First Impressions of Exotica 2: Pet Shop Simulator
Exotica 2: Pet Shop Simulator is a cosy shop management game where you run your own pet shop, care for animals, serve customers, unlock new stock, and slowly build the business into something bigger. I went into this expecting a simple pet shop game, but there was more going on than I first thought.
This is not just a case of placing a few animals down and waiting for customers to hand over money. You have to build the shop, organise the space, buy habitats, stock products, feed animals, clean enclosures, serve customers, and gradually unlock more options as you level up.
For my first look, I started with the tutorial, built my first shop, named it Pets Are Us, bought my first fish, made several questionable business decisions, and slowly worked out how the game wants you to manage the shop.
Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this product from Keymailer.
What Is Exotica 2: Pet Shop Simulator?
Exotica 2: Pet Shop Simulator is a single-player simulation game developed by Konrul Game and published by Ultimate Publishing and Ultimate Games S.A. The game is available on PC and focuses on running a pet shop business.
The main idea is simple: you start small, sell animals and pet products, earn money, gain experience, and use your progress to unlock more animals, products, habitats, and shop features.
The game includes a range of animals such as fish, birds, cats, dogs, reptiles, rodents, axolotls, otters, and more. Some animals and products need to be unlocked over time, so the early game starts fairly small before opening up into a much wider pet shop management experience.
Building My First Pet Shop
The first thing I had to do was build the shop itself. This part gave me a bit of The Sims energy, because you are placing walls, flooring, windows, doors, and shop features to create a usable store.
I liked that the game gives you control over your shop layout rather than handing you a fixed building. It makes the shop feel more personal from the start, even if my first attempt was very much “small beginner box with ambition”.
You also need to think about practical areas, such as where deliveries arrive and where your bins go. It is not just decoration, because these spaces are part of how the shop functions once you begin buying stock and serving customers.
Naming the Shop
One of my favourite early moments was getting to name the shop. I called mine Pets Are Us, because apparently I cannot be trusted with business branding.
This is a small feature, but it helps make the shop feel like yours. For a cosy management game, those little personal touches matter. Even if the name is ridiculous, it gives the playthrough its own tiny identity.
Buying My First Animals
The tutorial starts you off with fish, which makes sense because they are a manageable first animal type. You need an aquarium, water, and fish before you can properly start selling them.
However, this is also where I had my first bit of chaos. I managed to forget the water, panic slightly, and accidentally throw my first fish. It was not the professional pet shop owner moment I was hoping for, but it did make for a very funny first impression.
The animal system seems to have more depth than just buying a pet and placing it in a tank. Animals have habitats, needs, and different categories. As you progress, you can unlock more types of animals, which makes the shop feel like it has long-term growth potential.
Aquarium Customisation
One detail I genuinely liked was the aquarium customisation. I was not expecting to be able to choose things like aquarium styles, filters, and sand colours.
This is exactly the sort of feature that cosy sim players tend to enjoy. It is practical because you need the habitat for the animals, but it also gives you a chance to make the shop look nicer and feel more designed.
Small customisation details like this make the game feel more satisfying, especially if you enjoy organising, decorating, and gradually improving a space over time.
Running the Shop
Once the shop is open, the game becomes a mix of customer service, animal care, stock management, and trying to keep up with everything at once.
You need to:
- Serve customers
- Buy animals and products
- Place stock in the shop
- Feed animals
- Clean habitats
- Manage customer orders
- Unlock more items and animals
- Expand and improve the store
At first, it feels simple, but once customers start asking for specific animals or products, it becomes more involved. Customers can request particular items, and if you do not have what they want, you may need to cancel part of the order or restock quickly.
I liked this because it gives the game a bit more pressure without making it feel stressful in a heavy way. It is still cosy, but there is enough going on to stop it becoming too passive.
Unlocking New Animals
One of the strongest parts of Exotica 2 is the range of animals you can work towards unlocking. During my first look, I checked the animal list and immediately wanted to keep going just to see what else I could add to the shop.
The game includes a lot more than just basic fish. There are birds, reptiles, cats, dogs, rodents, axolotls, otters, and more. This gives the game a strong “just one more unlock” feeling, because every new animal type could change how your shop looks and functions.
I also unlocked birds during my first session, which made the shop feel like it was already growing beyond the starting setup. It is a nice progression system because new animals feel like proper rewards rather than just background decoration.
