Barbie: Pet Rescue

Barbie: Pet Rescue is a Barbie game made for the Game Boy Advance console in 2001. The game follows a straightforward gameplay pattern, but don’t be fooled. It is extremely addicting, and you will grow to care for the animals and characters you’ll encounter in your journey.

You play as Barbie and her sister Stacie and you both work at a Vet’s office where it’s your job to rescue animals and mend them back to health. The pets are cuddly with their own personalities, so the gameplay doesn’t get stagnant easily. Barbie: Pet Rescue is very reminiscent of the Roller Coaster Tycoon franchise in terms of the gameplay with animals.

Story

Barbie is a career minded woman, and things aren’t any different this time around. In this game, Barbie and her sister Stacie have been employed at a Pet Rescue Center located in Green Arbor Park. Their job centers around rescuing various animals at risk. These animals are located in three main areas: Green Arbor Playground, Hideaway Hollow Garden and Whisper Grove Farm.

Each animal is usually in a perilous situation, so once rescued, you’ll have to take care of them at the rescue center while attempting to nurture them back to good health. Some animals can be more troublesome than others, so you have to be patient with them.

Gameplay

There are over 20 different animal types that can be found within the three locations. From a large range of dogs, cats and birds to outlandish animals like monkeys and many more. When attempting to rescue a new animal, you must gather clues to solve puzzles and find out the identity of the mystery animal causing a ruckus at the local park.

There are also some mini-games with animals that are rescued. If you successfully pass these mini-games, you can unlock some special secret bonuses.

Design

Barbie: Pet Rescue has great graphics for its time. The animals look cute and alive compared to other video game animals from 2001. Its rescue missions are designed to lead you through interesting clues and observations. While on a mission, you might encounter someone alerting you that they saw a bunny that needed help. Then you could just drive off and start a new mission.

As you progress with your rescue missions, things get increasingly harder. The final mission requires you to rescue the monkey. To successfully complete this mission, you’ll need another character, Sage the golden wonder to accompany you.

Carefully crafting strategies to rescue animals will require new tactics, however, things don’t get too difficult to solve. The game encourages you to find brilliant ways to rescue the animals you encounter.

Pros

• Cute animals
• Fun gameplay
• Interesting missions
• Great story

Cons

• Mysteries are too difficult sometimes