Cute, cartoonish, and brutal - these are the three words that sum up the game perfectly
Russian Subway Dogs is not just an ordinary game. Have you ever wondered how does it look like to be a stray dog? Moreover, did you ever wonder how does it look like to be a hungry stray dog hanging around in Russian subways? If you have, this is the game for you.
It's tough to define what genre this game really belongs to, but let's say that what we have here is a level-based score chaser. You need to scare away the unsuspecting people in the subway and take their food. To do that, you need to get behind them and bark (well, that's what dogs do anyway, right?). Eating their food will increase your score counter and, at the same time, it will keep your dog's stomach full. Once you have enough points, you can move on to the next level. Of course, the premise is quite straightforward but, I can guarantee, the actual gameplay is much more frantic in practice. You need to think quickly and you need to have fast reflexes. The starter levels are not very difficult but, as you progress, the later sections of the game will be a lot more unforgiving. Sometimes, to get really high scores, you will need to perform some very complex combos and this requires serious effort from your side as well.
The best thing about the game is that it's both bizarre and innovative at the same time. At the very beginning, the game is rather simple. As you progress, however, you will deal with many different entities, including pigeons, bears, fishmongers, and even elks. On top of that, you will pick up various power-ups like hot sauce, coffee, and chocolate. Being a stray dog isn't that bad after all, eh?
The graphics are pretty good, especially for an indie game. They're cartoonish and very pleasant to look at. The animations are fluid and natural and some characters have truly unique designs. The soundtrack is pretty good also. It's not spectacular, but it serves its purpose well.
When it comes to downsides, there are a couple of them to note here. First, even though some character designs are truly unique and original, most of them are too similar to one another. Similarly, the difference in unlockables is purely cosmetic. As there are plenty of unlockables in the game, I feel that this is a wasted opportunity to add even more diversity into the game. But, the biggest downside is connected to the progression itself. While many people certainly like to be challenged, the difficulty curve is simply too steep at times. The game becomes increasingly more difficult exponentially and it gets brutally difficult at times. Sometimes, you might even be stuck attempting to perform a particular combo.
Still, even despite these drawbacks, Russian Subway Dogs is quite an enjoyable experience nonetheless and it deserves a place in your gaming catalog.