Dogurai

About

"Dogurai is a 2D platformer game featuring fast-paced action and retro aesthetics. Play as Dogurai, a samurai dog, and fight your way through 6 stages filled with enemies, vehicles, and challenging platforming. With an exclusive soundtrack, powerful bosses, and classic stage gimmicks, Dogurai promises a nostalgic experience for Windows and Linux users."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 39 reviews

music5 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Dogurai is a charming and nostalgic platformer that successfully captures the essence of classic Game Boy games, featuring simple controls and engaging gameplay.
The game offers a fair challenge with well-designed bosses and unique level designs, making it enjoyable for both casual players and platforming enthusiasts.
With its colorful graphics, catchy chiptune soundtrack, and hidden collectibles, Dogurai provides a delightful retro experience that encourages replayability.

The game is relatively short, which may leave players wanting more content and a longer experience.
Some players have reported issues with control responsiveness and hitbox accuracy, leading to frustrating moments during gameplay.
The lack of power-ups and the presence of environmental hazards can make certain sections feel overly punishing, detracting from the overall enjoyment.

gameplay
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
45%
27%
The gameplay is a nostalgic homage to the original Mega Man series, featuring simple, responsive controls and straightforward stages that present unique challenges. Players enjoy fast-paced combat, a variety of enemies, and engaging bosses, with the overall experience enhanced by a fitting soundtrack despite some missing sound effects. Overall, the gameplay is praised for its fun mechanics and the ability to introduce new elements throughout the journey.
- “The gameplay feels true to that era, and there are some fun bosses and secrets to find along the way.”
- “The controls are simple and responsive (you can literally play this with an NES controller), the mechanics are easy to understand, and the stages are all straightforward, each one with a different challenge of its own.”
- “Short review: Dogurai is an amazing game, featuring really good action and gameplay, distinct and interesting levels and bosses, and is overall super worth your time.”
- “I thought the gameplay was the same for the whole journey, then the game threw me in different situations and mechanics.”
- “Dogurai's gameplay is simple, yet delivers everything it needs to - fast-paced combat, with a good variety of enemies and interesting bosses with different patterns.”
- “Although sound effects at some stages were indeed missing, the soundtrack itself matches so much with the gameplay that the lack of sound effects I could only notice because someone else pointed that out.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
13%
25%
The music in Dogurai is a nostalgic chiptune soundtrack that effectively captures the essence of classic retro-platformers, enhancing the gameplay experience. While the number of tracks is limited, they are well-composed and adapt to the game's mood, particularly shining in the later levels. Overall, the soundtrack and sound effects are generally well-received, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere.
- “Dogurai remixes elements of several successful retro-platformers: you have the general game structure of Mega Man with the swordplay of the Ninja Gaiden titles for the NES, early Castlevania-style bosses (even Death makes an appearance!), all packaged in a stylish - but sometimes a bit murky - color palette of the NES/Game Boy and a nice chiptune soundtrack.”
- “Each level's OST is nice to listen to, and it changes now and then whenever needed to set the mood. It feels great whenever it happens, especially towards the last sections of the game; the use of the soundtrack was simply masterful.”
- “The soundtrack doesn't have many songs, but it will definitely remind you of those old school games that you played as a kid.”
- “Although sound effects at some stages were indeed missing, the soundtrack itself matches so much with the gameplay that the lack of sound effects was only noticeable because someone else pointed it out.”
story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
29%
43%
The story of the game is minimal yet effective, centering on a samurai dog on a quest to rescue his boyfriend, which provides enough context for players to engage with the world and its characters. While some players wished for a longer narrative and more detailed exposition, the simplicity is generally seen as a strength, complementing the game's overall design.
- “While not featuring much of a story, Dogurai delivers just enough so you have a context of what is going on in the world and with its characters - and that by no means is a bad thing.”
- “It clearly gives Mega Man vibes but on the Game Boy, and also reminds me of Kirby's Dream Land 2 with the collectibles and storytelling (minimal and necessary to unlock more of the game).”
- “And a wee bit of exposure with dialogs/settings in the beginning would've made Bones' mission more clear, but that's only my personal opinion.”
- “- Overall story: while not featuring much of a story, Dogurai delivers just enough so you have a context of what is going on in the world and with its characters - and that by no means is a bad thing.”
- “It's such a good game, I wish it went on a little longer, but it's already perfect at its current size anyways, so that's just a little nitpick from me, a small fan who just wanted the main story to go on.”
graphics
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The game's graphics are highly praised for their amazing visuals and fluidity, featuring a charming art style and well-designed levels, particularly in the desert and final stages. Players appreciate the variety added by unlockable color palettes and find the pixelated graphics both appealing and fun. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's enjoyable experience.
- “The graphics for this game are simply amazing!”
- “Overall the game is very fluid with an incredible art style and challenging enemies, not to mention that the main character is cute as hell!”
- “Different color palettes can be unlocked by finding collectibles, adding some variety to the pixelated graphics.”
- “Sick visuals though.”
- “I'd say the desert level and the last linear levels have my favorite graphics and design of them all.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, the game's stability is mixed, with users reporting a range of issues from minor to few bugs and glitches. However, some players have noted that the game feels like a "big terrarium" for bugs, indicating a more significant presence of stability problems.
- “The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs and glitches.”
- “There are a few bugs and glitches that disrupt gameplay.”
- “I encountered minor bugs and glitches that affected my experience.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game boasts high replayability due to its challenging gameplay, diverse achievements—including secret ones—and engaging boss battles. Players appreciate the smart enemy placements and the blend of retro aesthetics with innovative design, making each playthrough feel fresh and rewarding.
- “Replay value-wise, it has many achievements you can go after, and some secret achievements as well!”
- “Challenging game with excellent controls, replayability, and interesting enemies.”
- “Really fun bosses, smart enemy placements, beautiful pixel art, nice difficulty, and a nice touch for hidden stuff; it delivers the retro feeling while still trying to do something new with creative thinking.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat excessive, with multiple reviews noting that it can feel repetitive or tedious at times.
- “It's a bit grindy sometimes.”
- “The game can feel a bit grindy.”