To be honest, when I saw the name "My Dog" for the first time, I thought it was one of those pet-raising games. As a result, I went in and found that it was a line-drawing puzzle-solving game, and the level design was really thoughtful. As a viewer who watches KPL and LPL all year round, I am accustomed to analyzing the "balance" and "competitive environment" of the game. Although the game itself is not an e-sports type, its level difficulty curve and diversity of solution ideas actually hide a lot worth talking about 🧠
Let's talk about the core mechanism of the game first: each level requires you to draw one or more lines to guide the puppy to the exit or rescue it. It sounds simple, but in actual operation, you will find that many levels do not follow common sense - for example, some levels seem to require drawing a straight line, but in fact you need to change the direction on the way and use environmental objects to bounce; some levels make you feel that the logic does not make sense, but it turns out that you can think about it from another angle. This "counter-intuitive" design actually tests the player's thinking adaptability.
From this perspective, the "balance" of the game is mainly reflected in whether the gradient of the level design is reasonable. I personally feel that the difficulty of the first 50 levels increases smoothly, basically allowing you to become familiar with drawing lines, obstacles, mechanisms and other elements. But in the middle part, some levels suddenly appear that require precise angles and timing. At this time, if the game does not provide enough room for trial and error (such as no undo or limit on the number of prompts), some players will get stuck. This is actually very similar to the "version update" in competitive games - if the hero's strength is suddenly unbalanced, it will cause the loss of many players. Developers need to find a balance between "brain burning" and "frustration".
In addition, I noticed that this game has no multiplayer battles and no ranking system, but its "competitiveness" can actually be reflected in speed-running challenges or diversified solutions. For example, in a level, do you choose the shortest path or the safest path? Different drawing line thicknesses, starting angles, and whether to use props will produce different results. It would be even more interesting if the game could add functions like "Solution Video Replay" or "Shortest Path Ranking" in the future - just like how we watch professional players choose when to enter the field in team battles, this kind of micro-operation level game is actually very interesting 🤔
Finally, I want to complain. The version number of 5.0 means that the game has been iterated many times, but the charging mode is 0, which means it should be free download + built-in advertising or in-app purchases. If there are too many advertisements, it will affect the immersion when solving puzzles. After all, if a game that requires concentration is suddenly interrupted by advertisements, the experience will be compromised. I hope the development team can be more "balanced" in the commercial design and prevent players from abandoning the game because they are disgusted with the ads.
In short, if you like games that require your brain but still feel relaxed (there are dogs after all), you can try this one. However, if you are here for "e-sports", it is recommended to pay attention to the version changes of the KPL in the new season 😄