There are plenty of Windows Phone games with potential lining the Store shelves. These are often game titles with a solid concept but ones that fall a little shot on execution. Dog Up is an endless runner game for your Windows Phone that has you piloting a hot air balloon through a maze of obstacles with the goal of collecting as many floating bones as possible.
Dog Up is available for low-memory Windows Phones and is one of the many games that have potential. As is, the game is a challenging and well drawn up title but it just needs a little something, something to push it over the edge.
Dog Up has a clean, uncluttered main menu that includes options to play the game, mute the sound, view the About screen and online leaderboards, and a link to rate the game in the Windows Phone Store.
The storyline behind Dog Up has you helping Dora, a Scottish Terrier looking dog, who is traveling by hot air balloon to collect tasty little bones that are floating about. The challenge comes into play in that someone has placed floating bombs around these bones.
When you tap Play on the main menu, Dog Up will send you directly to the gaming screen where you will find Dora and her balloon grounded. Tap and hold the screen to start Dora on her journey.
When you release your hold on the screen, the balloon will descend. Tap and hold to make the balloon ascend and tap/hold the screen with more than one finger will increase the balloon's forward speed.
It will not take long before Dora comes across a bone to collect. The tough part of the game is that every bone is floating next to a bomb. If any part of your balloon makes contact with any part of the floating bomb, the game is over.
Timing and patience is the key to success with Dog Up. You have to sneak the top of your balloon in to collect the bone and descend quick enough to avoid making contact with the bomb. It is almost too difficult of a task and don't be surprised if it takes you several attempts to get this timing just right.
There are no power-ups, no free floating bones or any other features to give Dog Up a little more drawing power. The graphics are minimalistic with the vivid landscape colors that will change as Dora travels.
Your gaming score is based solely on the number of bones you collect with a counter present on the gaming screen. You can create a user name and submit your high score for the online leaderboard at the end of each game.
Overall Impression
Dog Up is a mildly entertaining Windows Phone game with some potential. Graphics are nicely drawn up and colorful but game play needs more. As is, the bones are frustratingly difficult to capture and game play is somewhat one dimensional.
I would have liked to have seen some of the bones detached from the floating bombs and more dangers to avoid. Maybe give Dora a few power-ups to collect such as a machine gun to shoot the bombs to freely collect the bones.
According to the Windows Phone Store listing, the developer is working on new dogs to choose from and hopefully that isn't the only new feature we will see with Dog Up. Endless runner styled games can be a fun way to pass the time and if Dog Up had a little more meat on the bone, I can see it being one of those games.
Download Dog Up for Windows Phone (Free)
