Developer: Hero Concept
Publisher: Hero Concept
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Tested on: PS4
Doughlings: Arcade (PS4) – Review
If you’re looking for some retro gaming fun, it’s an idea to check Doughlings: Arcade. Missing those good ole’ days where you had to bounce back a ball, had to test your wits by not losing it and so on? With the Arcade version, you’re able to help your peers from a horrendous disease. Are you up for the task though, facing all those enemies?
Story
Life is good for the Doughlings, the small creatures that live in another dimension. They fill their time with imitating other planets and lifeforms, having fun along the way. This changes when suddenly a meteor strikes the town, releasing a toxic gas that makes everyone mad and mental before they die. There is just one Doughling, Dr Morpheus, that found a remedy for this disease, but now he should spread this amongst his neighbors. Problem is that everyone is already affected, some with early stages and others are already far gone. It’s now his job to fight his way through hordes of Doughlings.
Although the game is rather easy in gameplay, it’s fun to see that the developers added some kind of background story so you at least know why you’re smashing a ball in your neighbors’ faces.
Graphics
Just like the Doughlings, the graphics are rather simplistic. You are thrown in a Pong-like setting where the enemy Doughlings are stacked on the top and Morpheus on the bottom. The similar backgrounds used prove to be non-distracting. The ball with medicine isn’t that big though and might sometimes blend into the rest of the game, making it a tad more difficult to keep track of, especially when a lot is happening on your screen. Color is mainly used to determine the different enemies you’re facing so be ready to face a lot of similar-looking levels.
Sound
The game tries to pump you up with the music and it would work if there would some more variation. Every time you’re presented with the same track, making it dull after a while. The sound effects are generic and fit the game but aren’t that great. You’ll be hearing some grunting when you hit your neighbors or whenever some items fall from on your screen, together with the bouncing of the ball for example. The voice acting, on the other hand, is quite fun, with a deeper voice to tell you the intro of the game or whenever you die.
Gameplay
Doughlings: Arcade is a sort of arcade game where you need to face hordes of angry Doughlings while trying to stay alive yourself. In total there are 90 levels where you need to survive. You have a ball of medicine that you need to throw to your peers, whenever it hit something it bounces back, similar to the retro game Pong. Whenever you fail to be at the ball in time, you lose a life for that level. Whenever you lose all of your lives, you need to start from scratch again.
Of course, there are some more items and effects in play that can make things easier or harder. For example, there is a timer that will pop more Doughlings on your screen. Or, when hitting a blue Doughling, this one turns normal and leaves the scene. This also means that any angry Doughlings that were only connected to this one, will fall down. If you get hit by these, you get slowed down a bit and you lose some of your score. This is gained by hitting your peers, but truth be told, if it would save your life as the only thing that’s stopping you to get to the ball is a cluster of Doughlings, just dash through them as the high score isn’t that important.
Some of the good things on the other hand, is that you can collect thumbs whenever a happy neighbor is escaping the level. Whenever you collect ten, you can trigger a ‘show off’, where for a limited amount of time you get a certain perk. It might sometimes be best to save this special move until Morpheus is transformed into something else. During levels, you sometimes can catch certain DNA strains, which changes our doctor completely. He gains a certain power, like the possibility to shoot guns. Whenever you pop the show-off, the DNA you have will influence this. For example, the Gunner can stop time while Morpheus is capable of throwing a colored ball, changing connected same-colored Doughlings all at once.
During your playthroughs, you can also collect up to three stars per level. These fall down whenever you hit them and collecting them will give you the possibility to buy upgrades for all your forms, meaning that you can shapeshift for a longer period of time for example.
Next to the several levels to tackle, you can also make your own thanks to the editor. You can play the creations of others or you can go nuts and make your own thing. What’s available to use depends on how far you ventured in the game though.
Conclusion
The game will throw you in a Pong-like setting where you need to help your neighbors by bouncing the medicine their way. Of course, not catching it will result in the loss of a life. You only need to move left and right or trigger a special attack. The gameplay is rather easy but challenging sometimes to get to the ball on time. Graphics and sound wise there isn’t much to see. If you’re looking for a game for a fast playthrough, if you have some spare time, then this title might be an option.
Doughlings: Arcade (PS4) - Review,
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