This 3D Pet Sim You’ve Never Played Has Over 12,000 ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’ Reviews

If raising a collection of genetically unpredictable dogs sounds like your idea of fun, Wobbledogs might be worth a look. Developed by Animal Uprising, this 3D pet simulator lets you nurture a hive of mutating canines. Four years after its release, it still feels like a game that deserves a wider audience.

The appeal is as much comedy as simulation. For starters, these dogs are wonderfully absurd, assembled from mismatched shapes with elongated, boxy bodies and oversized tails. Their strange silhouettes may remind some players of the creatures from the early 2000s British children’s show Bamzooki.

Then there are the unpredictable physics. Watching the dogs navigate their surroundings can be entertaining on its own, especially because their different body shapes affect how they move and interact with the world.

Each Wobbledog also has a simulated genetic system. As dogs grow older, they periodically enter a pupal state and emerge with physical mutations. Their diets influence the flora in their guts, which in turn affect those changes, giving you a way to shape your own vision of canine imperfection.

Wobbledogs leaves you to make your own fun rather than follow a rigid set of objectives. You can design habitats for your pets and unlock decorations and objects as you play. Build a peaceful sleeping area, construct a maze, or grow a garden for your peculiar companions.

Players’ experiments can produce unexpected results. One Steam reviewer described feeding a family of dogs only Doritos for around eight generations in an attempt to give them long legs. Instead, the dogs became intensely orange. Another reviewer praised the game for the waves of happiness it brings whenever they play.

Not every story is quite so cheerful. One player grew attached to a dog named Pancake, watching him play with his companions and become best friends with another dog named Randy. When Pancake eventually died, the player’s four other dogs promptly ate his body, leaving their owner shocked to discover that dogs could die in the game at all.

Rest in peace, Pancake. Wobbledogs is listed at $19.99, but it regularly drops as low as $4.99 during sales. If you’re curious, consider adding it to your wishlist and waiting for the next discount.

Source: Polygon