Family Guide: Wobbledogs

It's often the most unusual or confusing (to adults) games that really catch on with young players. Wobbledogs is one of these games and is fast becoming the talk of the playground.

It's a pet simulation where your dogs not only need care but are rapidly mutating different behaviour and appetites. You breed new dogs (from eggs), create and decorate a home for them, feed them and see how they evolve.

You play by creating an environment for your dogs to thrive in. You slowly earn more furnishings and decorations to give your pets a relaxing place to sleep and play. As you combine different breeds you can create unique evolutions of different canine friends.

Then as they age, the simulated genetics system means they periodically evolve and mutate. The result is a combination of their genetics and the foods they eat to fill their guts. By paying attention to the petri-dish display of the contents of the dog's stomach you can slowly learn the impact of these different elements so you can craft and mould them to your idea of the perfect pet.

It's a game that is fun to watch but really comes into its own as you interact with the dogs to influence how things develop. Maybe you pet them to relieve some stress, toss a pup around to watch it tumble through the pen, or help them get unstuck from tight space. Whatever you do has an impact and builds a bond between you and your canine friend.

Costs

Wobbledogs is currently available on PC and Mac for £15.99. There are some additional purchases you can make in the game. Parents and carers should note that these are optional and not required to progress.

Rating

As the game is not out on console or Android it doesn't have an official PEGI rating yet. We played the game to highlight what parents need to know. The dogs can eat the cocoons they hatch from as well as poo and teeth.

When the dogs get old (they last about an hour of active gameplay time) and die they explode into body part pieces that can be eaten by the other dogs. The game alerts you when your dog is about to die and asks if you want to move the camera to the dog for its final moments. They can then come back as ghosts. You can choose to put your dogs into storage to preserve them (to keep breeding them) and there is also a setting to change the dog's lifespan or turn off ageing.

You need to be 13 years old to have an account. From the EULA: "You must be over the age of 13 years. By using the Game you therefore confirm that you are over 13 years of age and, where you are under 18, you confirm that you have your parent’s or guardian’s consent and that your parent or guardian has read and agreed to these terms."

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