Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch

Stretch the puppies to their food bowls, but not before burning a few neurons!

Amid so many beautiful, epic and intense games, there are some that are there for those moments when we need peace and introspection instead of adrenaline and tension. Puzzle Puppers is a pure game, with a small set of simple ideas that produce countless interesting and challenging puzzles.

Mechanics: 9

Puzzle Puppers seems to follow very closely one of my favorite game design philosophies, called Design By Subtraction. The game offers a simple goal (guide an elastic puppy to the bowl of the same color), a clear restriction (the puppy’s body cannot be crossed) and an interesting optional challenge (collect all the meats scattered on the board).

The restriction that we cannot lead a dog through an occupied spot also serves as a blessing, since there are floors that push your dogs, but the bodies can be used to have some control over where the automatic movement will stop. This kind of logical interaction permeates all 80 puzzles in the game, which are hugely satisfying to solve perfectly.

You can lead your puppies using directional controls and buttons, but the best experience is had in the Switch‘s handheld mode, using only the touchscreen to drag the little critters along the desired path.

Fun: 9

Everything in Puzzle Puppers should easily please all tastes. The cute visual style, the calm music that inspires intelligence, the puzzles and their optional goals… Everything was carefully conceived to deliver a pleasant experience.

I apologize for not having much to say, but it is hard to describe in detail all the ways this silly game manages to please in so many ways. If I had to put it in one word, I would say its simplicity is captivating.

Audio and visuals: 9

This is a charming game. The puzzles would work with any kind of art direction, but the cute look, the warm colors and the design of the elastic doggies are full of personality and charisma. Unlike most puzzle games, the world doesn’t stand still while you’re not playing – instead, the puppies look at you from time to time, scratch themselves, look around and bark… And the little ones that have already reached their bowls are always happily devouring the food. It is so unusual yet so right at the same time that it is hard to believe how well this visual identity matches the puzzle game.

The soundtrack, a very soothing melody performed by violins, matches perfectly with an afternoon of rest with your pet – and at the same time matches an intellectual setting, for the sort of people who spend afternoons solving puzzles in the company of their pets.

Final thoughts

Puzzle Puppers landed in my lap as just another little game to write about, but now it is my first recommendation for anyone looking for a puzzle game or wanting an interesting and charismatic game at an affordable price. I eagerly await the next works from studio Cardboard Keep!

Score

Fun = 9

Mechanics = 9

Audio and visuals = 9

Overall: 9

Played on the Nintendo Switch version