One Dog Story
- April 28, 2017
- Big Way Games
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam"One Dog Story" is a pixel adventure game with RPG elements, offering hardcore bosses, a variety of locations, and original gameplay decisions. You'll explore an underground world, interacting with its inhabitants to regain your memories, with different weapons, modifications, and multiple endings. The game features full immersion in the game world, complete with fantastic SFX and background music.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Windows
Xbox One
Linux
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- Charming emotional storytelling with a heartwarming narrative.
- Vibrant hand-drawn graphics and an immersive soundtrack enhance the gameplay experience.
- Engaging puzzles and a variety of weapons keep the gameplay interesting.
- Short gameplay duration (4-6 hours) may leave players wanting more.
- Numerous bugs and technical issues can disrupt the gaming experience.
- Limited character customization and some frustrating design choices hinder exploration.
- story127 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of "One Dog Story" is described as heartwarming and engaging, featuring themes of loyalty and adventure, reminiscent of classic titles like "Cave Story." While some players appreciate its emotional depth and multiple endings, others criticize it for being predictable, poorly conveyed, or overshadowed by gameplay issues. Overall, the narrative has potential but suffers from execution flaws, making it a mixed experience for players.
“One Dog Story delights with its heartwarming narrative and engaging gameplay.”
“The story is morally and spiritually very similar to the cartoon - All Dogs Go to Heaven.”
“The story is told excitingly and captivatingly.”
“My primary complaints are a rather forgettable story and pretty boring lore within the computers, etc. I did also run into a few bugs where my character would get stuck mid-jump or sometimes stuck in the ceiling.”
“The story tries to be mysterious and aloof, but just comes across as flimsy and uninspired.”
“The story is rather tragic.”
- gameplay48 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "One Dog Story" is a mixed bag, with some players enjoying its simple yet addictive 2D platforming mechanics and engaging atmosphere, while others criticize its repetitive elements, lack of depth, and various technical issues. Many appreciate the charming pixel art and the potential for multiple endings, but frustrations arise from bugs and uninspired combat mechanics. Overall, while the game offers enjoyable moments, it suffers from inconsistencies that detract from the overall experience.
“One dog story delights with its heartwarming narrative and engaging gameplay.”
“Solid gameplay, likeable characters, good story, great soundtrack.”
“The gameplay is pretty fun: the story is interesting enough to keep your attention, at the very least; the pixel art is well done; and, look, it's just plain cute.”
“The gameplay is basically rather simple platformer/run'n'gun stuff with some weapons that feel very nice.”
“Platforming is pretty basic, gameplay is uninspired, combat is finicky, controls are responsive but have little room for nuance, sound design is bad and the soundtrack is possibly the laziest and most uninspired collection of 5-10 second loops I've ever heard.”
“The level-based gameplay with linear story progression and a variety of guns that can be missed, and even an upgrade/ammo system that seems missable, as well as no indicator on how to get certain endings and whether or not you're locked out of an ending...”
- music45 mentions
- 49 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its immersive and nostalgic qualities, particularly highlighting the chiptune and 8-bit soundtracks that enhance the overall atmosphere. However, some players criticize the repetitiveness and lack of depth in the musical composition, describing it as uninspired or annoying. Overall, while the soundtrack is often noted as a standout feature, opinions vary on its execution and impact on the gaming experience.
“Great chiptune music and pleasant graphics.”
“The game deserves a purchase, at least for the soundtrack.”
“Sound, graphical design, and music are excellent, as well as the controls!”
“The music and sounds are annoying from the get-go; the graphics are very repetitive, the enemies are poorly designed, the weapons don't feel good, and the story is some generic amnesia tripe revealed through random unconsciousness and tiny text logs.”
“The soundtrack is possibly the laziest and most uninspired collection of 5-10 second loops I've ever heard, making the sound design feel bad overall.”
“I personally didn't like the music, but you can check it out yourself in the trailer.”
- graphics42 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the vibrant hand-drawn and retro pixel art styles that evoke nostalgia and charm. However, some players criticize the visuals for being repetitive and lacking resolution options, leading to a less polished experience. Overall, while the aesthetic is often highlighted as a strong point, technical issues and design choices detract from the overall graphical quality for some users.
“The graphics look appropriately nice, the action and controls feel precise and fluid, the puzzles are simple enough to keep progressing, and the audio works well with it.”
“The attention to detail is outstanding and I love the graphics; it makes me nostalgic.”
“A great platformer, lovely graphics and great audio as well.”
