The Dog Island

Everyone loves dogs – even if they’re just a bit deformed or if they have disproportionately large noses. At least, that’s the idea behind The Dog Island, an adventure game featuring some undeniably cute furry friends. Players control a dog looking for a special flower on an island that’s filled to the brim with secrets and activities.

This is a game that’s clearly designed for a younger audience, but that doesn’t mean that The Dog Island doesn’t have a little for everyone. It’s a cute, short adventure that will charm casual players looking for a nice little game to relax to.

Doggie Paradise

For a game about cute little dogs, The Dog Island has a surprisingly robust plot. Players begin their adventure as a dog who lives with its mother and siblings. Their sibling, however, suffers from a rare condition that forces them to remain inside their house. Decided to help their family, the dog embarks on a journey to find a mystical flower that’s said to have curative powers.

A plot that sounds straight out of EarthBound is just the tip of the iceberg for this oddly charming game. Finding the special flower requires that the player becomes the “sniff master.” To do this, the player must traverse through each of the game’s 23 locations, collecting bones and helping other NPCs. Yes, this is pretty much an RPG for dog lovers.

Bark and Fight

If you were looking for a simulation game akin to Nintendogs in The Dog Island, then get ready to be disappointed. This is a more complex game that includes mechanics such as combat and HP. As we mentioned before, this game is truly a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Players begin their adventure with 3 HP and must fight enemies by keeping them at bay with barks. If you fail to keep enemies away from you, they’ll deplete 1 HP from you. Lose all three, and it’s back to the last save point you visited.

All in all, the game is fairly lenient with its punishments for losing all your HP. That’s something to be expected from a game aimed at younger audiences. Casual players might also find that the easy combat and lack of severe punishments for failure are welcome additions for such a relaxing game.

Bone Economy

Of course, this wouldn’t be a game for young players if it didn’t involve collecting a random number of items in order to progress. In The Dog Island’s case, that item is bones.

Bones are needed for pretty much anything in this game. From helping NPCs to fast travel between areas, players will have to keep collecting bones if they hope to make any progress in the game.

Thankfully, the game gives you insane amounts of bones for completing any task. All things considered, The Dog Island is a pretty relaxed game that perfectly understands its target audience. Every mechanic and even the plot is fairly polished, too, which are welcome additions in this type of game.

Pros

• Surprisingly charming plot
• Fun minigames
• Nice visuals and soundtrack

Cons

• It’s over too soon
• Some minor technical hiccups