You are an adorable dog, and you’ve never done anything wrong in your life. Smashing panes of glass? Semi-destroying a piano with your wee? But you’re so cute. You’re adorable. Nobody could begrudge that tiny little face. In Doggy Don’t Care, you get a free pass to cause mayhem as you please, and you do it so well, you even get badges to celebrate your achievements.
This upcoming Australian-made game is all about causing mischief, as a tiny doggy left alone in a big house filled with opportunities. There is a giant glass statue resting on a table. Uh-oh. There’s that aforementioned piano, which could do with some christening. And if you really, really want to go outside and there’s only a delicate pane of glass stopping you? Well, things happen, don’t they?
In its approach to carefree destruction and playfulness, Doggy Don’t Care is absolutely wonderful, and so completely endearing. The titular doggy is part of the appeal – it has a very squishable, no-thoughts-head-empty face and a lovely, round body – but in the freedom and reward of exploration, Doggy Don’t Care is moreish from the jump.
Read: Blaktasia is a gorgeous celebration of Country
With a low-to-the-ground camera view, you can really feel the size of doggy’s world, and your place as a little guy trying to find fun in the mundane.
As the action kicks off, you quickly gain access to a bounce-jump that enables you to rocket yourself to greater heights – whether that means simply bouncing around the house like an enthusiastic potato, or wielding your bounces to cause trouble at greater heights. Any object can be prodded, poked, or peed on. The world is yours to explore.
If you want, you can spend your time with the game just siting in the toilet, and staring directly at the camera. You’re not allowed to be in the toilet. But you are a defiant little doggy, and your sense of achievement is inspired by all the things you’re not supposed to do.
That leads to all sorts of shenanigans, many of which require playfulness, paired with deep thinking. As you escape your life inside (crashing through glass), you’ll find plenty more challenges in your family’s backyard. For example, you’ll find a basketball hoop with no ball. Where’s the ball? Well, that requires collecting multiple snacks inside, and unlocking a chest. Once you have the ball, you can run outside, and attempt to fire it into the hoop with precision and accuracy.
On completion, you get the Basketball Badge.
And it’s here that Doggy Don’t Care reveals its true delight: it’s a game partially inspired by beloved children’s TV show, Hey Duggee. I have a young niece who absolutely adores Hey Duggee, so it was delightful to see achievement badges inspired by the show, and to draw the connection with this game’s sense of play.
Doggy Don’t Care is all about the joy of discovery, as seen through a childlike sense – and for those who’ve ever watched Hey Duggee, you’ll know these themes are shared.
Over the course of a short demo at SXSW Sydney 2024, I became incredibly enamoured with Doggy Don’t Care. As a sandbox game, it’s all about making your own fun while discovering each and every challenge on offer. With its infectious joy and wonderful, cartoonish design, I found myself wanting to explore every nook and cranny unprompted.
Doggy Don’t Care is currently in development, and does not have a firm release date. You can (and should) keep an eye on progress via social media. You can also now wishlist the game on Steam.
