Save the Dodos

About

Save the Dodos is a single player casual puzzle game with a kids theme. It was developed by 3DDUO and was released on April 22, 2016. It received positive reviews from players.

Save the Dodos! We’re all familiar with the sad tale of the charming, yet unintelligent Dodo. But now you can prevent their heart-breaking tale of extinction! Guide the dodos through 100 challenging levels and save our avian dullards from extinction.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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83%Audience ScoreBased on 89 reviews

graphics6 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

Unique puzzle mechanic combining tile sliding with indirect control of characters, giving it a fresh and playful twist on classic Lemmings gameplay.
Bright, charming cartoon art style and endearing animations that complement the lighthearted tone and add humor.
Well-paced difficulty curve and a large number of handcrafted levels with varied objectives and environmental hazards, providing hours of engaging challenge.

PC version suffers from minimal graphical and configuration options, looking and feeling more like a mobile port, leading to technical limitations and a less polished experience.
Repetitive mechanics over many levels with little variation, which can lead to monotony and frustration for some players.
Control input (drag and drop tile sliding) can feel stiff and unintuitive compared to swipe controls, sometimes interfering with smooth gameplay flow.

gameplay
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
64%
18%
The gameplay is intuitive and unique, featuring tile swapping and indirect control mechanics that provide depth and accessibility. However, repetitive mechanics and lack of variation across many levels can make the experience tedious for some players. Despite this, clever level design and a playful tone keep the puzzles engaging for those who enjoy longer challenges.
- “Gameplay is intuitive but surprisingly deep.”
- “This variety of objectives adds layers to the core mechanic and prevents the puzzle-solving from becoming monotonous.”
- “Its indirect control mechanics, clever level design, and playful tone combine to create a puzzle game that is both accessible and rewarding.”
- “Decent puzzle game better suited for touchscreens; repetitive mechanics make it tedious and boring.”
- “Same mechanics every level, and wrap-around sliding-puzzle isn't really that great of a mechanic in the first place - it would be good for 10 levels then it's time to introduce something else.”
- “The premise is fun, the first few levels are fine.... but with no change to puzzle mechanics, music or sound effects for 300 levels it is needlessly draining and tedious.”
graphics
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
40%
20%
The graphics of Save the Dodos feature a bright, colorful, and cartoon-like 2D art style that suits its lighthearted tone, with charming visuals and animations that many players find enjoyable. However, the technical quality is basic, lacking advanced features or resolution options, which may feel underwhelming for PC gamers expecting more sophisticated graphics. Overall, the simple but cohesive visuals support the gameplay well and contribute to the game's fun and approachable atmosphere.
- “Visually, Save the Dodos embraces a bright, cartoon-like art style that complements its lighthearted tone.”
- “The art style is fantastic and the dodos and the little noises they make are adorable, while the gameplay itself is fun and enjoyable.”
- “+Great visuals, colorful and nicely drawn levels, nice animations.”
- “There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
- “The game features simple, cartoony 2D graphics, of the type you normally expect to see in low effort mobile apps.”
- “Considering this is being evaluated as a PC game, having the graphics phoned in like this isn't going to result in a high quality, visually impressive game that PC gamers are used to seeing.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
20%
30%
The game's music is understated and relaxing, effectively supporting a calm gameplay experience without being distracting. While the soundtrack is generally praised as catchy and pleasant for prolonged listening, some users find the lack of variation over many levels makes it feel repetitive and tedious. Overall, the music complements the game's atmosphere well and enhances the experience.
- “The soundtrack and sound effects remain understated, reinforcing the relaxed nature of the game and allowing players to focus on planning and execution rather than reacting to audio cues.”
- “The art is beautifully done and the soundtrack is one that you can happily listen to in the background without ever feeling the need to mute it.”
- “It's a cheap nice puzzle game with a nice soundtrack and good art.”
- “It was a struggle to get it to even start on Linux (start button originally did nothing, forcing Proton Experimental made it play music on a white screen, forcing Proton somewhere in the version 4 area got it working).”
- “The premise is fun, the first few levels are fine.... but with no change to puzzle mechanics, music or sound effects for 300 levels it is needlessly draining and tedious.”
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is charming and lighthearted, highlighted by the endearing dodos' oblivious animations and amusing sounds. Its funny drawing style and playful mechanics add to the entertainment, making it a cute and enjoyable puzzle experience.
- “The dodos themselves are endearing in their simplicity, and their oblivious animations add humor even in moments of failure.”
- “Even if it has a feel of an Android game, it plays surprisingly well, with the possibility to manipulate the levels in all directions to save the maximum number of dodos—quite a funny way to kill some spare time.”
- “Very funny and cute puzzle game, fun to play but challenging.”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The story conveys an inspiring message about perseverance and unexpected life outcomes. However, it struggled to engage gamers fully, with many losing interest or failing missions despite some challenging gameplay elements involving puzzle-like terrain manipulation.
- “Moral of the story: You never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- “Player has the ability to rotate these lines of blocks vertically or horizontally, changing the landscape of the mission.”
- “Sounds simple, but some missions are quite challenging.”
- “Hardly a success story, gamers just weren't all that interested in the game.”
- “I lost all missions.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in this game is characterized by repetitive and unvaried puzzle mechanics that become tedious over time. While the initial levels are engaging, the lack of variation across many levels leads to a draining and monotonous experience.
- “Decent puzzle game better suited for touchscreens; repetitive mechanics make it tedious and boring.”
- “Some easily solved, some require patience and luck; a few are rather tedious.”
- “The premise is fun, the first few levels are fine... but with no change to puzzle mechanics, music, or sound effects for 300 levels, it is needlessly draining and tedious.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers additional modes and optional goals that effectively enhance its replayability, providing players with more content and varied experiences beyond the main gameplay.
- “Additional modes and optional goals help extend the game’s replay value.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development in the game is minimal, as the focus remains firmly on its core puzzle mechanics, offering limited narrative depth or character growth.