“A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel art as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
“There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
“The graphics are typical of the 16-bit era, but unfortunately the game has some choppy frame rate issues at times on my system.”
- humor12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a quirky, funny humanoid dog navigating an apocalyptic world, with a mix of amusing monsters and absurd weaponry, such as a "chicken tosser." While some players find the humor entertaining and suitable for kids, others feel that the repetitive elements and overall execution detract from its comedic potential. Overall, the game is seen as funny, albeit with mixed reviews on its quality and depth.
“Funny humanoid dog in an apocalyptic world.”
“Basically, the game's all about all sorts of bosses and monsters, a bunch of weapons, lots of battles, and a funny little dog with his story.”
“Weapons range from 'classic' (shotgun, plasma rifle) to funny (chicken tosser) and can be upgraded.”
- atmosphere10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised, characterized by pleasant and engaging elements such as upbeat music and quality visuals. Reviewers note that despite a simple plot, the atmospheric design and gameplay create an enjoyable experience, making it a standout feature of the game. Overall, the combination of music, visuals, and gameplay contributes to a captivating and immersive environment.
“A very pleasant and atmospheric game.”
“Despite the banal plot, the game pleases with its atmosphere, gameplay, and picture quality.”
“One dog story is an arcade game with various interesting puzzles, a fascinating story, and an exciting atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere of it and the gameplay are very well-made and that really does provide a good experience.”
- stability9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -22 % neutral mentions
- 89 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with many users reporting numerous irritating glitches and bugs that significantly impact gameplay. While a few players have not experienced any issues, the overall consensus indicates that the game suffers from a lack of polish and technical stability, leading to a frustrating experience.
“The game runs incredibly smoothly with almost no bugs, making for a truly stable experience.”
“I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; it allows me to fully immerse myself without worrying about crashes.”
“The stability of this game is impressive, providing a seamless experience from start to finish.”
“A buggy mess.”
“[b]one dog story[/b] is a buggy, dull affair, where you slog through sewers and elevator shafts and wrestle with the clunky controls.”
“Edit: actually, now that I've resumed my game I have cutscenes playing that shouldn't be replaying again and causing some weird graphical glitches and stuff. This game needed more polish before being fully released, I'm sad to say.”
- emotional8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of "One Dog Story" is highlighted by its heartwarming narrative that emphasizes themes of friendship and sacrifice, complemented by engaging gameplay and nostalgic pixel art. Reviewers praise the touching storyline and the overall emotional storytelling, making it a must-play for fans of heartfelt adventures.
“One Dog Story delights with its heartwarming narrative and engaging gameplay.”
“A must-play for everyone who loves good heartwarming stories about friendship and sacrifice.”
“Top-notch pixel art, real heartwarming story, just like in the good old days!”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and frustrating, particularly due to the repetitive checking of doors that lack clear indicators for their usability. Additionally, the final boss battle is criticized for being both overly easy and unnecessarily prolonged, contributing to a sense of monotony rather than challenge. Overall, the design choices lead to a grinding experience that detracts from the enjoyment of the game.
“All unusable doors look the same regardless of whether they just don't work or they need a green keycard or a red keycard, so I need to manually check every door every time I pass it and every time I get a new keycard, which is just tedious.”
“The final boss is incredibly easy, while at the same time being tedious and drawn out.”
“The story is too minimalist and poorly translated. It might have worked without all these other issues making it tedious, especially when enemies can still attack during dialogue.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized due to a surge of suspicious reviews, likely from fake accounts, which appear shortly after launch and promote direct purchases. These reviews are often linked to asset flips and scams, raising concerns about the game's legitimacy and the integrity of its monetization strategy.
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative, with prices set unreasonably high for in-game items that should be accessible to all players.”
“It seems like the game is designed to push players towards spending money rather than enjoying the gameplay experience.”
“The constant barrage of ads and prompts to purchase premium content disrupts the flow of the game and makes it feel more like a cash grab.”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
While the game excels in music, controls, level design, and character design, reviews indicate that character development may not be as strong, suggesting a focus on aesthetics over depth in character growth.
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has been criticized, with users noting that the gameplay mechanics and overall performance are only average, suggesting potential issues with either the game engine or development choices.
“I'm not sure if it's the engine or the developers, but the gameplay, mechanics, and performance side of this game are barely average.”
“The optimization is so poor that it feels like I'm playing a beta version rather than a finished product.”
“Frequent frame drops and long loading times make the experience frustrating and unenjoyable.”
