Gameplay
''THE DOG Island'' is an adventure game wherein the player controls a dog in exploring and navigating through different environments while completing tasks. The player can walk, run, crawl, and bark, the last of which is used as defense against the hostile enemies populating the area. In the game, several types of enemies are found, including snakes, gorillas, bears, and bats, all of which, except for bats, are able to be stunned by barking behind them; holding the button used to bark eventually produces a howl, which stuns the enemy indefinitely until the player exits the area. Failure to contain an enemy will cause them to attack the player, depleting their HP or causing a poisonous status, which depletes HP over time, or shock, which slows movement. The player starts out with 3 HP, which gets upgraded up to 8 at certain points in the game; losing them all forces the player to start over from the last save point. The player can sniff and dig for items underground, including fruits, vegetables, and other items, indicated by two circles appearing in the bottom of the screen (blue for plot-related items and yellow for generic things). This ability is mandatory for the tasks, most of which requires the player to search for items; non-plot related items can be recorded in an encyclopedia owned by an NPC, rewarding the player with bones. Additionally, the player can fish and catch insects by successfully beating a short minigame beforehand; again, the animals gained can be exchanged with the NPC for bones. Bones as they are referred to, the game's currency, are also rewarded after task completion, and can be used to buy healing items, accessories, and clothing. The player can explore 23 locations, one of which is only used for the prologue section and a brief plot-related visit midgame, while another is only visited as part of the end-game dungeon, aPlot
The player is a dog who lives with their mother, Mar, and younger sibling, Emilio/Maria (depending on the gender chosen) in Puroro Town. Emilio/Maria is sick with a disease that makes them unable to have much time to play outside; their father, Doluk, had travelled in search of a cure, but he never returned. Nevertheless, Emilio/Maria is rebellious and sneaks out to watch their older sibling as they participate in the town's festival that night, only to collapse from exhaustion after getting overexcited. The player decides to take matters into their own hands by sailing with a crew to THE DOG Island to meet with Dr. Potan, a famed doctor; after the local doctor admits that there is nothing that they can do to stop Emilio/Maria’s condition from worsening in the meantime. However, on the way there, the ship is a caught in a storm and the player is separated from the others after jumping into the ocean in an act of defiance after the local sea captain El Dorado calls off the mission during the storm. The player is rescued and wakes up in the company of Amalia, a resident of Pupsville, THE DOG Island's main village. They also befriend an anc, creatures normally invisible to dogs, called Petasi, who was exiled by his queen for his mischief; to return to the Anc Land, he will have to raise a tree by doing good deeds. They proceed to meet with Dr. Potan, who eventually agrees to go to Puroro Town with a cure. However, even Dr. Potan's cure is not potent enough to cure Emilio/Maria. Instead, Dr. Potan suggests a search for the Legendary Flower, allegedly capable of healing everything, back in THE DOG Island. The player learns from Obaba, a traditional healer, that the Legendary Flower is well-hidden and can only be found by dogs who are in touch with nature. The player begins learning sniffing from several masters, including Yi Lu, Rode, and finally, the Grand Master Tao, all of whom tell the player that to become a Master, they need to raise the Anc Tree by helping dogs in need. Once the player raises the tree to enough height, Tao tells the player to find a medal in Kunka Ruins, with which they can access Ancient Grove, a sanctuary of flowers that houses the Legendary Flower. Unfortunately, the flower is found wilted. Thanks to the growth of the Anc Tree, Petasi is allowed to return to the Anc Land, where he goes to with the player. They learn from the Anc Queen that the flower is wilted because the residents of THE DOG Island have forgotten to get in touch with nature, which is simultaneously causing the crust that protects their world to break. To strengthen it back, they will have to hold the Star Festival. She sends the player and Petasi to a deeper portion of Kunka Ruins, where the Stone of the Heavens, a regalia of the festival, is stored. After retrieving the stone and battling a skeleton guardian, the player narrowly manages to escape the ruins before proceeding to hold the festival with the island residents using the stone. This act rejuvenates both the crust and the Legendary Flower. Going back home, the player bids Petasi goodbye. The end credits show the player giving the flower to Dr. Potan, who uses it to cure Emilio/Maria. In aReception
The game received "mixed or average reviews" on both platforms according to theReferences
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dog Island, The 2007 video games Adventure games PlayStation 2 games Single-player video games Ubisoft games Video games about dogs Video games based on toys Video games developed in Japan Video games set on fictional islands Wii games Yuke's games