Underplayed Gems

Dog's Life (2003)

Dog's Life cover
Developer
Frontier Developments
Publisher
Hip Games, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Success Corporation
Platforms
PlayStation 2
Genres
Adventure
Rating
2.0 of 5, 18 player ratings

More by Frontier Developments

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A cheerful, low-stakes romp through wide open spaces where sniffing out clues and charming other dogs feels warm and goofy rather than urgent.

lightheartedplayfulfamily-friendlyexploratorywhimsicalcharmingeasygoingquirky

About

In Dog's Life you play Jake the puppy, as he explores the USA in an attempt to foil a fiendish plot. Miss Peaches doesn't like dogs, and sees them as a way of making money, by dog-napping Daisy the pedigree dog. The dog elements are closely integrated into the game - smells are indicated by lines of coloured smoke, emphasising a dog's acute sense of smell. Locating footprints is also done via this Smellovision mode. Tricks can be learnt, and used to win treats from humans. Jake must explore vast environments and interact with 15 breeds of dog. The aim is to get them onto his side, which is usually done by either having more bones than them, or winning a subgame against them. These are also dog-based - in one you must dig up bones, while another has you 'marking territory' to annex a full screen.

Screenshots

Dog's Life screenshot 1Dog's Life screenshot 2Dog's Life screenshot 3Dog's Life screenshot 4Dog's Life screenshot 5Dog's Life screenshot 6

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More by Frontier Developments

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.