Dog in the Machine launches on Steam with a 20% discount and previewable battles

Dog in the Machine is now available on Steam with a 20% launch discount. Studio Chahut’s turn-based roguelite follows an AutoDog trying to escape a mechanical city and reunite with the humans driven out of it.

The game launched on September 29, according to its Steam page. The introductory offer runs until October 13, reducing the European price from €17.99 to €14.39. Publisher Goblinz Publishing also lists a regular US price of $17.99.

Battles take place on small grids where collisions can set off a chain of reactions. Enemies, conveyor belts, buttons and explosive obstacles all affect how an attack unfolds. A real-time preview shows the result of a planned sequence before the player commits, allowing moves to be cancelled and rearranged.

The AutoDog learns an ability called a Trick after each battle. Two Tricks can be combined into a more complex one, either following a blueprint or experimenting with a new pairing. The choices made during a run build up a library of attacks with different interactions.

Between fights, encounters with the city’s residents offer opportunities to buy, exchange, collect or upgrade abilities. Those characters also reveal more about the city the AutoDog is trying to leave.