I kept getting choked up when playing My Little Puppy. I’m getting a lump in my throat even thinking about certain segments of it as I start to write this review. It is such an emotional experience. While more about the journey than anything taxing, it is a collection of moments and a true hero’s journey with an adorable Welsh Corgi star.
Bong-gu is up in dog heaven, living his best afterlife. He has made new friends. He helps welcome the new dogs there, as well as their owners when they return. However, one day, he smells a familiar scent. It is his owner, finally. So he leaves the safety of the afterlife for dogs to run to welcome the person he loves home, even though it will be a long and arduous journey.
My Little Puppy is a light platformer and adventure game that tells its stories through actions, not words. However, it’s incredibly effective at getting across what it means to say. We control Bong-gu as he journeys through different regions to find his owner after leaving dog heaven, doing things like barking, digging, jumping, and smelling to interact with other dogs and the environment. While there are some tense scenes, it never feels truly dangerous and is more about the journey and experience. I will say that on the Switch, the jumping can feel a little off sometimes. But in general, it controls and works well even in tense situations while looking good.
By tense, I mean there are times when more cinematic segments come up. Those tend to rely on quick-time events and minigames, though there are some segments in which it can feel more traditional stealth or quick moves to stay ahead of hazards. So you might be tasked with pressing a button to jump out of the way, headbutt, or bark as an intimidation tactic, or perhaps weave through and area or guide someone to places outside someone’s field of vision. There can also be sort of minigame moments that involve certain actions at specific times. For example, in one case helping the Welsh Corgi comfort another dog. But these moments make sense and never feel like they’re overused or wear out their welcome.
Which means you can focus on the sentiment and emotional moments in My Little Puppy. There are so many of them. It’s like Dreamotion developers were competing to see how many heartstrings they could pull. The journey of Bong-gu in general is constantly this, since we’re seeing the ups and downs as he tries to find his person again. We rejoice in his successes. We hold our breath at the hazardous segments. But this ends up being emotional for so many reasons! The Welsh Corgi and his owner aren’t the only dogs and humans who have these major moments. We see others reuniting with one another. We watch as Bong-gu makes friends! We see others’ successes. We learn about heartbreaks. We watch how, because this dog loved his owner so much, he also spreads that affection to others and changes their lives along his journey to reunite with his person.
It’s also because of that dramatic, emotional, heartfelt, and loving journey that My Little Puppy’s length feels perfect, I think. Like I loved it. But there was only so much I could like I could take. Five hours is the absolute perfect amount of time. Plus it also feels like if someone did want to replay it, it’s brief enough that you could go back after a few months or years.
My Little Puppy is about the journey one dog makes to finally reunite with the person he loves, and it’s filled with touching moments. It is such a moving game. It feels like it’s the perfect length and balance of different types of light platforming and action segments. Plus, I must say, the pay-off is amazing.
My Little Puppy is on the Switch, PS5, and PC.