Preview: Dog Duty

I have a soft spot for Isometric games! My childhood was spent playing games such as Batman, The Last Ninja, Desert Strike and Rock n’ Roll Racing to name a few. Of course, there are more modern examples of games using this viewpoint, but seeing isometric games always takes me back to a simpler time in my life.

So, you can imagine the smile on my face when I booted up Dog Duty to discover it is an isometric point and click action game. Truth be told, Dog Duty shares a lot in common with Cannon Fodder, which I also played a lot on my Amiga. 

The first thing that struck me about the game was how simple and accessible it was, as point and click strategy games aren’t necessarily my cup of tea. I’ve played a bit of Command and Conquer and Halo Wars, and often find I get a bit overwhelmed by the amount of actions and everything going on, which then leads to panic and ultimately death!

I found Dog Duty to be the opposite and was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to pick up and play. You can use a mouse or controller to move around, and although I generally prefer using controllers, it was definitely easier using a mouse. You simply point where you want your soldier to move.  Other actions such as opening doors, getting in turrets, throwing Molotov cocktails, or shooting bad guys are done with a couple of clicks. This suits me down to the ground, and within minutes I was moving around wreaking havoc. 

You start off with a lone soldier who is escaping prison, but very quickly you break out other members of your team. Each character has different weapons including a shotgun, sniper rifle and chain gun. This is definitely useful when deciding how to attack a group of enemies. They also have special moves which can be carried out by simply clicking on their icon. For example, one character has a dash move, whilst another can heal everyone in the team.  These special abilities have a cool down timer, so choosing when to use them is crucial for your success. Controlling the team is also simple, as you can select one, or all of your team to move and shoot.

When I escaped the prison, I was once again really surprised with the size and scope of Dog Duty. Once I was free from the prison, I jumped into a truck which I also controlled. I quickly discovered a map where different objectives can be tackled before facing the main bad guy. As you drive around you can be attacked by other vehicles. I drove to a shop on the way to my next destination and found out you can buy new weapons and upgrades for the truck, including turrets to help fend off the enemies. There were other ways of getting around, including using a boat to reach new parts of the map.

The makers of Dog Duty may also share my love for 8-bit and 16-bit isometric games, as this is the presentation and tone of the game. 

I enjoyed my time with Dog Duty. I found it fun and engaging and can’t wait for the full release later this year.

Dog Duty is released later this year for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PC.

Preview by Chris from a Steam early access code kindly supplied by Soedesco.