April 18, 2023

We like vertical or horizontal scrolling shooters… We also like sausages. Here is the best of both worlds!

thanks to Katsu Entertainment who offered us a copy of the game in order to do the media coverage and the test of it. The publisher/developer therefore authorizes us to distribute and/or use excerpts from the game for our production needs and does not intervene in any way in the awarding of the final grade.

In the footsteps of great classics

Dogfight : A Sausage Bomber Story is one of those funny little games, in which humor is used in a beautiful way. With a caption that reads: A sausage bomber story », It gives a good idea of ​​the wacky side of the game. Basically, a few years following « The Sausage Wars the world is finally experiencing a period of calm and prosperity. But in the shadows Commandant Vega feels the mustard rising in his nose and prepares to try to put the world on the grill. It is then up to our sausage squadron to stop the threat so that the case is finally ketchup.

Now, to know what the sausages come to do in the scenario, well you may be able to explain it to me once you have played it. Because in addition to the short introduction which mentions that the world has been able to develop various technologies around our dear hot dog proteins, it will be difficult to understand the reason or the origin… If it is only to bring a wacky side and ridiculous as Katsu Entertainment!

That said, the game offers a rather pretty and colorful visual, its graphics being mainly composed of hand-painted elements. Strangely, although the artistic direction is quite nice and pleasant, the animation of the elements lacks a bit of relief and life. Strangely, the “sprites” (moving parts) sometimes make us feel like stickers floating around the screen. It’s not ugly on its own, but in my opinion it doesn’t help the game stand out, which is a bit of a shame. The first instinct we have when the game is launched is to think that it is a mobile game port…

As for the game mechanics of Dogfight, these remain quite classic, without being really innovative. Like the vast majority of shmups Side-scrolling, levels will scroll from right to left, sending a myriad of enemy vehicles crashing your way. The variety is relatively interesting, but from one level to another, you will often encounter the same ones. On the other hand, the bosses at the end of the level are really superb and following having beaten them, the little messages launched by their drivers are quite funny.

The scoring system works by small medals, which you will collect by destroying enemies. The more you accumulate, the more your score will be improved and will allow you to unlock various weapons between missions. Besides, it’s something that I like more or less. In Dogfight, you will have to choose a shot from the types of shots you have unlocked before starting the next level. You will be able to capture capsules of the type POWER-UP to increase your firepower, but won’t be able to change your main fire or the type of bombs you can throw.

Basically, everything is still very fun, but you will quickly understand that it is quite difficult to be able to collect all the medals required in order to obtain the almost perfect score which will allow you to go to HQ at the end of the level to access to new weapons for your aircraft. Of the 9 levels that make up the game, I collected at least 4 stars out of 5 in each of them and I did not manage to be able to access all the weapons in the game. Moreover, to be able to be able to reach 5 stars out of 5, you will have to replay the same level often in order to be able to come back equipped with weapons that are more powerful, or that are more appropriate for the said level.

Speedrun fans will surely love the fact that Dogfight: A Sausage Bomber Story offers this entry mode. As soon as you start your game, the time will appear in the lower part of the screen and will be compiled at the end of the game. This will allow you to see your different game times in each level and try to beat your own scores by coming back armed differently.

What’s really great is that the game offers to be able to play it in local coop mode, up to 4 players. Dogfight features four characters, each with a different aircraft. Honestly, I didn’t really feel any differences between each of the planes, even though the studio seems to mention that there are. And what is all the more brilliant is that it is a principle drop-in/drop-out, which means you can have someone come and play with you at any time and they can leave just as quickly, without affecting the game. My only downside with this type of co-op mode is that on platforms like PlayStation, Xbox or even PC, it’s quite rare that we have 3 or 4 gamepads to be able to play with so many players. It might be easier on Switch, where a single pair of Joy-Con can give 2 mini-controllers. So, two pairs of these will be enough to be able to play with 4 players!

Musically, we can say that Dogfight brews us the hot dog quite a bit! With Dale North (Dreamscaper, RWBY: Arrowfell) to the composition of the musical score, the game offers us a rock/hard rock/metal type soundtrack, which goes very well with the action of the game. Let’s say that through the multiple explosions, it gives a sumptuous cacophony for the ears!

All in all, Dogfight: A Sausage Bomber Story is a lovely little side-scrolling shooter that’s fun enough to have a good time, but won’t become a classic. shmups neither. If you play it in Easy mode, the lifespan of the game will seem a bit too short. Choose to start in Normal mode, which will also allow you to have better bonus points and to be able to unlock weapons more easily. At a cost of CAN$23, it’s a reasonable price in my opinion, but a price around CAN$15 is likely to attract more lovers of the genre. For my part, I still had a lot of fun playing the game…. Would just need a bit of relish….

Verdict