The Going Never Gets Ruff in Phogs!

There are cooperative games that can test your tolerance. I had a lot of fun with Snipperclips, for example, but I also remember periods of time when either the person I was playing with or I were exhausted by the ordeals. Ibb & Obb is fun, until the other person isn’t making the right jobs or is missing their cues. But Phogs! isn’t like that! It feels like its whole mission in life is to be delightful and relaxed, so even when you do have to carry out more complex tasks, it never feels like you’re going to eventually dream of throttling the person you’re playing with.

Phogs involves an odd, doglike beast that isn’t unlike Catdog, the titular character of the Nickelodeon show. There are no legs or tails here; all you get are two puppy heads. You can bark, bite, and emote, but you lack other traditional dog-like abilities. However, two heads are better than one here, as the grabbing mechanics and unique movement options mean you’ll get to act as a hose, pull items, traverse windy areas, ride rails, and gather items to complete puzzles in three areas’ puzzles. The three areas are all geared toward things any dog (or phog) might care about: eating, playing, and sleeping.

What helps Phogs! is how low the stakes are. There’s no world to save, though there are people-like creatures who could use your help. If you fall off of platforms, no progress is lost. You don’t have to worry about your health or any malevolent enemies. The only items you need to collect are bones to unlock new costumes (one of which is a pair of cat ears), and those are optional.

There are just pleasant, colorful worlds that are soft, friendly, and inviting. And you can go through all of them and complete all of their challenges! It isn’t even all that hard, and you could manage it on your own if you don’t have someone nearby or online to play with.

While I did enjoy Phogs! most when I wasn’t going it alone, playing it on my own was even satisfying. The nature of the game means that you aren’t doing incredibly strenuous movements for both dog heads at the same time. Generally, only one might need to stretch to navigate and, if there is a situation where you might need more advanced techniques, it never feels like you’re, say, trying to pat your head and rub your stomach at the same time. The actions make sense and feel fluid in a way that if you’re drawing, navigating, or spreading some sort of element like light, it makes you think without requiring a complicated process to carry things out.

It’s soothing. Phogs! is a pleasant sort of poultice. People have had a rough year and might want to pause and relax, but not completely turn their brains off. This is the sort of game that will require some thought, but won’t leave you feeling frustrated. It’ll force you to work together, but I don’t think it’ll leave either person wondering if one person didn’t pull their weight. I consider it a soothing, whimsical way to spend time either alone or with another person.

Phogs! is available for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Google Stadia.