Shop Progression and Level Ups
As you sell items and animals, you gain experience. Levelling up gives you points to unlock new stock, animals, habitats, and other shop options.
This is where the game starts to become more strategic. You need to think about what you unlock, because animals need the correct habitats and products need suitable shelves. If you unlock something without having the right display option, you may not be able to use it properly straight away.
That means there is a bit of planning involved. You are not just unlocking whatever looks cute. You need to make sure your shop can actually support what you are buying.
Breeding Animals
Another feature that makes Exotica 2 more interesting is animal breeding. If you place male and female animals of the same species together and allow breeding, they can eventually produce offspring.
This gives the game another layer of management because you can start producing animals yourself rather than only buying them. However, you still need to care for them, feed them, and make sure their habitat is suitable.
I did not fully explore the breeding system in my first session, but knowing it is there makes the game feel like it has more long-term potential. It gives players a reason to organise habitats carefully and think about which animals they want to keep for breeding rather than sell immediately.
What I Liked So Far
The biggest thing I liked about Exotica 2 was that it feels like there is a lot to unlock and build towards. I enjoy games where you start with very little and slowly grow into a bigger, more organised setup, and this game definitely has that feeling.
The animal variety is a big strength. I also enjoyed the aquarium customisation, the shop building, and the idea of gradually turning a basic little store into a proper pet shop.
It also has that slightly chaotic simulator charm where things do not always go perfectly, but the mistakes become part of the fun. Accidentally throwing my first fish was not ideal pet care, but it did make the video much funnier.
What Could Be Better
From my first impressions, the game does have a few areas that may not work for everyone.
The controls and clicking can feel a bit fiddly. There are quite a few menus, interactions, and small actions involved in buying, placing, feeding, and selling animals or products. This is not always a problem, but it can make simple tasks feel more awkward than they need to be.
The customer order system can also be a little confusing at first, especially when customers ask for specific things and you are still trying to work out what you have in stock.
The game also does not have the most polished presentation in the world. It is functional and clear enough to understand, but the appeal is definitely more in the management loop than in stunning visuals or dramatic sound design.
That said, for this type of simulator, the gameplay loop matters more to me than perfect graphics. If the shop management stays satisfying, I can forgive a bit of roughness around the edges.
Is Exotica 2: Pet Shop Simulator Cosy?
I would say yes, but it is cosy with a bit of shop-floor chaos.
It has animals, decorating, aquariums, gradual progression, and a gentle business management loop. However, you are still serving customers, managing stock, feeding animals, cleaning habitats, and trying not to make a mess of orders.
So, if you like cosy games that still give you tasks to juggle, this could be a good fit. It is not a completely passive relaxing game, but it is not intense either. It sits somewhere between cosy animal game and light business management sim.
Who Might Enjoy Exotica 2?
Exotica 2: Pet Shop Simulator could be a good choice if you enjoy:
- Cosy management games
- Shop simulators
- Animal care games
- Pet shop themes
- Unlocking new items and animals
- Building and customising spaces
- Light business management
- Simulator games with a bit of chaos
If you enjoy games where you start small and slowly expand, there is a lot here that could appeal to you.
My First Impressions Verdict
After playing Exotica 2: Pet Shop Simulator for the first time, I enjoyed it more than I expected.
It has a good cosy management loop, plenty of animals to unlock, shop customisation, customer orders, and enough progression to make me want to keep playing. It is a bit rough in places, especially with the controls and some of the UI, but the core idea is strong.
For me, the fun comes from watching the shop slowly grow, unlocking new animals, and trying to manage the chaos of running a pet shop without accidentally launching fish across the room.
Based on my first impressions, I would give Exotica 2: Pet Shop Simulator a strong 9 for enjoyment. It is not perfect, but it definitely has the kind of gameplay loop that makes me want to go back and build a better, bigger, slightly less chaotic pet shop.
Final Thoughts
Exotica 2: Pet Shop Simulator is a cosy pet shop management game with more depth than I first expected. Between building the shop, caring for animals, serving customers, unlocking new species, and planning future upgrades, there is plenty to keep you busy.
It may need a little patience when it comes to controls and learning the systems, but if you like animal games, shop simulators, or cosy management games, this is one worth looking at.
I went in expecting a simple first look, and somehow ended up emotionally invested in fish, birds, aquariums, and the future success of Pets Are Us.
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