Russian Subway Dogs – Making a Game about the Mutts of the Moscow Metro

Russian… Subway… What?

Play Our Game Russian Subway DogsXbox One has released the game today! It’s a single screen arcade game inspired by the real-life stray dogs of the Moscow Metro. I’m going to share how we ended up creating a game with such an unusual theme, and the novel approach we took to add depth, humor and variety to its classic score chasing gameplay.

The seeds of the idea started around a decade ago when I read an article online about a handful of strays that had learned to navigate Moscow’s maze-like subway system. If you’re not familiar with these clever canines, they really do make a daily commute to downtown Moscow, scavenge for food from passing pedestrians, and then return home to the quiet suburbs each night to sleep. A statue was built in honor of one dog.

While reading up on these strays I also discovered the incredible architecture of the city’s subway stations. These aren’t just simple tiled hallways in flat colors. The styles range from church-like stations with stained-glass windows to super-modern designs inspired by Mondrian, which feature intersecting rectangles and lines.  

They were adorable and smart, while the Soviet-era metro stations looked grand and majestic (see for yourself). It was obvious that we would make this game.

Eat ‘em up Gameplay

So, adorable animals? Check! What about beautiful backgrounds? Check! Check!

Subway Dog is a game where you have to run from one subway platform to another in order for yourself not starve. The stamina bar is a combined hunger and life meter that drains constantly as you search for food. You can steal tasty drinks and snacks from commuters as they exit the train. You can get them to throw their food in the air by barking behind them.

Of course, you’ll have some competition, as those trains also bring in rival strays and a ridiculous array of subway wildlife. You’ll have to compete with everything from subway pigeons to bears for your snacks. They will take away points or stamina.

With some highly explosive vodka, you can eliminate this rivalry. Random passengers can carry these bottles and they will explode into flames when they land. If you time your powerful barks perfectly, the bottles will bounce around. It is important to master this skill because vodka explosions can cook animals and toast foods, resulting in more delicious and filling meals. 

A few hundred points can be turned into thousands by using multipliers. It’s high risk / high reward because if a rival dog grabs a valuable meal those points will be subtracted from your score, netting negative points. Ouch!

The Secret Sauce of Systemic Simulation!

This basic eat’em up gameplay forms the foundation for Russian Subway Dogs‘ truly unique addition to the arcade genre: systemic simulation. This goes by other fancy names like “multiplicative design”, “chemistry engines” or just plain “emergent gameplay” but what it boils down to is that all the parts in the game interact with every other part in a way that feels something like the real world, or at least a fun cartoon logic version of the real world.

The following are some of the ways to get in touch with us Russian Subway DogsWhat does this mean? You can also find out more about the following:Snow will melt and cook the food when a fire is used. Snow will cool cooked food and can even freeze a fish that is flopping, creating an ice block. Firebarks are created when a dog eats the power-up which allows you to bark fire. Of course, these fire barks cook food as well! You can feed the bears to make them fatter and produce better meat or you can feed them poisonous chocolate, which is toxic to dogs. The game is full of multiple interactions and uses!

There are a lot of secrets to be discovered and exploited. The platform’s mix of foods, people and animals offers a variety of strategic options and exciting split-second choices.

The Guests Webrought!

Russian Subway Dogs includes two different play modes:

The classic experience of chasing scores is updated in Endless. Competition for top spots on online leaderboards while trying to survive the longest. This game borrows modern procedural trick and auto balancing in order to keep each session challenging, fresh and unique.

Campaign has you traveling from station to station with hand crafted challenges and over 100 unique sub-missions from your feline friend, The Proletaricat, such as beating a level while sticking to a vegetarian diet, or cooking a “Bear-B-Q”.

You will be able to unlock more than a dozen playable characters, including some from indie favorites such as Rad Shiba or Nacho. VA-11 Hall-AHorrors Nuclear ThroneUay Chivo Guacamelee!And more.

Whether you’re a dog lover, a cat lover or a… whatever-Nidhogg-is lover, I hope you’ll grab a subway pass and take a ride with us!

Russian Subway Dogs

Spooky Squid Games Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$14.99

$13.49

The game is based on the stray dogs that live in the Moscow Metro. You can take orders from Proletaricat, while you steal food, cook bears, juggle vodka and much more. This game features both a long campaign as well as a play-and-pick-up arcade mode.

A new game from Spooky Squid Games, creators of the cult classic platforming slash ‘em up They Bleed Pixels.