Dogurai is a ruff samurai action platformer – out now on Xbox

Perhaps it’s the floppy ears, or maybe it’s just us looking to rekindle our youth. Whatever, we’re getting some serious Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds vibes from the release of Dogurai on Xbox. That’s a good thing. 

Yeah yeah, we know that old Dogtanian and Dogurai probably wouldn’t be friends, but we can only imagine that mid-1980’s cartoon series being the inspiration behind what QUByte Interactive and Hungry Bear Games have put together in this dog-themed action platformer. That’s good enough for us to dip into the wallet and drop a purchase. 

Priced at £4.19 (yep, that price helps sell it even more), Dogurai whisks us off to a dystopian future, one in which robots and machines have take control of the world. As seems to always be the case in video games, it’s left to one person, one dog, to fight back. That dog is Bones; an ageing, fully retired dog samurai. 

With the skills at paw, old Bones will be thrust through his city, taking on any and all foes in classic platforming style. With his samurai abilities ever present, it’ll be up to you to help him run, jump, leap and traverse the cityscapes ahead, beating back all until the inevitable boss encounters. 

We can’t imagine for a minute that Dogurai will be thought of in end-of-year lists, and we’d guess that Dogurai himself won’t even have enough about him to make our greatest gaming dogs list. Hell, the rather crude visual style will put off many a modern gamer too, but if you’re looking for a smack of the retro, if you have love for dogs who think of themselves as samurai, or you just want to join us in squinting a little and pretending we’re playing a Dogtanian game (where the hell IS a proper Dogtanian game!?), then Dogurai should just about suffice. 

Head over to the Xbox Store and pick up Dogurai on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S right now. 

Game Description:

In a dystopian future, where Armies and the Police were replaced by robots and machines, their creator decided to take over the world. Now, it’s up to Bones, a retired dog samurai from the Special Forces, to fight against the robot menace alone. You will face several robot leaders in an action-packed platforming throughout the city, fighting in urban sewers, military facilities, factories and even in sky-high structures. Each level features several gimmicks and different challenges inspired by classic platformers from the past decades, as well as different enemies and memorable boss encounters!