Drive-by review: Puzzle Puppers
(Originally written March 2024)
Every time I get bored, I remind myself I technically can't be. As I covered last time, this is another game from an itch.io bundle I bought with 1000 different games and software for a whopping 5 dollars. I still sometimes periodically skim through all the games I own to try to find something I missed downloading. I didn't click with the first two games I tried playing earlier today... Which is a shame. So I just settled on Puzzle Puppers to get it over with. God, what a stupid name. It's probably just a meme game I downloaded as a joke...
Feed all your dogs by extending them to their food bowls. Traverse rivers, dig holes and collect delicious hams.
I thought ham was bad for dogs? Is this an animal abuse simulator?! Well, if you hate dogs, I have a game for you. If you like puzzles, you might like this too. Like Bubble the Cat, Puzzle Puppers is pretty easy to figure out. You control a pupper DOG across the map to lead it to its food bowl. This sounds pretty simple, but getting all the hams unlock bonus levels. Hm! Now we have some replay value and strategy here. As expected with most puzzle games I've played, there's a new challenge introduced in later levels. New puzzles are introduced that involve two or three dogs, jumping in holes to get to the other side, or sliding in rivers. Now we have to think a little more about this... Despite my low expectations, it's decent fun.
There's just not really much to say about this game besides that. I don't regret giving it a chance, but it's not something I would purchase by itself. The base price of $5 is okay, but note that I got it in a bundle with other games with more content for the same price. Puzzle Puppers is available on itch.io, Android, iOS (I'm not linking to app stores, fuck you), Steam, and the Nintendo Switch. If the lack of content is a draw for you, the Steam version has trading cards, achievements, and point shop items. If you just love dogs (or fantasize about feeding them sodium-filled ham, you sick fuck) or puzzle games, then the other ports are just fine.