Wild Dogs is the latest retro-inspired shooter developed and published by QUByte Interactive. The Brazilian team has joined forces with animal charity Cão Sem Dono who help animals left on the street. A percentage of the games sales revenue will be donated to the charity. Wild Dogs is available on Switch, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X|S, and Steam.
Before getting into the gameplay, it’s worth mentioning that Wild Dogs has some great retro options to help create that authentic feel. There is a CRT filter that goes from pixel perfect to scanlines and different colour palettes to use that can be switched over on the fly.
The visual style is very reminiscent of the Game Boy with simple pixel art that lacks detail but is functional. Some of the many bosses stand out, and several fill the screen. However, the graphics are quite basic even if they do achieve a great retro look.
The same could be said of the music and sound effects that have that classic chiptune sound. You could sometimes be mistaken for thinking you were playing an NES game. The music, much like the graphics, is fine but not outstanding throughout.
Where Wild Dogs does shine is with its fun gameplay. There is nothing deep or intuitive about it, you just run through the five levels, left to right, taking out all the enemies as you go. There are vehicle sections that break up the gameplay and consist of jeeps, motorbikes as well as a helicopter stage that plays like a basic scrolling shmup.
The best part of the game is when you need to use your trusty canine friend called Teddy. He is needed to navigate tight spaces and help the protagonist, Major Frank “Pumpkinhead” Williams, open doors. In one of these sections, Teddy takes control of a giant mech, Metal Slug style, and it’s very fun to play through.
As you progress through the levels there are many mini-bosses. They all have a distinct style and attack pattern, although some are very easy to defeat. The end-of-level bosses are more challenging though, and do create some great set pieces.
You can hold two different weapons at any given time and these range from a simple blaster to a flamethrower with everything else in between. While there is some variety in the different weapons you may find yourself just using the homing missiles as this is the easiest way to clear the screen.
The other gameplay mechanics are trying to gain extra lives for every 50,000 points and a double jump that is vital to avoid enemy fire. you can also stand still and aim your shots in any direction by holding the shoulder button.
You will complete it quickly but there is enough challenge here, especially with the last level that zaps your lives quickly. Also, each level must be completed in one go, there are no save states or continues. It isn’t doing anything new and is repetitive in places but the set pieces and dog missions do break this up. Overall, Wild Dogs is a fun budget game that is perfect for those looking for a quick blast over a weekend.
