Review: Wobbledogs Console Edition (Nintendo Switch)
Wobbledogs is a game in which you raise dogs. You feed them, play with them, and even design the pens in which they live. The game is laid back and sweet, but it does have a weird twist to it; your dogs aren’t really dogs at all…
They’re wobbledogs! They have weird, box-shaped bodies, with legs that cause them to wobble around. They start off with a default pink and blue body and proportionate legs and head. But as you feed them different foods, they develop bacteria in their stomachs that can cause them to “puptate.”
Puptating happens as your dogs grow up. They eventually enter a cocoon hanging from the ceiling of their pens, and, once ready, you hatch them. Their appearance can change in many ways. The colors of their bodies, legs, or head can alter, the amount of legs they have can double, any of their body parts (such as only their nose) can grow bigger or smaller, and they can develop patterns on their bodies. In order for your dogs to change drastically, though, they have to gain enough bacteria in their stomachs. They get bacteria by eating different kinds of food, or poop, or left over cocoons, or anything really. You get food by placing different types of vending machines with a variety of foods, and, therefore, a variety of bacteria.
When adults, your dogs can breed to make new wobblepups. This is another way to add variation to your dogs, as breeding two dogs can create an entirely new species.
Once your dogs breed, they will give you an egg which you put into an incubator. You can also acquire eggs randomly, as sometimes the dogs will just lay them.
There isn’t a whole lot to do in this game, as it’s mostly just taking care of your dogs and having fun trying to create either the cutest or weirdest wobbledog you can. You can decorate their pens with wallpaper and flooring you gain by completing achievements, and also with furniture and toys. You can also get these items through capsules that your dogs may dig up.
The visual style of Wobbledogs fits perfectly with the game’s goofy vibe; its 3D animation style reminds me very much of early CGI animation. It’s full of very vibrant colors, and the dogs move in a way that makes the game feel glitchy (though it isn’t) due to their trouble moving around. Sometimes a dog’s hind legs will be much longer than its front, which makes it almost impossible for the dog to move, hence the wobbling.
The music is also fun and goofy, which makes the game all the more enjoyable.
The controls are very basic and easy to comprehend. A beginning tutorial teaches you what you need to know, and a button map is displayed so you don’t forget.
Wobbledogs has a nice level of intimacy because of the creativity you can put into building a pen. You also name your own dogs to make it more personal. This game is a very laid-back and goofy one, perfect for when you want something to pass the time or just need a laugh.
