Doggins Review

Until I started playing Doggins, I had no idea that forming a bow tie for a dog would be quite so satisfying. I also didn't know how to make a bow tie either, so I'm going to consider Doggins to be surprisingly educational. Neckwear aside, Doggins is a fairly charming adventure game; even if it is a tad brief for comfort.

Players control Doggins, an adorable pup who has some extraordinary dreams about adventure and a squirrel named Fitzwilliam who is out to conquer the world. One has to help Doggins as he wanders through his dream, attempting to solve various puzzles before proceeding to the next one.

There's a minimalistic, almost flat style to Doggins but it manages to capture plenty of personality and charm. Puzzles are often quite simple, mostly due to the limited number of items available at one's disposal at any time, but it's still fun to figure things out. Suitably imaginative, there are times when parachutes must be formed, mustaches must be stuck to Doggins' face, and yes, bow ties must be created.

Controls are a mixture of taps, drags, and a few basic gestures in order to interact with the environment. In each case, it's fairly intuitive stuff. The inventory is particularly convenient given that it's a matter of dragging it onto the screen from the side, with it simple enough to then interact with objects afterwards.

It doesn't take long to finish Doggins admittedly, and the replay value is fairly non-existent, but it's still a rewarding game to play. Sure it's simple stuff, but Doggins himself has plenty of warmth about him. It's just frustrating that one can't spend more time in his company.