friendly which just makes me love the game even more. Actual cutest game ever. Bought the supporter pack because I loved it so much, which I never do.

You're probably reading negative reviews because you're on the fence about buying this game. I'd say if the previews of the little creatures intrigue you and you won't feel a pinch from spending $5.99, just get it. There are so many cute, weird, and surprising creature designs in this game, and some of the variants you get from breeding are really fun and delightful. It's worth it just to look at all the little guys running around. If you're still not sure, wait for a sale, it's definitely worth the sale price.

I'm thumbs-downing it solely because it's set up like an idle game, a desktop toy, but it doesn't play that way, and the gameplay drags as you play more. I picked up Rusty's Retirement at the same time I got Desk Paws, installing them on different computers that I switch between roughly equally. Rusty lasted longer on the desktop. A good idle game needs some attention at the start to set things up-- when you first get it and are most interested in messing with it-- and then it gets into a groove, and you only need to engage with it when you feel like it.

Desk Paws is the opposite. Once you have your house set up, the main activity of the game is acquiring more creatures (easy, fun, more opportunities unlock at regular intervals) and breeding creatures to see all the variants (and there's the catch).

Breeding creatures needs your attention, more of it as you continue to play. As you try to get that onnnne last variant of each creature, you are constantly getting repeats, farming them out for adoption, switching things around to collect just the right resources to try for better rooms in case it ups your chances of rares.

I found myself taking notes and considering a spreadsheet to track which creatures had how many variants left, to be able to accurately and efficiently swap creature pairs in and out of rooms to breed them. Instead, I quit playing the game. Breeding just felt like more and more of a hassle, and seeing a tooth egg hatch into the 15th blue tooth (GET IT) was really irritating.

Also, the UI is very awkwardly designed. Particularly when you're breeding, you have to switch around between multiple windows to get all the info you need. Why is it spread out over all these little windows? And the hitbox is slightly offset on one of the buttons you press the most, so you constantly click it and nothing registers until you find just the right spot again.

I got $6 of fun out of the first week of this game, no question. But as a desktop toy, it flopped. If you're content just watching your pet friends wander around and don't engage with the breeding gameplay, maybe it will last longer. The designs are adorable, some are pleasingly weird, and many are strikingly creative. I think it's worth the price, but hopefully now you have a better idea what you're getting.

collecting cute critters cures my depression while also making me feel even more autistic

100/10 recommend