PetVille: The Cutest Virtual Pet Game on Facebook

The minds behind our favorite Facebook time sinks, FarmVille and FishVille, have ventured into new territory this week, releasing a new pet simulation game, PetVille. We were immediately impressed by how polished this game looks right at launch; something that PetVille General Manager Steven Lurie points out when talking about his brand new game.

"The enhanced art style and beautiful graphics are another example of how Zynga is continuing to bring innovation to games on social networks," Lurie says. "PetVille embodies some of the best features from other successful Zynga games, and puts them into a dynamic and fun pet environment. Create a pet avatar, care for it, visit friends and earn coins so you can decorate. Let's see what you can create in your house!"

PetVille works like most other pet simulators on Facebook, rival game Pet Society as a prime example. As Lurie mentions above, start the game by custom creating a pet, then customizing its pad. Once that's done, it's time to get to work earning virtual coins to buy new items and level up your character. Collecting coins requires visiting your pet's pad regularly to make sure the food bowl is full and any withered flowers have been replaced. You're also encouraged to visit all of your PetVile friends -- each visit uses up a bit of energy that is replenished daily -- where you can rake in coins by interacting with other pets and then helping them clean up their houses. As you do more, you're character will also level up, giving it access to new items in the stores, more types of food and more rooms in their houses.

Probably the most remarkable part of PetVille is the game's overall polish; it looks so good it's almost hard to believe it's a Facebook game that you can play for free. The environments are colorful and fun, and the pets are extremely animated, turning cartwheels unexpectedly and moving in close and knocking on your screen to get your attention if you go idle.