Doggo Dungeon: A Dog’s Tale Review

What do you get when you cross a first generation SNES rpg with a courageous canine? You get a chewed up SNES cart, that’s what, but that would also serve as an accurate description of a charming new action rpg by the name of Doggo Dungeon: A Dog’s Tale. Coming from developer Apartment 80 Games this retro romp channels the 16-bit era of classics like Secret Of Evermore and Terranigma with a streamlined approach to action that is highly accessible but may prove to be a bit on the easier side for genre veterans.

Telling the tale of an adventurous doggo out on an epic quest to save her master after he falls down a mysterious well into another world, Doggo Dungeon tasks players with exploring this forgotten realm as they battle hordes of fantasy monsters and engage in some light puzzle solving in search of their lost friend. Fans of 90’s action rpgs will find a lot to like here as Doggo Dungeon hews true to the formula with a few twists of its own here and there although it can fall a little bit on the short side, being complete-able within a few hours. Even with the short play time Doggo Dungeon is well worth the price of admission as it’s lovingly crafted level design and old school action serve as an entertaining homage to the past.

Game Trailer

Players maneuver their canine friend throughout the many dungeons she’ll encounter using a virtual control stick, dash button, and attack button which offers a more simplified take on combat that still works as players encounter newer and deadlier creatures throughout the course of their run. Defeated monsters will reward players with XP and the occasional gold coin which are essential to becoming stronger and purchasing items that can help in a jam. In addition to monitoring their health players must also pay attention to an easily replenished hunger meter by imbibing ham haunches and dog bones while resting at dog houses to save their game whenever possible. Should the game’s puppy protagonist fall in battle players will have to retrace their steps back to where they were if they want to retrieve any items they dropped.

While it’s obvious a lot of love has gone into its design Doggo Dungeon is a bit rough around the edges with more than a few bugs that forced me to reload my game ranging from the camera going off screen, to the level not rendering, to the character getting stuck on the environment. These were mercifully infrequent but no less frustrating when they happened. There’s a lot to like here in spite of that but it stuck out like a sore thumb throughout my playthrough. Technical bugs here and there aren’t too big of a concern but what was far more impactful on my enjoyment of the game was that it quickly became very easy thanks to the extremely generous amount of XP doled out from defeating enemies. The first half of the game with its comparatively more difficult enemies was far more interesting than the latter half when I was steamrolling through hordes of what seemed like end-game monsters without even batting an eye. Personally I think if the amount of XP players earned were toned way down then it would present a more natural feeling sense of challenge. Perhaps borrow from the Souls series here a bit and have players drop both their XP and items upon death.

Doggo Dungeon: A Dog’s Tale serves as a valiant first outing for developer Apartment 80 Games and shows they have a good handle on the fundamentals of what made the 16-bit era of action rpgs so enthralling. Intelligent world design and a high degree of accessibility make this one to look out for, especially if you’re a fan of the genre.

Doggo Dungeon: A Dog’s Tale Review Craig Forshey FINAL VERDICT Summary: A lovingly crafted ode to 16-bit action rpgs that's a little rough around the edges but ultimately succeeds in replicating some of the same magic. 3 Good

Your Rating User Rating : 0 ( 0 votes)