Dog Adventure Games

What makes an adventure game

On Dog Arcade, an adventure game is one where the level itself is the challenge. You have a destination, obstacles between you and it, and freedom to choose how you get there. Score still matters, but finishing a level is the real reward. These games are usually slower than runners and give you time to look around before you commit to a move.

Four different adventures

• Puppy Adventure is a side-scrolling platformer with short levels. You control both movement and jumps, collect bones, and avoid spikes, thorns, gaps and walking critters on the way to the finish flag.
• Dog House Escape is tile-based and thoughtful. The dog moves one tile at a time, keys open doors, later rooms add boxes to push, and you can press R to restart a room when you get stuck. It is the most puzzle-like game on the site.
• Puppy Rescue gives each level a mission: find lost puppies, lead them to the dog house, and keep your little group clear of moving cars, rolling barrels and water.
• Puppy Maze generates a new maze each time. Collect bones, find the exit and aim for a quick finish, with moving obstacles appearing in later mazes.

Skills they reward

Adventure games reward looking before moving. In Dog House Escape a single wrong push can block a door, so thinking two or three steps ahead pays off. Puppy Rescue and Puppy Maze are about route planning and reading moving hazards. Puppy Adventure is the most reflex-based of the four, but even there it helps to pause and watch a critter's pattern. Our guide on avoiding obstacles applies to all of them.

Who they suit

Planners and puzzle fans will feel at home here, as will anyone who prefers a clear goal to an endless score chase. Because levels are small, you can play one or two and stop without losing much. Dog House Escape and Puppy Maze work well with swipes on a phone, since movement is step-based or grid-based. Puppy Adventure is easiest on a keyboard; see keyboard controls for browser arcade games for the usual key layouts.

Where to start

If you like platformers, begin with Puppy Adventure. If you prefer thinking to jumping, go straight to Dog House Escape and take your time on the first rooms. Puppy Maze on Easy is a relaxed warm-up for anyone, and Puppy Rescue is a good follow-up once you are comfortable steering around moving hazards. How game difficulty progression works explains what to expect as levels get harder.