The App Army Assemble: The Adventures of Dog Mendonca & Pizzaboy
Appsolutely Appetizing
Each week, we ask members of our App Army for their impressions of the latest releases on mobile.
This week we're looking at Dog Mendonça & Pizzaboy - a point and click puzzler based on Dark Horse comics.
Chanadler - This is quite amusing. Someone has put a lot of time and thought into it. The game certainly looks great, has a wicked sense of humour, and some tricky puzzles as you progress.
What is really amazing is that - so far - all the dialogue has been voice acted. The choices are great and fit the characters very well.
Kainen - Hmmm. Great voice acting, nice looking, funny and has me hooked. Let me make this clear. This game seems to be made with love. If this game was a biscuit, it would be a chocolate and caramel hobnob Chanadler - It sure is pretty, but then the whole thing is based on the Dark Horse comics. You would hope some kind of comic talent would be used to develop the game.I also have to say it's one of the best interactive stories I've played in a while. It's up there with the Telltale adventures.
Deepak - So far, I'm loving every aspect of this great game, ranging from the art, humour, and voice acting.
Chanadler - Just a very minor gripe, but the exit arrows used to move between screens don't always want to work. You end up having to jab away at them like you're trying to stuff a chicken.
Deepak - Hah. That's perfectly described. Kainen - I disagree. I've had no problems with this, though I will say that you don't have to click on the arrow exactly. I'm at a loss as to how you're finding this hard. Unless of course you have carrots for fingers. Which would probably make you a snowman. Chanadler - Well, you know what they say. Big fingers mean big gloves.I don't know what's going on. I'm jabbing away like a woodpecker on a tree trunk, but it's not working.
Kainen - Try not jamming, but tap it. Hold your finger a little then that should work.
Oh, man, this is so good. It reminds me of an updated Monkey Island, but without the monkey or even the island. But it is funny. And so addictive. I've been waiting for this game for a very long time.
Chanadler - It would be good if there was a way to increase the size of your notebook.
But yes, this is a really good game. Some bits are quite hard, lots of trial and error with items and where to use them. This is interactive storytelling at its best.
Kainen - The save and load feature is great and works as it should. That means I can jump in for five minutes and start exactly where I left off. This is a feature that helps me a lot and is lacking in other games. Chanadler - Yeah, I like that about saving. The only downside with jumping in and out is remembering where you are and what you've done. Kainen - I'll just say that I love this game. It's so much fun. If you like point and click games and have a sense of humour, you'll love this. It's nicely polished in every way. A must have.Aaron - The production values are top notch. The art style and voice acting is fantastic.
Kainen - Hmm. Has anyone had any problems with crashing as the reviews on the AppStore are reporting them 2 minutes into the game?
Aaron - Not noticed any issues. Though I am hearing the phrase 'I have no use for that' a lot.
Mike - The art style is fantastic. Humour is hilarious. Puzzles are hard sometimes. Dog and Pizzaboy's voice could use a bit of work, but other than that I see a solid point and clicker in this game and would give it a full 10/10
Conor - This game is great and humorous. The puzzles are challenging and make you think as you progress through each level. The graphics are gorgeous. The objective notepad and hint button are very useful when you don't know what to do. The dialogue is also great.
The one thing I really like though is that you're able to fight people. That's really unique for a puzzle game. I'm wrapped up in the storyline and the ability to pick up random things to use later on in the game keeps me busy for hours.
This is a great game and well worth the price.
Aaron - I've got nothing bad to say about this game. It's truly wonderful. The comedy does rely on breaking the fourth wall a bit, but it's well written and acted. I think any point and click fan will love it.
Quincy - It's a wonderful blend of graphic novel style and great storyline. The first thing I give them credit for is having the game sync between devices. That seems a small thing, but it's missing from a lot of great games. I appreciate not having to start over if I leave the house.
Aaron - If you're looking for a hint, I've found that tapping the notepad a second time will give you one. If you then move out of the location and into another and look in the notepad again, it'll give you another hint.
Though technically that probably counts as cheating.
Quincy - I don't think I've enjoyed the humour in any point and click game since the Hector series. That says a lot about how great the writing is. Same for the voice work. Each character has a lot of personality. Kainen - I love the Hector series! Quincy - If you really pay attention, there are a lot of nice little nods to old horror movies scattered about which I thought were pretty cool.It's not a perfect game and there are some things people will love and hate. For instance, you can't interact with everything around you. Only things important to the storyline are clickable. Also, I didn't find the puzzles that hard because having less to interact with will make it easier to figure things out.
Aaron - I've found quite a lot of non-story things to interact with. They just don't show up when you click the spy glass icon so you have to tap randomly everywhere. Quincy - Oh, and did I mention mobile gamers are getting this for a steal compared to PC owners? Plus any additional chapters are added for free. Win, win! Chanadler - There are some great characters in the game. The loan shark outside the casino - in particular - is my favourite.
It did crash a few times on me, but luckily the save system is solid and upon going back in, my progress was saved.
Aaron - I was really lucky and didn't experience a single crash. Kainen - Same. I have had it not save once though despite pressing the button. Chanadler - I thoroughly enjoyed the game. There are not many I feel the need to finish, but this was one of them. Great work!The App Army have spoken! If you'd like to sign up, please have a gander at our App Army application article.
What do you think of Dog Mendonca and Pizzaboy? Is it one of the truly great point and click games? Talk to us below.
