Double Pug Switch PC Review

Tackling every conceivable platform including mobile, Double Pug Switch is a tricky rolling platformer with a trick up its paws: inter-dimensional pups. I’m a dog person and would rather have my companion as a mongrel than some feline as seen in Timelie.

However, the cat in Timelie is far superior as it knows how to stay alive. The dog(s) in Double Pug Switch are dumb and pretty keen to impale themselves on sharp pointy things.

Otis, the pug, is on a mission to keep running, regardless of the perils. As a result, you, as the handler, must tap the jump button to hold it down to match the height or distance or a gap, or avoidance of a nasty environmental hazard.

Double Pug Switch PC Review

Double Pug Switch, from The Polygon Loft, doesn’t hesitate to throw you amidst the chaos and give an indication on what to expect from this puzzle platformer. You’re introduced quite early on to your parallel pug counterpart which you have to switch between to get past upcoming obstacles and walls of the same colour.

Sound confusing? Good. It’s not though, the game is incredibly simple in design, as it caters to the PC, consoles and mobile, but the actual gameplay is often ferocious and infuriating. No doubt down to the antagonist, Whiskers, the evil cat who causes this mayhem.

So the premise is, jump when you’re supposed to and switch to the correct pug in time. If it’s a light colour, that’s Otis’ field, and the darker one, his doppelganger. Should you get the two mixed up, you’ll faceplant and die. There’s no health, no lives, just instant respawning after a quick menu screen and then you’re back in action.

Despite the simple approach Double Pug Switch is very challenging, and deaths are rampant, rabid occurrences – so much so that it’s rage-inducing. However, never enough to throw the controller or hate the game. The problem for me was identifying with the characters. That’s a semi-excuse.

Switch, Pug And Other Electrical Terms

While I don’t have any K-9 genes, I’m a dog person yet I couldn’t care less about these pugs. In preparation for breaking the internet, they’re ugly, goofy dogs, and these attributes are captured in the game that I simply didn’t care about them or the ginger scientist.

That said, the gameplay and controls are tight; you press jump, and there’s no lag, but it’s precision-based, so the onus is on the player. My reflexes are reasonable enough, but with quick deaths from silly mistakes and an unlikely pair of protagonists, my efforts were a little nonchalant and felt disconnected.

It got to the point that the deaths were so frequent, I was spending more time looking at the menus than gameplay. That’s an exaggeration, but not far off. Double Pug Switch isn’t brutally hard, but it’s definitely not a casual game, despite being available on multiple platforms including mobile.

The game is promoted as fun and addictive, but the latter only applies if the gameplay is infectious or, despite your ability, there’s scope for progression if you commit to it. Like Terror Squid. I wouldn’t say that Double Pug Switch is addictive, but it helps that loading screens and getting back into the action is fast.

Pug Faced

Double Pug Switch is available for every platform – from PC through to mobile, and this universal approach highlights the simplicity of this game. It is neither a looker nor complex title that demands your time to unlock side quests, special moves or how to turn back time to rescue your friends.

That said, there are lots of cute lil’ hats you can unlock you customise your dog, and this will appeal to those now looking at the screenshots thinking they’re adorable. I’m a customisation whore, and while I enjoyed the options, it wasn’t an incentive enough.

Still, most will be able to pick up and play the game and your progression, naturally, will be whether you a) are just good at this sort of game i.e. reflexes, or b) have the patience to persevere. For me, it’s one to pop back to on and off, but not a go-to title.