Wappy Dog Nintendo DS

When I was offered the opportunity to review the new game by Activison, Wappy Dog for the Nintendo DS I have to admit I was rather excited. This summer we had to rehome our pet dog due to my sons allergies & since then my son has missed the interaction he had with our dog. So what is the next best thing? a virtual dog of course, but not only do you get the virtual dog you get a plastic Wappy dog that will interact with you via your Nintendo DS.

Wappy is a white plastic dog, he has blue detailing, his eyes light up & his cheeks will flash a colour dependant on what mood Wappy is in. He is able to lie down, & turn his head to one side. If you pat Wappy, pull his tail or press his blue nose he will respond to you with a cry or a yap depending on what you did to him. Whilst you are playing the game on the Nintendo DS he will interact with you, if you send him a message or ask him a question Wappy will respond with barks which then will be translated & displayed on your Nintendo DS screen. In the game box you get a selection of stickers to apply to him to make him more unique to you.

The game has 2 modes, home & travel. The home mode you play with Wappy the plastic dog & in travel Wappy becomes a virtual dog. 

In home mode when you switch on your Nintendo DS & Wappy you will be prompted to return Wappy's heart, this just checks that the plastic dog is connected to the game. You can Exchange greetings with Wappy, ask him a question, ask Wappy to do special tricks, feed him, & my sons favourite play rock, paper, scissors with him. The more you play with him the more options will become open. You can play mini games & again the more you play the more games will become unlocked for you, my children enjoyed playing all the levels in Fruit catch, when they asked Wappy what he wanted to play Wappy responded with barks which when translated said he wanted to play fruit catch so throughout the levels Wappy responded with yaps , head movement & his cheeks flashed colours to show he was enjoying it.

In travel mode Wappy will become virtual, in order for all your progress to be saved you will need to return Wappy's heart before setting off on your travels. Once this is done Wappy will go into sleep mode & wait till you return then all progress that you have achieved whilst away will be saved.

In travel mode you prepare Wappy's food in a game then feed it to him, you can play with a variety of toys using the stylus or microphone depending on which toy you select. You can give Wappy a wash or groom him which he loves, you can even change the appearance of him using colours & accessories. You can play a selection of mini games with Wappy & again the more you play the more games become unlocked.

Wappy is able to perform tricks but first you must teach him & over time he will learn many tricks that he will show you on demand, he will however only do this when he is happy so you will have to make sure he is getting the best care. My children loved playing this game & I admit I had fun playing with Wappy Dog too. The more my children play the more progress they achieve, no 2 days are the same with Wappy & he is already getting his own personality. Wappy Dog is suitable for ages 3+, if your child is not able to read yet then they will require a bit of help to read what Wappy is saying to them but they should be able to play the mini games easily because my 4 year old can.

Wappy Dog can be played on the Nintendo DS or 3DS & has a RRP of £24.99, I think this is a fantastic price &  I would feel comfortable paying much more for this game because the amount of game time your child will get will last a very long time, the more you play the more you unlock.


I received the game along with a Nintendo 3DS for the purpose of the review only, all opinions are of mine or my children.