DOG DASH - Lara-Anne Herron (18), Celeste Herron (16) & Eva Simpson (16)
The world is toast! An evil toaster has taken over and enslaved humans with high tech household appliances leaving the fate of humanity to an unlikely pair of family pets. Bark, dash and explore your way towards an ending of your own making!
In this metroidvania, technology has gone astray with the rise of The Evil Toaster as it seeks retribution for feeling undervalued by enslaving the human race. It's up to the player, depicted as an unnamed dog, to team up with a mysterious cyborg cat named Dr Tedward and set out on an adventure to explore the post-toaster world. Uncover secret areas, collect upgrades, battle ridiculous bosses, chat with unusual side characters and most importantly: decide the path they will ultimately take. Free humanity.... or forsake them? There three major endings that the player can choose to unlock and unlocking these endings will not require the restarting of the game, avoiding penalising the player for being curious.
Set in the future after humanity has advanced far in technology, the player plays as an unnamed dog that teams up with a mysterious cyborg cat (Dr Tedward) who gifts the player a canine mech suit. With newfound powers the player sets off into the dangerous futuristic world. Exploring will reveal new areas with different types of enemies and items to find. Each area is diverse with different themes such as: The Big City, The Factory, Cave Mountain, Beachside, and The Secret Lab. Items can range from cosmetics to spruce up your look, tags that can augment play style and lore that will reveal more about the world. Along the way the player will meet a variety of NPC's such as Colonel Woofers who is a cynical ex-military K9 that provides the player with tags if given substantial amounts of 'treats' (which are the in game currency). As the player progresses, they can learn more about their mysterious feline friend and the origins of the mech suit. There are several boss fights scattered around the map, ranging from sentient washing machines to villainous vacuums that all provide the player with a fun challenge that will make the player want to battle them again.
DOG DASH will find an audience in players of all genders aged 10+ as there is content for both young and older players. Fans of Hollow Knight and Metroid will enjoy the freedom of choice, the thrill of exploration and the fluid combat system that they can customise to their own strengths and style.
