Clinical Trial

About

Clinical Trial is a single player action adventure game. It was developed by DapperDogDigital and was released on January 26, 2024. It received positive reviews from players.

WISHLIST THE FULL GAME WISHLIST OTHER GAMES About the Game Join Bek on his journey to save the entire canine species from an extinction caused by the sinister Dooper Virus. Inject yourself into a zany hand-drawn world of germs, cells, and winding passages full of vibrant characters and ferocious bosses with a story that takes place inside our beloved pets. Give your dog a fighting chance b…

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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85%

Audience ScoreBased on 106 reviews

gameplay8 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

The game features a unique and charming concept, set inside a dog's body, with vibrant visuals and engaging gameplay mechanics.
Players have praised the fun and challenging boss fights, as well as the overall quality of the art, music, and level design.
The demo offers a substantial amount of content, providing a satisfying experience that keeps players entertained and eager for the full release.

The game suffers from significant performance issues, including lag, crashes, and bugs that can make it unplayable on certain platforms like the Steam Deck.
Many players have reported frustrating control issues, particularly with the twin-stick shooter mechanics that can feel awkward and hinder gameplay.
The interface and optimization are criticized for being cluttered and inefficient, leading to long load times and a less enjoyable experience overall.

gameplay
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
35%
18%
The gameplay has received high praise for its engaging mechanics, smooth movement, and well-designed level architecture, drawing inspiration from titles like Hollow Knight. Players appreciate the unique blend of offense and defense mechanics, as well as the enjoyable pacing and charming art style, making it a compelling metroidvania experience. Overall, the game is described as fun and addictive, with a strong emphasis on shooting mechanics and a well-executed demo showcasing its potential.
- “Metroid-style platformer with a fun offense/defense mechanic where you can use stored energy to either heal or shoot extra powerful lasers.”
- “The movement mechanics feel great to chain together to traverse the world and avoid danger in combat.”
- “The gameplay is fun and the pacing feels good.”
- “You can clearly see the inspiration of Hollow Knight in the architecture of the levels, the design of the map, the ways of movement, and the gameplay. Some bosses even repeat move sets from Hollow Knight, and the puppies are caterpillars.”
- “Unlike other metroidvanias, you're forced to choose between the two due to the basic mechanics of the game, not because you're dodging or because you've found a pattern to exploit.”
- “Jokes aside, it's a fun game providing quite an unexpected setting and focusing on shooting mechanics, instead of melee, which is strangely widespread.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
15%
14%
The music in the game is widely praised for its catchy and engaging quality, with many reviewers highlighting the vibrant soundtrack that complements the colorful visuals and overall gameplay experience. While some noted issues with repetition and performance, the majority found the music to be a standout feature that enhances the charm and excitement of the game. Overall, the soundtrack is described as fun, memorable, and a significant contributor to the game's appeal.
- “The art style, the music, the charm that some moments and animations have, are really captivating!”
- “The visuals are super colorful and memorable, and the soundtrack offers some great ambient and exciting tunes.”
- “Additionally, the music perfectly complements the experience.”
- “The game runs poorly, has repetitive music, and froze while I was playing the demo.”
- “The color palette, the controls, the bosses, the environment, and heck, the music.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
39%
23%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their charming art style, colorful visuals, and captivating animations, contributing to an engaging overall experience. However, some players report performance issues, including frame drops and poor optimization, even on lower settings, which detracts from the visual enjoyment. Overall, while the aesthetic appeal is strong, technical performance remains a concern for many users.
- “The visuals are good, original, nice backgrounds, character design.”
- “The art style, the music, the charm that some moments and animations have, are really captivating!”
- “The visuals are super colorful and memorable, and the soundtrack offers some great ambient and exciting tunes.”
- “I play this game on my 16GB RAM with AMD Ryzen 5 laptop; even on low graphic settings, it still performs poorly and is poorly optimized.”
- “Good game, but during my playthrough, I experienced a lot of frame drops. It doesn't matter if I was on high or low graphics; normal walking was 144-80 FPS, dashing was 35 FPS, and in some areas, it dropped to 15 FPS.”
- “Gave it a thumbs up because of the graphics and sound; those were the only things I was able to appreciate during the few minutes I got to try it out.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
33%
50%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with users reporting severe performance issues, including lag, long loading times, and crashes, particularly on Linux and the Steam Deck. Many players experience significant difficulties even on lower settings, leading to frustration and a lack of confidence in the game's performance ahead of its full release.
- “Looking forward to the full release and hope it's well optimized for the Steam Deck.”
- “Terrible optimization; sometimes it doesn't even start.”
- “Performance on Linux is abysmal.”
- “The game constantly lags, has performance drops, and takes a while to load new rooms, which gets annoying after traversing; it also bugged out my save, leaving my character stuck taking a bath forever.”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The story is highly praised, with users rating it a perfect 10/10 for its depth and engagement, describing it as amazing and well thought out. While some noted a peculiar tone, the overall narrative contributes significantly to the game's appeal, making it a standout feature.
- “I find the story 10/10, well thought out and designed to be a game to be played, not just treating us as their personal bank with no microtransaction crap.”
- “Top arcade game, this game is not boring and the story is so amazing.”
- “Story: good”
- “Good animations, kind of a weird tone to the story, but ultimately the core gameplay wasn't for me.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews highlight that the character development is enhanced by good visuals and original designs, with players appreciating the neat character aesthetics and engaging backgrounds.
- “The visuals are good, original, with nice backgrounds and character design.”
- “A fun demo with neat character designs.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game is enjoyable, but players have reported experiencing some glitches that affect its stability.
- “I found this game very fun to play, though I have encountered some glitches.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it hard to enjoy.”
- “I experienced several bugs that disrupted my gameplay.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is described as inconsistent and jarring, juxtaposing serious themes like extinction and pregnancy with lighthearted jokes about farts and animations. While some players may find this blend amusing, others might feel it detracts from the overall experience.
- “The humor in this game is a wild mix, from absurd situations like 'dogs are going extinct' to hilarious moments like 'funny bath animation!' It creates a unique and unexpected experience.”
- “I love how the game balances dark themes with lighthearted humor, making for some truly memorable and funny moments.”
- “The quirky jokes and unexpected scenarios keep me laughing throughout the game, making it a delightful experience.”