PHOGS Puzzle Adventure Game Double Doggo by Bit Loom

PHOGS is a bit weird. You play as a stretchy Weiner dog with a head at both ends, as you try to navigate puzzling landscapes either by yourself controlling both ends at once or with a friend controlling half of the dog.

PHOGS

It feels like a mix between Noby Noby Boy, Snake Pass, and Heave Ho. But unlike Noby Noby Boy, there is a limit to how far you can stretch, which helps keep the puzzles focused. The controls are split between the two dogs with an analog stick and trigger for each, operating their respective heads for biting and grabbing, like a twin-stick biter?. If you’re playing co-op with a friend, either locally or online, then the controls are literally split, with each of you controlling one-half of the double doggo.

It’s cute and chaotic but also rewards good teamwork as you focus on solving puzzles, instead of using that brainpower to keep track of controlling both ends by yourself in solo play. Besides roaming around, you can also pick up or latch onto Objects by biting them, which is a core part of figuring out most PHOGS puzzles. Little touches such as highlighting objects once they’re within grabbable range, and marking them with a small red or blue circle to indicate which dog can grab it, help ease what could have been a confusing experience.

Although At times, I did wish there was more feedback to indicate when I had actually let go of an item, as they can sometimes inadvertently stick to you which can be a bit confusing. At other times, I would grab the same object I was already dragging when trying to reach for a handle or grab point further away, but in general, I didn’t have any issues. As for co-op, I was concerned we might get in the way of each other, but It turned out not to be an issue.

“After you” There are also hats you can choose to unlock as well, which makes it even more obvious as to which side is which player – go snorkel! If anything, co-op made some platforming challenges easier, such as grappling from one moving object to the next. Plus it was more entertaining to break down potential puzzle solutions with a friend. Solo is, by comparison, more challenging, particularly with keeping track of which dog corresponded to which analog stick as it’s easy to get turned around, though it isn’t too bad.

PHOGS Puzzles

PHOGS features a wide variety of puzzles, platforming, and challenges in a relaxing, no-pressure atmosphere for most of the game. I loved the giant cartoony worms that transport you throughout PHOGS after diving into their mouths and act as portals. The three worlds are cleverly chosen based on the doggo essentials: “Food, Sleep, and Play”, and can be tackled in any order. And there’s a surprising amount of variety within each of them, going from stealth to mini-golf, to baking?

The number of ideas was reminiscent of the number seen in Tropical Freeze, with some fantastic puzzle ideas only used for a level or two. There’s not a lot of hand-holding with tutorials either, as the developers have put care into showing what’s possible or required in a level early on and then building on it. For the number of puzzle types in the game, very few left me, and my co-dog, scratching our heads, with perhaps ironically only scissors not quite cutting it due to requiring stretching.

The camera plays a huge part in this, as it will point towards potential areas to go to next and never led me astray. Kudos! Some of my favorite puzzles involve the tube belly that connects both ends of the doggy duo, creating some really clever gameplay moments. This was illuminated at first by the flashlight mechanic when one dog end grabs a lightbulb and the light shines out the other end to make clear paths or create walkways. Or where you play as the equivalent of a goofy portable hose, connecting pipes, watering plants, or directing wind.

I thought these were really well done, and often looked hilarious. Though it may look nonsensical, game systems and physics make a surprising amount of sense once you get used to it, and the stretching belly adds a lot of charm. Of the three worlds, I enjoyed Sleep and Food Worlds the most, as they were a bit more cohesive overall, even more than Play had some standout moments of its own too, like an awesome arcade level with air hockey, and it’s a unique take on dual rails.

Sleep features searchlights to stealthily avoid, and clock hands to move back and forth time for more complicating but rewarding puzzles. Food World features creatures that would consume jump pads, making it a race to distract them and complete platforming sections. One downside to the loosey-goosey physics is that it is possible to get stuck in the environment, necessitating the use of the respawn button in the pause menu, but I only had to use it full time.

Thankfully, generous respawn points and few time limits offset most potential frustration of falling off a ledge. And since there’s no lives counter nor a time limit, the main focus is to get through the level, with the added challenge coming from optional tougher puzzles for gold bones, finding hidden Boingles, and if you choose, in how little time. The online play worked smoothly during my testing, although I did notice occasionally odd effects, such as this swinging rope, where my version of the rope didn’t seem to be in sync with what my friend was doing.

And though the game does offer icons to indicate what you want to do, we ended up using voice chat to make things easier, making it feel a bit closer to the local experience. My final thought is that PHOGS delivers a bouncy, creative, and delightfully puzzling experience that really ratchets up the level design as it progresses even feeling shockingly epic towards the end.

I was worried PHOGS would be one of those games that I enjoy and drag a friend begrudgingly along for the ride, but it proved to be fun for both of us to work together on different puzzles and figuring out creative solutions, with only the occasional bout of frustration.

PHOGS may look casual but will provide some decently tough challenges and puzzles at later levels. In the end, I liked PHOGS a lot! And I won’t spoil the ending, but I’ll say it’s well worth reaching if you happen to pick the game up. The two-headed dog duo goes for quite an adventure filled with tons of unique, silly moments, and the amount of creativity and large variety in puzzle design is fantastic, whether you’re playing alone, or with a friend.