Dogpile

Dogpile hooks you with a simple promise: two same dogs touch, BAM — a bigger dog. It’s the kind of cozy chaos that fans of Suika-style merging and Balatro’s jokery will enjoy, wrapped in Folly-level art and a surprisingly deep deckbuilding loop.

The core loop is delightfully simple: drop dogs into the park, hope similar pups collide, and watch them merge into progressively bigger breeds until you reach king status. On top of that there’s a light roguelite deckbuilding layer—buy cards, upgrade dogs, equip Dog Tags and send pups through the Dog Wash to tweak traits like Barky, Sleepy or Timid. Physics and randomness spice up each run, so a disaster of bouncing dogs can suddenly become a glorious chain merge with one lucky drop. I love the tactile feeling of aiming and the near-misses that turn into huge wins; it’s equal parts puzzle and slapstick. Sound and art are a constant joy—jazzy, playful tunes and cute animations make even a failed run feel wholesome. There are also endless and run-based modes, which give you options for short sessions or marathon merges. That said, the game can loop into very long, grindy endless setups if you find the perfect combo—fun for some, tedious for others. A few players report resume bugs where a paused run loses deck progress, and deep runs can get a bit laggy. Still, the trait synergies and tag combinations reward experimentation: I kept coming back to try absurd builds that somehow worked.

Dogpile is a delightful, cozy merge-deckbuilder that nails charm and satisfying combos—just be prepared for some long runs and a few rough edges. If you love cute chaos and tinkering with builds, it’s worth the trip.