Navigating the topic of pet loss is a heavy topic. Pets of all kinds are often more than just that, they become family. In Puppergeist, the developers at Serenity Forge handle this topic with the care and reverence required. Players take on a journey through the Doggie Underworld searching for their lost Pup. Prepare for a rhythmic spin when it comes to gameplay.

Diving into the Doggie Underworld

Puppergeist contains a charming and sweet tale told in hand drawn art. Its core gameplay loop is described as a “rhythm visual novel”. Players take on the role of Claire. Claire is a witch who has lost her familiar, her dear pal Pup. She’ll go to any lengths to find Pup, which leads to her foraying into the Doggie Underworld. Early on in her adventures, Claire meets a demon named Lunne who decides to tag along.

The path isn’t straightforward, with Claire having to interact with many dogs, known as Puppergeists. Each have their own stories, their own joys, and some their own traumas. Through various rhythm games, Claire gains their trust or brings them the joy of human companionship in the hopes of puzzling together where her dear Pup has gone. There’s a hierarchy in the Doggie Underworld. While many of the Puppergeists look like adorable ghosts with dog faces and ears, those whose owner still hold their love and memory alive in the living world still retain the vestige of what they looked like when alive.

“As a dog owner, I found myself getting choked up a few times”

Many dogs wish for simple things – to be pet, to play fetch, or to be pushed in a rope swing. Their memories of being a pet are beloved. Other dogs, whose backstories are unlocked by successfully completing their associated game, show Claire that the doggie afterlife has been far more kind than their time with their living owners. Claire’s love and devotion for Pup as well as all four-legged friends bring solace to happy and melancholic Puppergeists alike.

Throughout her travels, the healing goes both ways. Puppergeists full of joy show Claire a positive afterlife. Those with sadness or fear find that not all humans are bad. As a dog owner, I found myself getting choked up a few times. Not only thinking about what I would do to have my childhood dog back, but also the anger at the poor treatment some of the pups in the game have endured. Whether joyful or tinged with sadness, the storytelling is beautiful and throughout and grasps what it means to truly love a dog.

Finding the Rhythm

While all mini-games have the same central mechanic, tapping A at the correct time, the types of games vary greatly. Each Puppergeist has their own preferred way to interact with Claire. Luckily, there are tutorials for each pup’s game, which are optional (but very important) in making sure you successfully pass each stage. At the end of each game, players are assigned a ranking. If you don’t hit the “good boy/girl” ranking, the stage must be repeated. There are varying levels of the Doggie Underworld and traversing each means successfully completely each mini-game per level.

The games are cleverly created and ties into each Puppergeists’ personality. Some just want to feel the reassuring touch of a human. Interestingly enough, Lunne cannot pet the dogs. Claire, only can due to her powers as a witch, can. Others want to enjoy a fun game of swinging in a rope swing or have Claire sing backup for their karaoke. Some of the more melancholic dogs require reassurance. Others need their coats clipped to bring them some confidence.

“Relying solely on the screen meant my reaction time was a bit too slow and I would fail the level”

At the very beginning of the game, or any time within the settings, latency can be set. I used both the Joy-Con 2 (I reviewed the game on Switch 2) and a wireless controller while playing. Making sure your latency is correct is incredibly important. Having the wrong setting can mean disaster and frustration. The game will set your latency by a simple test at the entrance to the Doggie Underworld. Four beats are played followed by a bark. Players must hit A as quickly as they can when they hear the bark. This then sets the game’s latency which can be manually modified in settings. I felt as if the latency test was much easier and slower than some of the actual games and struggled to make it through several mini-games until I set it myself after some experimentation.

I played both in handheld mode as well as docked. There were no obvious advantages to either. But I will say audio is necessary in this game. While I did notice that there were visual clues for when it was time to tap out the proper rhythm, the visual cues worked best for me. Relying solely on the screen meant my reaction time was a bit too slow and I would fail the level. Perhaps this speaks to my reaction time, but I found the auditory clues, as well as hearing the metronome, meant success for me.

Verdict

Puppergeist is visually stunning with incredible hand-drawn art. Its story is beautiful, careful touching on the heavy topic of pet loss, and poignant in the joy of sharing our lives with a beloved dog but not shying away from heavier topics. Be prepared to feel an array of emotions while playing. I played the Nintendo Switch version on my Switch 2, and it ran really well. The rhythm puzzles are unique and varied, making each mini-game a fun challenge. The only pain point I really felt was dealing with latency. Relying on the latency setting in-game did not work for me and I was required to manually play with it until I found my sweet spot. Whether handheld or docked, this hand-drawn rhythm adventure is a great game to cozy up with as fall looms.

Score: 8/10

Puppergeist is available now on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.