Dogurai (2019)

Sadly, reaching the end of Dogurai feels less like the rewarding success of a job well done and more like getting home from a long day at work.

In the end, Dogurai makes for a nice enough retro throwback that can act as a snack between meatier titles. The game isn't too difficult, but it is simple to understand, and it apes the mechanics of older games well enough to earn that challenge. The length of the game is buoyed by the presence of two endings and a new character, while the aesthetic fits perfectly for those who want to treat the Switch as a portable rather than a home console. At $5, Dogurai is certainly worth it for those who want to scratch that retro action platforming itch.

The game will last about an hour or two depending on your platforming skills. If you want more of a challenge you can try the Hard difficulty mode where you are given only 6 lives to complete the entire game. For $5, Dogurai might tickle that nostalgic itch for a bit, however once you get over the initial thrill of playing a modern Game Boy style game there isn’t much else here that will keep your attention. The game never truly lives up to its full potential, but as a relatively inexpensive little game, it’s not bad.

Given the entire package, my time with Dogurai still proved to be enjoyable, if only for a few hours.

Nostalgic fans of the genre are likely to be entertained enough, but it's hard to say that Dogurai is a must for most players. There is something different and intriguing here in this first release from Hungry Bear Games, but it all ends too quickly. Even though the duration is a direct reference to the source material (platform classics from the 8-bit era), this shouldn't be a limitation - several NES games and the original Game Boy were gigantic and full of content. I look forward to seeing what the studio is planning for the future, the potential is there.