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App Army Assemble: Double Pug Switch - Does this dimension hopping auto-runner bring anything new to the genre?

We ask the App Army

App Army Assemble: Double Pug Switch - Does this dimension hopping auto-runner bring anything new to the genre?

Double Pug Switch is an auto-runner that sees you switching between dimensions as you leap your way through levels as an adorable pug. Our App Army has a lot of experience with auto-runners so we decided to hand the game over to them to see how it ranks among others within the genre.

Here's what they said:

Rohit Bhatia

From the screenshots, I thought it would be a platforming but it's a colour changing ones, it's when you change colours the platforms of that similar colour will appear. It took the inspiration from Chameleon Run in terms of Gameplay, controls which are responsive, left half of the screen to Jump and Right half to change the colour. The colour changing screen freezes for one second and that threw me off the course so many times it was annoying.

There's also not much to write about this, it's an auto-runner with cute graphics and ok soundtrack. My reflexes aren't good enough to play these type of games as I thought it was a platformer. Many people will still like it but it's not for me.

Enzo Sarmiento

Tried playing it as soon I as I got hold of the code and it was a gruelling couple of days that followed next. it took me quite some time to get past the tutorial and then it took an even longer time to get past the official first round. I don't think id be able to give opinions about the actual gameplay other than it was a painful experience for me.

As for the UI, I felt a little confused in the beginning cause the initial menu didn't have text. and they were all circles of the same size. (I'm saying initial cause the layout changed when I went back to the main menu after the tutorial) I liked that the controls were simple. No buttons, just the left and right halves of the screen.
overall, I might have enjoyed it if I were a lil bit younger with faster reflexes.

Max Williams

In hindsight, it was a mistake to sign up to review this. When you permanently rage quit before getting to the end of the *tutorial* then you know a game wasn't for you.

  • Things which this game has which are big turn-offs (in mobile gaming) for me:
  • instant death when you make a mistake
  • twitch gaming
  • having to do the same thing again and again
  • score-chasing

I think there are people out there who *like* very punishing endless runners. As someone else said, I think I might be too old for this game - I was expecting something a little bit more puzzly and a bit less twitchy.
Because I didn't even finish the tutorial, I don't really feel like I can do a good review of the game, except to say "Only get it if you like the challenge of twitchy, punishing, endless runners".

Jim Linford

I dig the Ikaruga colour switch vibes. The game is good. To me, it does everything good enough. I like it and I see where it’s coming from. But it doesn’t hook me yet. It’s not a bad game at all just it’s missing that instant hook for me. Other switching games used the switching as an add on to kill enemies or propel a character. Here it feels it’s just used to avoid obstacles or walk on platforms. It’s not bad but it’s not attention-grabbing. 

Mark Maceiko

Double Pug Switch is an endless runner that's a fun and challenging addition to the genre. There is nothing groundbreaking about this game, but there is enough to it to make it a worthwhile download if you are a fan of the genre. The controls are responsive, which is great because the game can be quite challenging at times.

The dimension switching takes some getting used to and I died frequently, almost to the point of quitting earlier due to the frustration level. The difficulty may be a turn-off for some. The graphics and sound are good and fit the game. Overall the game is well done and recommended for runner fans and those that like a challenge. Just be prepared to die often until you get the hang of things. For me, finally beating a level was rewarding enough that I wanted to continue playing.

Mark Abukoff

Yeah, this is a cute good-looking endless runner/platformer with dimension swapping (which I’m normally up for), a cute Pug (I like Pugs but they always make me think of Men in Black) and evil cats (and full confession, I’m a cat person. So maybe I’m biased). The controls work just fine. The music and sounds are cute and fitting. And I like seeing the marker for progress on my last run.

And I like the Pug. It’s a perfect cute character for a video game and I think the Devs were smart to include him. But to be honest, the dimension swapping didn’t make me want to keep playing, and I died too quickly and too often to keep trying. There just wasn’t enough to hold me. If you think Pugs are cute, and the endless runner/platformer genre appeals to you, you’ll probably like this. It’s just not for me.

Torbjörn Kämblad

I am getting too old, there I just said it. Back in the early days of mobile gaming, I could spend hours, days, weeks playing games like Canabalt and Jetpack Joyride. Games letting you travel across randomly generated levels just for the fun of getting further, or completing different tasks.

Double Pug Switch combines the classic endless runner with quick gruelling levels and dimension-swapping. The dimension swapping changes the colours of the platforms and obstacles and forces you to react at an alarming pace.

There is definitely an interesting game here, and I would have enjoyed it immensely 10 years ago. Now I am too old and slow to get anywhere. Matters didn't help, as I played on a phone far from optimised for twitch-reflex-gaming. To the young, speedy gamers I would recommend the game though, and yeah to those into dressing pugs in different hats too.

Michael Purdy

This is an auto-runner much like any other, with a gimmick that you play as a pug that you can dress up in hats and such. Frankly, this game is not for me. Auto runners tend to bore me and this one is no different. And I find the graphics overly simple and not appealing. My kids, on the other hand, are having a lot of fun with it.

Jason Rosner

Double Pug Switch (reviewed on an iPhone 7Plus) is an auto-runner 2D precision platformer. Precision really is the best way to describe the gameplay as each level is filled with challenging fast-paced level jumping. You’ll have to bring your “A” game as the difficulty ramps right from the tutorial. It also sets the stage for the main feature of the game, dimension swapping, which gives you the ability to bring objects in and out of the background.

This allows your Pug who’s been sucked into another dimension by a naughty kitty to traverse levels that otherwise would be impossible to complete. I really enjoyed the sharp cartoon-style graphics and the techno-infused music. Along the way, you’ll use some cool powerups to help you earn currency to unlock a variety of hats to style your dog, and even unlock a set of master levels that sets the difficulty even higher disabling checkpoints.

Mike Lisagor

The gimmick here is that you can switch back and forth between dimensions to avoid obstacles. I had a hard time progressing in this game. The controls are simple enough, tap on the left side to jump and tap on the right side to switch. There are other characters too. I walked away from the game several times and came back.

I’m not very good at this despite having decent success in many auto runners. I just couldn’t get into the game. The graphics are fine, the controls are adequate but it is very hard and not that simple. I suppose the game would be good for someone that wants a challenge, but there are so many other choices in the category that I have had more fun with.

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The App Army is Pocket Gamer's lovely community of mobile game experts. As often as possible, we ask them for their thoughts on the latest games and share them with you.

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Stephen Gregson-Wood
Stephen Gregson-Wood
Stephen brings both a love of games and a very formal-sounding journalism qualification to the Pocket Gamer team.