Additionally, the campaign mode tasks the player with dipping into the Pet Simulator-esque Zookeeper mode, wherein the animals must be fed, bathed, nursed, petted, etc. in an interface that will be familiar to anyone who’s played Nintendogs or any of the many Petz titles. Budding zookeepers can choose to play the mode on its own from the get go, ignoring the zoo building aspects entirely. That is, if they don’t want the unlockable animals.

Zookeeper mode allows players to interact with their animals directly, Pet simulator style.

The strength of the title is the solid (though well established) Tycoon gameplay and interface. Building one’s own super zoo is incredibly addicting in the same “living Lego set” sort of way, and interacting with the virtual animals is icing on the cake. It’s a rather refreshing twist that will likely appeal to younger gamers and anyone who’s ever enjoyed a round or two of Nintendogs.