Doggy Don’t Care Review — Bow Wow

Dogs are often called man’s best friend. Even though they can be a little stupid, we collectively as a society tend to put up with those mild bouts of stupidity because they’re adorable, and maybe because sometimes we see a bit of ourselves in their behavior. This supreme sense of patience extends far enough that we, on occasion, allow these adorable creatures to absolutely destroy our homes, chalking up the fate of our wrecked abodes to some playful, mischievous energy.

Destroying your human’s house in a fit of mischievous playfulness is exactly the plot of Doggy Don’t Care, a small but chaotic little game that follows the misadventures of a rambunctious pup left home alone without human, or “hooman,” supervision.

Doggy Don’t Care recommends using a controller, and I second that recommendation. You can play the game without one, but the controls are pretty awkward. Rotating the camera with the mouse is incredibly slow and has very low response sensitivity, and the game requires a lot of precise turning that you can’t really do with WASD.

The gameplay you’ll be using this controller for is pretty straightforward. Controlling the little pup, you find yourself loose in a home poorly prepared for your fluffy wrath. Human-waist-sized gates strategically placed at the entrance of the kitchen, garage, and any other area dogs typically aren’t allowed won’t stop you, as you use your ability to slam into the ground to overcome any obstacles in your path. If you see something, chances are you can interact with it, and by interact, I mean take the object into your vicious maw and throw it around, tear it apart, or make it squeak.

The goal in Doggy Don’t Care is delightfully simple. You are a dog. You are home alone. You have the capacity to cause chaos in a number of different ways, and you must do so, with the game full of hidden badges that reward you when you discover a new way to terrorize your poor owner’s den. Eventually, you travel outside of the home and adventure through several small, chaos-filled levels just waiting for you to rampage about and cause a mess.

The game gets creative with this destructive process, offering a variety of ways to cause mischief around the house. Grab toilet paper rolls and throw them about the place, tear apart couch cushions and dig up the yard, or even play a tune on the piano. Interactable elements in the game range from the mundane, like squeaking a chew toy, to timed obstacle courses through the level, with the goal of hitting every checkpoint before the timer runs out.

Doggy Don’t Care is a fun, chaotic way to kill about three to four hours, or even less, depending on how quickly you plow through what the game has to offer. If you love small dogs and want to get up to some good, silly, destructive fun, it’s hard to go wrong with a game about a pooch in a series of fun plush costumes going on a rampage throughout the house.

That being said, there isn’t a whole lot more I can really say about Doggy Don’t Care, a title that truly wears itself on its sleeve.

The game is short, sweet, and simple. You play as a dog in a small house interacting with objects left around for you to mess with. The game has a small collectathon element with badges and treats on each level, plus a fun double-jump system that lets you bounce through the levels with glee. Beyond that, though, there really isn’t any further depth. The game has a few themed levels, such as a farm or an Egyptian tomb, and some secrets to discover, but that’s about it. The mechanics are straightforward and simple, as with the rest of the game.

I didn’t encounter any game-breaking bugs or noticeable issues while playing Doggy Don’t Care. Occasionally you could interact with an object through a wall, or jump high enough to see that a building didn’t have a roof, but that’s it. Like the gameplay, there isn’t a whole lot here to go wrong, so there isn’t much to criticize.

Doggy Don’t Care is a hard game to score. Is it the most mechanically advanced or exciting game ever? No, it’s not even the most mechanically impressive game I’ve played today. Will it entertain you for hundreds of hours? Not likely, as you can beat the game in its entirety in under four hours. Is it the most fun I’ve had in my career as a video game reviewer? No, but it was a pleasant little experience that kept me entertained for most of the time I spent playing it.

If you want something short, sweet, and full of dog-based destruction, Doggy Don’t Care is the game for you. If you want to kill an hour or two without thinking too hard, Doggy Don’t Care is a good way to do it. If you want a complex story, engaging mechanics, or the next Triple-A experience, this game obviously isn’t for you, and that’s fine. Pick it up if you’re a dog lover who wants a short, comedic game to kill time, or something to stream to your friends when you’re bored, and appreciate it for what it is. After all, not every game lets you pee on a Roomba.

Try Hard Guides was provided with a Steam code for this PC review of Doggy Don’t Care. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page! Doggy Don’t Care is available on Steam.