I’m a simple man. If I’m presented with the opportunity to play as an animal in a game, I’m immediately intrigued, but the chance to play as a two-headed dog a la CatDog? I knew I had to get my hands on PHOGS!, especially after the trailers broadcasted a beautiful environment. My only hesitation was that the game is a puzzler and if I were to get stuck, my progression would be for nothing. Yet I persisted and got a chance to try PHOGS! for myself.

Right from the get-go, it’s evident that this title is as jovial and laid-back as can be. In PHOGS!, you take control of a single dog, comprised of two heads, by the name of Red and Blue. Unlike the Halo machinima with two warring factions, Red and Blue work together as a cohesive unit to solve puzzles across several levels. The pair can be controlled by a single person with some fancy fingers or two players with a controller dedicated to each head.

I gave both options a try and found myself with a good handle on controlling Red and Blue after the initial learning curve. Each head can individually grab objects and stretch their half of the body to solve puzzles. I opted to also try both mouse and keyboard and, while there aren’t even options for it in the menu, I handled both parties without much trouble. In puzzle games (especially physics-based ones like PHOGS!), controls are the most important part and the game is optimal with them.

PHOGS! also tends to run like a dream with no frames dropped at maximum settings, showing a serious dedication to polish from Bit Loom Games. The sound design is top-notch, with Red and Blue’s yapping giving me Gabe the Dog vibes, whereas the music is memorable and prone to get stuck in your head. I particularly loved it in the dreamland-like stages, as the sleeping NPCs appeared to have been lulled to rest from it. This dedicated level of immersion is rare in games of this ilk.

When all of these aspects come together, it makes the prospect of tackling a puzzle game (a genre I would rarely get excited for) an absolute no-brainer to plow through from start to finish. The puzzles within PHOGS! aren’t going to perplex the majority of players, but they’re good for a brain-teaser and a test of your control abilities. I didn’t find myself stuck for more than a few seconds at a time, which was okay as the levels are actually quite large.

I can’t attest to a full playthrough with a partner yet, but that’s exactly what I plan to do after I wrap up going solo. Everything going on in PHOGS! is phenomenal, and it’s a bummer to see this not blow up as much as other games. If you want an unconventional game to try out with a buddy/partner, consider adding PHOGS! to your library, as it’s one of the few games to crack several smiles and laughs from me, and hopefully you!

A PC review copy of PHOGS! was provided by Coatsink for this review.

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PHOGS!

$24.99

9

Score

9.0/10

Pros

• Hilarious Control Scheme
• Vibrant World
• Plenty of Customization

Cons

• Always Better in Multiplayer