The shop rounds out the options on the overworld screen, offering everything from treats to shampoo to fashionable accessories. Each Pony has a favorite treat (displayed right next to it’s name on every screen), which players will be savvy to stock up on. One issue with the store was that there is a very strict limit on resources – you can only complete your chores once per day, and only one mission becomes available per day as well, keeping your wallet rather thin. The money management seems a bit too stingy for game aimed at younger players.

The graphics and music are decent, certainly on par with Nintendogs. In fact, some of the animations seem eerily familiar, especially the washing and grooming sequences, which are ripped straight out of Nintendo’s book. The ponies respond differently to the care, however (they’re very... prissy) and kick up a fuss if they aren’t happy with their treatment. Generally, the aesthetic works well, and the behavior of the animals is consistent.

As players progress through the game, a funny thing happens: Pony Friends becomes a collect-athon. There are coins and seashells to discover (lodged in your horse’s hoofs, no less), pictures of animals to collect (gotta catch em all!), trophies at the races, goals that work almost like achievement points, accessories including horseshoes, saddles, blankets, and manes, and of course, your own stable of ponies. There is more stuff to unlock and stockpile here than in your average platformer. Obsessed completists beware.

Aside from the collect-a-thon aspect and the robust riding stages, there isn’t much of a “game” here, per se, which is the biggest complaint with this sort of title. It’s basically a very simple menu based micromanagement system, broken up by fetch quests and races, and wrapped in cute, pink dressing. It’s interactive My Little Pony for girls born about 15 years too late to remember My Little Pony. Fortunately for its target audience, it’s solid enough to stand on it’s own.