You know the saying: all dogs go to heaven. This is very, very true . . . I’d like to think!
Losing an animal companion is one of the most gut-wrenching, common tragedies. The typical pet sticks by our sides for only a decade or two, while we continue to live on. However, those years with our beloved pets entail so much sweetness, fun, and fluff (or feathers or scales).
The highly-acclaimed My Little Puppy is a narrative adventure game that tackles a mixture of coping with loss alongside the optimistic hope of an afterlife. You play as an angelic corgi who exits the sanctity of “Dog Heaven” in order to reunite with his owner, who is in the process of ascension. Full of various puzzles, platforming, and quick-time events, Dreamotion Inc.’s game will bring you to bittersweet smiles and tears.
My Little Puppy was released November 6th, 2025, and can be played on the PC, Steam, and the Nintendo Switch 1 & 2.
All dogs indeed go to heaven
The game begins with the player assuming the role of an angel Welsh corgi named Bong-gu, surrounded by other heavenly pups and angelic humans in Dog Heaven. Initially, the player must gather all of doggy heaven’s inhabitants to throw a welcome party for the arrival of newcomers; witnessing newly deceased pet owners reunite with their sweet little buddies. However, Bong-gu perished significantly earlier than his owner, leaving the former awaiting for what felt like an eternity.
Later on, Bong-gu catches a strong whiff of his owner’s scent, coming from a far away place. With pure excitement and longing, Bong-gu cannot wait any longer. With the aid of another pup, Bong-gu escapes the gates of heaven in order to find his owner as soon as possible. An elder angel warns Bong-gu in order to find him, the corgi must go through trials and tribulations since he is no longer within the safe enclosure of heaven. The mighty corgi agrees to these terms – and now the player must travel through a slightly whimsical, rather dangerous purgatory to reunite with Bong-gu’s beloved human.
Purgatory contains a myriad of puzzles, adventures, and locations, including the Lonesome Forest, the Gloomy Cave, Seagull’s Island, Snowy Peak, and the Vet’s Hideaway. Bong-gu will encounter all sorts of unusual entities, like flowery sprites, fireflies, other pups and humans, the Reaper and its kitty familiar, bears, vengeful spirits who attempt to snatch your halo away, and even Cerberus itself.
Like a dog with a bone
Bong-gu is capable of many things, true to a real dog. He can sniff, bark, jump, run, and even “mark his territory!” Most actions require using the same two buttons, which will change depending upon the situation or object type interaction. However, this can be a bit clunky and overladen. The player also has a stamina bar that will increase every once in a while as the story progresses, which aids with running time. Both the running and jumping mechanic, at least on the Nintendo Switch version, seem a bit desynchronized at times (for example, the running would abruptly stop for a bit despite having plenty of stamina left).
The ability to detect and trace scents is one of the most important mechanics of the game, allowing Bong-gu to find other dogs and people, most notably the wafting rose-colored scent of Bong-gu’s owner. There is no health bar, but Bong-gu can “re-die” by falling off cliffs or by getting snatched by monsters. The player will only have to restart just before the time of “re-death” – there is not really anything to lose if you mess up.
My Little Puppy provides an interesting mixture of minigame genres scattered throughout the story, which keeps the game interesting! For example, one early segment involves the player running joyfully throughout the forest to replenish its greenery by spraying barrels of fae-enchanted water; another segment contains a classic chase scene involving quick-time events for jumping a dodging; and a later-game segment transformed into the fighting game genre, with a raggedy doll person versing a rough pack of hounds. Frankly, it is a bit upsetting having to beat up other dogs, but in this context it was for self-defense!
A “doggy dog” world
My Little Puppy has a soft, adorable art style with bright and bold coloration – like The Sims meets Crash Bandicoot in visual design. There are various narrative scenes throughout the game that showcase Bong-gu and his owner’s previous living experiences with one another in a cute storybook-like fashion. These images display sweet bonding moments and not-so-pleasant worldly goodbyes.
The soundtrack is full of cozy and soft piano, but will rev up a bit during times of intensified gameplay segments. However, it is never to the point to where the audio would make the player feel nervous or stressed.
On the Nintendo Switch version, players can choose a variety of outfits for Bong-gu. He will wear this for the entire playthrough unless you change it! Outfits include rounded glasses, a bucket hat, a green sweater, and a cute dino hoodie, among other accessories!
Final thoughts
Despite some of the clunky mechanics, My Little Puppy is such a sweet, 3-5 hour-long tear jerker that most players will find relatable to some degree. Many of us have experienced the loss of a canine friend, and this game might operate as a short and sweet coping strategy.
The game definitely contains several unfortunate elements, such as overloaded button controls, delayed or unsynchronized actions, a bit of tediousness, and the lack of any vocalized or written dialogue can be confusing or vague at times. Personally, the human grunting noises were a bit annoying as well, but who knows exactly what a dog hears? Regardless, My Little Puppy remains engaging, versatile, and bittersweet, containing the best protagonist possible – mankind’s best friend.
