Fly in the ointment, spanner in the works, stick in the mud, thorn in my side, and pain in the ….. We have plenty of phrases that mean something is causing a problem, so one more wont hurt? Dog in the Machine might sound a little specific, but I am sure that it pretty much means the same thing. Have Studio Chahut been good boys, or bad doggies?
Dog in the Machine – This Metaphor Just Got Real!
I am a dog, I am in a machine; what could possibly go wrong? More to the point, why am I in a machine, and how did I get there? One thing is for certain, I plan to Winalot and make this pedigree my chum. (Other dog food brands are available)
Gameplay
If you have looked at the any of the pictures then Dog in the Machine is pretty self explanitory. You play the part of Rover/Rex/Fido, a mechanical dog in a machine. Gameplay is a simple point and click methodology, pick your move and where to perform it. Progress through parts of the machine via battles and upgrades and defeat bosses. That is it in a nutshell.
Breakdown
You start with energy, each move or trick costs a certain amount. A move is a doing action, bite/growl/urinate/belly rub, and a trick is a boost, fetch/play dead/get me a beer. (I made some of them up). If you make a bad decision you can change your mind all the way back to your first action of the round. You go first and the enemy goes afterwards.
Important information
Enemies raise that alarm level, alarm level reaches max and big trouble. Focus on killing enemies that are raisind the alarm. Kill all enemies to win the round. Sounds easy enough. Now add in explosives, varying enemy attacks, conveyor belts and lasers and it is getting to be a whole lot of fun, and a whole lot harder.
Not every move takes you into the next battle, you can upgrade your moves by combining them with tricks using the in game currancy of mecha bones. This can create some very powerful attacks. You can steal mecha bones, or reduce the alarm level as it stays at the same rate between fights. You can plunder or buy chipsets, permanant boosts to your hound. Basically, there is a whole lot going on in Dog in the Machine, and every run will be different. When ultimately you get knocked out and recycled into dog food tins, you can then add more permanent upgrades to your beast. In essence the more you play, the more you get, the easier the levels start and the further you will progress.
Dog in the Machine is a challenge, it is a rewarding challengs though. Develop your style of play and utilise it to the best effect, each run will be different and yeild different options so choose the right path. Once you get good, up the difficulty or change the setting to reduce you ability to change your mind. Harder challenges yield better rewards.
Normally here I would do a what’s good and what’s not good, but that seems like a bit of a waste of time as I would just be repeating everything you have just read in the what’s good section, and the what’s not good section would be blank. I genuinly cannot find anything to criticize in Dog in the Machine. It is not a high budget AAA game, but what it lacks in slick it makes up for in addictiveness and repeatability. A lot of thought has clearly gone in and it is very much appreciated. The balance between fun and difficulty could not be better placed. Studio Chahut have smashed the nail perfectly on the head with this release.
Graphics & Audio
Dog in the Machine is a very simplistic style game. The idea isn’t to be ultra realistic, but be ultra playable. Fun is the word. As such the graphics fit the bill perefectly. They are not overly complicated, the animations are smooth, and everything is identifyable. They add so much to the gameplay in keeping it interesting and fun. Maybe a little more could have been done with the non gameplay aspects, the visits to the storyteller and other non battle options, but that’s just being picky.
The sound effects in Dog in the Machine are quite mechanical in nature as one would expect. The background music is unintrusive and not as irritating as it could be. Fun is once again the key word, light and simple and fun and really in fitting with the game style.
Longevity
Dog in the Machine is highly playable. The make up of the game lends itself to getting comfortable with snacks and settling in for the long haul. I have spent the majority of the past few days unashamedly dogging, and I intend to dog long after this review comes out. I have cleared my diary and possibly my friends list. Whilst imminently playable, Dog in the Machine is quite taxing on the brain, and I know a few people that would only be able to play for short periods, but I feel that is more a ‘them’ problem than an issue with the game.
Final Thoughts
Do I like Dog in the Machine? No, I love it. I often choose independent games to review and there is no greater feeling than unearthing a true gem. In this case, I have unearthed a hoard of treasure that will enrich my gaming well into the future. Hats off to Studio Chahut for producing a fun but challenging game, and at the price of £16 it is a steal. If you are a fan of strategy and turn based games I would urge you to get a copy, it might not change your life, but you wont regret it. If you are not a fan, it might just convert you.
Disclaimer: A code/bone was received in order to write this review.
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