Recently, I saw someone talking about "My Dog" in the forum area. I happened to play it in the past two days, so as a reviewer, I came to talk about this game objectively. To be honest, my first impression of this game is that it is "small but beautiful", but at the same time it also brings a bit of regret that "it is so good that it is so good".
Let me give a conclusion first: this game is a top student in terms of "conscience", but in terms of "long-term operation", it almost actively gives up treatment.
In terms of graphics, I give it 8 points. The entire painting style has a very fresh hand-painted texture. The modeling and animation of the puppy are very endearing. The various naive expressions will make you reluctant to get angry when you fail to solve the puzzle. The color combination is very soft, not dazzling, and the eyes are not tired after playing for a long time. This is quite outstanding among puzzle games.
In terms of gameplay, the core is "draw a line to save the dog". It sounds simple, but when you actually play it, you will find that the developers have really gone on the road of "breaking common sense". Do you think just drawing a straight line will do? No, you may have to draw a circle, or deliberately let the dog fall and catch it with another mechanism, or even use physical swings, trigger mechanism linkage, etc. The design of some levels is very creative, and when you solve it, you will have a feeling of "what the hell can this be done?" The operation logic is just one finger drawing, and there is basically no threshold. Men, women, old and young can get started in seconds.
But this is also the first reason why it became popular but did not become popular for a long time: creativity was exhausted too quickly. Many levels in the game are "killed at first sight". After I have solved a routine, and then try a similar core puzzle, the novelty will be greatly reduced. As a purely puzzle-solving game focused on creativity, if the level update speed cannot keep up with the depletion speed of players' imagination, then the popularity will inevitably fade away. It's not that it's not fun, it's that “passing the level means you graduate.” No one wants to play the same level over and over again, unless you are an achievement party.
Then there are krypton gold and fees, which must be commended. The charging mode of this game is 0, which means it is completely free, and in my experience, there is no such disgusting operation as forcing ads to play or watching videos to continue. In today's mini-game environment where ads fill the screen, "My Dog" is simply a breath of fresh air. There are no physical limitations, no in-app purchases, and it relies purely on the content itself to attract players. Many major game companies cannot do this, but Xiaobei Technology is showing sincerity this time.
But "free with no in-app purchases" is also a double-edged sword. It directly leads to unclear sources of revenue for the game and lack of follow-up motivation. This is one of the reasons why I speculate that it will cool down faster - the development team also needs to be right. If the reputation is good but there is no profit, it will be difficult for the operation team to have continuous enthusiasm to maintain and update the content. Without new content, high-level players will lose it; ordinary players will uninstall it after completing it. This is an endless cycle.
Finally, let's talk about social attributes. To be honest, the social function of this game is almost zero. There is no friend ranking, no world chat, and no team copy. In this era where "single-player games require rankings," it chooses to be a quiet, pure stand-alone intellectual game. The advantage is that it is very immersive, but the disadvantage is that it lacks a social entrance to "show off your IQ", which leads to many players who came to Amway to leave after playing, and there is a lack of retention stickiness.
Taken together, "My Dog" is popular because it is creative and free, while it is cool because it really does not do any design to extend its life cycle. It's not a masterpiece that can be remembered for a year, but it is definitely a dessert worth spending a spare afternoon to let you put down your stress and enjoy the pure fun of solving puzzles. Friends who like the brain-burning experience of "Homework Crazy" or "Monument Valley" can try it.
The final scoring session is here.
Screen: 8.0 points
Gameplay: 7.5 points (sufficient creativity but average content)
Krypton gold: 10 points (zero krypton and zero advertising)
Social: 3.0 points (does not have this function)
Comprehensive recommendation index: 7.8 points
Suitable for: Puzzle enthusiasts, line drawing fans, and light casual players.
Not suitable for: Players who pursue strong social interaction, heavy cultivation, and long-term updates.
The above is my real experience and is for your reference only. By the way, the sad little eyes of that dog really irritated me. I hope there will be a sequel in the future. I am willing to support it even if it is sold for 6 yuan on a buyout basis. 🐶