Dog Man: Mission Impawsible Review (Switch)
Summary: Dog Man: Mission Impawsible is a side-scrolling platformer that brings all the action of Dog Man…well…to your paws! Tackle challenging levels and beat up bad guys in this hightailing adventure to save the city. It is a great game for kids as the stages have no time limits and the game occasionally reminds you to take a break during long game sessions.
3.5
Dogmatic Duty
No matter how ruff the case, Dog Man will be there to save the day! Dog Man: Mission Impawsible is a side-scrolling platformer developed by Floor 84 Studio, published by Mindscape, and released on December 6th of 2024. After the Captain Underpants series of books came to a close, Dav Pilkey created another comedic graphic novel series known as Dog Man where a dog and a police officer get sewn together to create the titular Dog Man. The 12th book of the series released on December 3rd of 2024 and there is an animated film in the works that is set to release on January 31st of 2024. Now is the perfect time to jump into the franchise while it’s at its height with this videogame that takes the humor and fun of the series and puts it in the palm of your hand in an exciting adventure of fighting crime and chewing on bones.
The key to the city has been stolen and a bunch of bad guys have broken out of prison. These criminals are causing all kinds of mischief and chaos all over the city. It is up to Dog Man and his Supa Buddies to put a stop to the crime and lay down the law, but it isn’t going to be easy. On the way, Dog Man will have to face platforming challenges and a never ending horde of enemies that want to take him down. With the help of newly acquired abilities and a whole lot of teamwork, this loveable canine superhero will try his best to defend the city and defeat the villains!
Dog Man: Mission Impawsible is a very solid game that has a bit more depth then you may initially think. The game is a 2D side-scroller so you are limited to moving in four directions, but that fact alone doesn’t dismiss the amount of problem solving and puzzle deciphering you will have to work out. You play as Dog Man and his two friends Li’l Petey and 80-HD. Each character gets their own set of abilities and contributes to traversing the levels in their own special way. For example, 80-HD is a large droid that can’t fit through small spaces, but he can jump really high while Li’l Petey can fit through smaller spaces to get hard to reach items, but can’t jump high at all. Li’l Petey can also run across broken platforms without damaging them while Dog Man will break them a little bit and 80-HD will break through them completely, possibly making you plunge to your doom.
There are 5 levels with 10 stages in each, including a boss fight and a more challenging bonus stage. The main mission of each stage is to make it to the end. On the way to the reporter waiting to interview you at the finish line, you’ll run into a motley crew of foes and some collectibles. Enemies are pretty easy to handle as one jump on their noggin will stun them for a bit before they start moving again. There are skunks that have a spray attack, escaped prisoners that charge at you when they see you, tall enemies that are hard to jump on top of to topple, and sentient hotdogs that throw ketchup packets on your path. The stage design mixed with varied enemies and means of traversal is clever. There is a lot of switching back and forth between the three characters and using their unique abilities to stylishly make it past these adversaries unscathed.
Dog Man: Mission Impawsible is an easy game to pick and play. Even so, the stages get more challenging and open up a lot more by having multiple paths so that means you will have to replay the stage if you wish to collect everything. You’ll also reach points in a stage where you do not have the ability to proceed a certain way and you’ll have to come back to the stage after you have received that particular ability. Each character earns a couple different abilities that really change the way the game is played in a good way and paces out your experience in a steady fashion. Dog Man gets pants that let him dig underground and Li’l Petey can use claws that let him climb walls. It feels rewarding bypassing an area or sneaking past an enemy encounter by using your abilities adeptly.
Four badges are spread throughout the levels to collect. Two are hidden within the level, one is rewarded to you once you reach the end of the level, and you get one for filling out a meter by collecting bones all throughout the level. Bones are usually laid out on your path and some are harder to reach. Sometimes you’ll come across a box of treats with a lot of bones inside. Collecting a heart would normally refill your life meter, but if you are at full health when you grab a heart, you get bones instead. I thought this was a nice incentive to try your best while playing and to try not to make careless mistakes since this cool component makes it easier to collect a badge. The badges don’t do anything in particular, but they are a fun collectable to try to get to achieve a perfect save file. Besides the badges, there is one Comic Club member on every stage to find and when collected, unlocks some artwork in the Epic Stuff menu.
Graphically, the game mimics the graphic novels beautifully with a typical comic book style and white borders that look like comic panels. Characters look static, but move with weight by having to gain slight momentum for running from a complete stop and jumping to get distance. The entire game looks super clean and crisp and I had no trouble or hiccups while playing this in handheld mode on the Switch. The music is very colorful and fun, but does get repetitive after a while. There’s constantly an upbeat tempo accompanied by some snazzy tunes that creates a leisure atmosphere. The crunch of picking up a bone and chime of collecting a badge are also extremely satisfying.
Final Thoughts?
The effortless and straightforward amusement that Dog Man: Mission Impawsible provides is greatly appreciated. While the game gets more demanding with having to pull off trickier and tighter jumps or having to use a bit more brain power on how to unlock a door, I never got tired of playing. The smart layout of the stages blend expertly with the characters movesets and powers making a perfectly well balanced and enjoyable game for all audiences. The fine quality of the games graphics and audio will keep you engaged and involved with the gameplay. Whether you are a fan of Dog Man or not, you will have a ball playing Dog Man: Mission Impawsible.
About the Author
Nay Clark Gaming holds a special place in my heart and I never stop talking about video games. I really love all types of games and have an interest in games that have complicated stories and lore because I enjoy untangling the mystery of it all. When I'm not gaming, I unsuccessfully try to control three amazing and incredibly bright kids.
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