Dogpile review: the more chaos the better in this merge game with loads of dogs

If there’s something I love more than video games, it’s dogs. So it’s safe to say that games with dogs have my attention automatically.

Just like PancitoMerge, another game that I reviewed recently here on the blog, Dogpile is also a merge game with a twist (funny enough, both were released on the same day in December). I don’t consider it another one to wind down, though; it’s absolute chaos and I feel it definitely requires a level of concentration in order to win.

In my review I’ll explain the gameplay and share my personal experience after playing Dogpile for 9 hours.

Thank you Studio Folly for sending me the game key for this review!

Gameplay

Dogpile’s gameplay is a bit hard to explain, but I’ll try my best. Each turn, you get a certain number of dogs (represented through cards) that you have to drop into the yard, in whatever order you’d like. Each dog corresponds to a different suit of a card deck, with ace being the smallest dog (which resembles a Chihuahua) and the king being the largest (a Saint Bernard). Similar dogs merge into a bigger dog when touching, for example two As-chihuahuas merge into a 2-poodle. Your initial deck contains dogs that go only up to a certain size. You win a game by getting a king in your yard.

Depending on which dogs merge and a variety of other factors, you collect bones – the bigger the dog, the more bones you get. You need to have a certain number of bones every 5 hands you get. If you achieve the goal, you visit the dog wash and receive some perks; if you don’t, you are penalized.

There is also money involved. You can go to a pet shop when you play the pet shop card. There you can purchase more cards or dog tags that have “special powers” – just a couple of examples: there’s a tag that gives you $5 every time you enter a shop, or another one that makes the yard lose gravity. The tags can get pretty ridiculous and bring absolute chaos to the yard.

Dogs can get good or bad traits. For example, when you go to the dog wash, you might be able to give an affectionate trait to 3 of your dog-cards, which makes them move in the yard in order to find another one of their kind, like a magnet. When you get penalized, your dogs might receive some bad traits, like timid (they move away from other dogs) or sleepy (dogs are heavy and hard to move).

Even with this long explanation, I didn’t cover everything the game offers. Dogpile is by far the most complex and chaotic merge game I’ve played. I’ve hit 9 hours played, but I still need to unlock half of the decks available. Like I said on my previous post, don’t let the cute dogs trick you, it’s not an easy game.

What I liked

The graphics and sound effects are just SO good

I love the hand-drawn art of the game, it’s so quirky and full of personality. The little animations really take it to another level, the dogs are so expressive. Each one even has its own bark. And a really nice touch is that you can customize the color scheme of the game in the settings.

Every game feels different than the one before

Because there are so many different tags you can purchase or traits your dogs can get, each time I play the game it feels totally fresh. Plus, I’m trying to unlock all different decks, as each one has different starting characteristics, and that’s also fun on its own.

“Pedigree” deck with no fluff

If you don’t want to deal with tags, traits and meeting goals and just have a chill session, you can choose to play with the “pedigree” deck. With that mode, you can just play it as a regular merge game (and without any scoring).

Perfect for short play sessions

Even when my game is getting sort of complex, my play sessions never last that long. That’s also regardless of whether I lose or win a run. I think that makes Dogpile a great option for casual play.

What I didn’t like so much

Another side to the variety of the game is that it can feel there are way too many tags and traits and if you’re prone to overthinking, it may lead to some decision paralysis trying to figure out a “strategy”. When I’m feeling indecisive, I generally make the call of just trying anything out, otherwise it starts taking away from my fun.

A very small thing but I wish the game would show a line indicating where my dog is going to drop when it lands in the yard.

My final thoughts and who I think this game is for

Lately I’ve been covering a lot of casual games here on LGL and Dogpile is another great option for casual play, albeit not as relaxing as others I reviewed. The only thing I’ll say is that if you’re a fan of roguelike deckbuilders, this one might not scratch that same itch, in my opinion; it still feels more of a puzzle game.

Thank you for reading,

-Luna

PS. I liked the art style so much I drew a fanart of my dog in the style of the game! Here’s my attempt at Izzy in Dogpile-style.