Double Pug Switch review for Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One

Double Pug Switch shows how far cuteness can take a game.

Without its pug protagonists, it wouldn?t be anything too special — just an auto-running platformer that requires some pretty solid twitch reflexes as you flip back and forth between dimensions and avoid the many, many obstacles in every level. If anything, the game might stand out for its insane level of difficulty, but that wouldn?t be a sure thing.

Factor in the adorableness of the titular pug(s), however, and suddenly Double Pug Switch has more of a personality. I mean, every time you die, you have to see the pug?s sad face. He looks so disappointed in you! The game also does a good job of tying the pug into the plot, as it’s been not only dumped into an alternate dimension because of a mischievous cat, but also split into two dimensions (hence the switching), and you need to retrieve the cat in order to finish the game. That?s a better plot explanation than most games give you, and it ties everything together well.

But don?t let that adorableness fool you: this is, as I said, an insanely hard game. The combination of auto-running, obstacles that instantly kill you, and needing to switch back and forth constantly means that death is a frequently-occuring constant in every level. You?ll need to claw your way to each checkpoint, memorizing every new obstacle and spike and hole that you come across so you can make it just a little further in each level with every run. Thankfully the levels are kind of short, so you never spend too much time doing the same segments over and over again, but you?ll still be doing a lot of do-overs in every single level.

In other words, as cute as the pug — and the game — may look, don?t be sucked into Double Pug Switch if you?re looking for a family-friendly platformer to play with kids. This game is as challenging as they come, so only pick it up if you?re in the mood to die a whole bunch.

Apriori Digital provided us with a Double Pug Switch Switch code for review purposes.