Studio Folly (Gubbins) and Toot Games (My Arms Are Longer Now) have announced a new co-developed cosy game that looks absolutely delightful, and should more than grab your attention. Partially inspired by Suika Game, the newly-announced Dogpile is being described as ‘a roguelike deck builder about merging cute dogs into bigger dogs.’
‘When two of the same dog touch, BAM! You get a BIGGER dog. With careful placement, some clever purchases, and a can-do attitude, you can merge pups strategically and achieve the biggest dogs imaginable.’
You ‘play dogs, get money, customise your dogs with special traits, refine your deck’ and then ‘PLAY MORE DOGS! DOGS!’ The gameplay loop is elevated by a signature, cartoony art style which previously defined the excellent, moreish Gubbins. It’s all funny, goofy, cutesy-looking dogs rendered in bright and lovely colours.
As you play small dogs, they’ll merge with other small dogs, to become bigger dogs – from Dachshunds to Poodles to Greyhounds, to Dalmatians, and beyond. While gameplay will be relatively familiar to those who’ve played any Suika Game variant, Dogpile is couched in unique mechanics to ensure each new dog is played carefully, and your titular Dogpiles are backed by strategy.
Dogpile – First trailer
As you play, you’ll earn money that must be spent wisely on upgrades, with each card allowing you to play new dogs or abilities, that’ll speed your progress and your hunt for the goodest dog of all: the Golden Retriever (who also serves as the icon for this game).
There’s also another twist: dogs you play can have odd traits, including barky, sleepy, timid, cool, and more. These will impact their behaviour while they’re in your dogpile, and you can also add extra traits by visiting the Dog Wash, to add even more chaos.
For those keen to check out Dogpile ahead of its release, the good news is there’s already a demo available via Steam. Having dived in, it’s a genuinely joyful, moreish experience, and while relatively simple, there’s so much to love here. Sometimes, all you need in life is a whole bunch of dogs, making a cosy little pile.
Stay tuned for more on Dogpile as development continues.
Also on ScreenHub: Melbourne International Games Week (MIGW) 2025 celebration now live on Steam
The annual Steam celebration for Melbourne International Games Week (MIGW) has kick off, with a dedicated store page now highlighting new and upcoming Australian-made games to the world. As curated by the Victorian State Government, Double Jump Communications, the MIGW team, and Marc-O-Matic, the page is a teaser for what’s to come from a variety of Australian game developers. There’s also a bunch of newly-released games on sale, for those keen to get the MIGW celebrations started early.
While anyone can host events on Steam, these dedicated hubs provide a welcome visibility for all gamers, with specially curated collections allowing for greater discovery. On the newly-launched MIGW 2025 page, not only can you see the ample scope of Australian game development, you can also learn about the latest news from Australian video game creators, as well as curate your own wishlist from upcoming games.
Malys, which recently exited early access, is a major featured title. You can also learn about the latest updates for Mars First Logistics, which exited early access in recent weeks, Chained Beasts, Macabre, and more. Plenty of the games featured have demos, some of which will also be at PAX Aus 2025 and/or SXSW Sydney 2025, giving you a head start on your travels through the latest Aussie-made games.
