Pugs, platformers, and cats. All of these are things I generally like. It seems when incorporated together, however, things can get rather muddled. I really had a good feeling about The Polygon Loft’s game, Double Pug Switch during the initial stages. However, the smile on my face during the first few minutes was eventually replaced by an expression of anguish.
Pug Life
The story of Double Pug Switch is pretty straightforward and is introduced in a cutesy cutscene taking place in a laboratory. On a day when all seems fine, the Professor’s mischievous cat, Whiskers, decides to have some fun and knock over some test tubes. These test tubes mix together to create a portal into an alternate dimension. The portal sucks in Whiskers as well as the oblivious pug, Otis. Now with the newfound ability to switch between parallel dimensions, we must play as Otis to find Whiskers and go back to their dimension.
Of course, once we reach the boss level, we find out that Whiskers has now turned evil and now goes by Sker. Yep, it doesn’t get any more complicated than this. It’s a plot reminiscent of the many Saturday-morning cartoons I’d watch as a kid while waiting for the new episode of Pokemon to pop up. The narrative is pretty much on the back-burner to highlight the gameplay, and oh boy, I’ve got quite a few bones to pick with it.
No Time to Paws
While Double Pug Switch is a platformer, it’s one that features auto-scrolling and Otis will keep running no matter what. The main obstacles you’ll face are spikes and walls. Yes, walls. Apparently, the dimension we’re in has perilous walls that mean death. To overcome these the two main things that can be done are jumping and switching between dimensions.
The dimension shifting mechanic, while not something new in the platformer genre, is one that’s rarely seen. It adds an extra aspect of difficulty to the game, as some hurdles can be surpassed by simply switching to another dimension, provided you get the timing down to a tee. Initially, it seemed like a piece of cake. The first few levels were nothing too challenging, and all I had to do was keep an eye out for obstacles. However, once I got to the tougher levels, I felt the gameplay was incredibly restrictive.
The game’s auto-scrolling feature eventually became a bit too fast for my liking, and keeping up with the screen felt like a chore. I’d soon be plummeting to my death because my timing was off by a few milliseconds. There was no way for me to control which direction Otis was moving in because all he could do was continuously run.
Similarly, the power-ups that the game offers are ones that I wouldn’t necessarily deem as such. They more or less just allow you to progress further in the level but don’t really offer any benefit other than not dying. For example, one allows you to shrink down to a sizeable amount so that Otis can squeeze through the thin passages.
Other than that, there are coins scattered throughout the levels to collect, with a purple variant being the more rare ones to obtain. These can later be spent to purchase hats, which are purely cosmetic. It really bothers me that there’s nothing to assist the player such as a power-up that might offer invincibility for a limited period. For that matter, there’s nothing that can give the player a bit of respite, or even alleviate the difficulty. Indeed, the gameplay is challenging, albeit, frustrating to deal with.
Double Trouble
Visually, the game takes on a pleasant cartoony appearance. The level design is simple and shifts biomes after you’re done with the boss battle for each. Overall, the game reminds me a lot of the browser games I’d play as a kid and has a good nostalgic feel.
I wouldn’t have any complaints with the techno music if it weren’t for one very annoying feature. Each time you die, the track that’s playing on the level you’re at restarts from the very first note, rather than a seamless loop. This may seem like something very futile to complain about, but on levels where I was dying frequently, it led to a really sour experience. At one point I’d taken my headphones off in aggravation as I was tired of listening to the same beats again and again, and it almost felt like the game was taunting me.
Real Talk
I really tried to like Double Pug Switch for its adorable doggo protagonist, but some things just can’t be overlooked. Double Pug Switch is enjoyable while it lasts, but eventually, it turns into a chore. The game has an ambitious vision with its dimension switching mechanic but greatly lacks in other aspects. If you do happen to pick the game up, prepare for a rough ride.