The Root-Like

I see the root-like (Root Bear-like, yes it's a play on roguelike/light terminology) as a unique experience really only playable on Playdate. Root Bear came first and then Dragon Flagon from Toad. There's a cool one out there called Say When that's not published yet but involves grating parmesan for restaurant customers. 

PUP CUP is all about giving treats to dogs in the 1-minute(?) round, arcade, score-chaser vein. The first version I put out in December was very much trying to get a good game feel and was essentially Root Bear with dogs, mechanically-speaking. That mode is Classic mode in the Catalog release. 

What's New

I've added Borks mode now which looks to expand the traditional gameplay. The dogs will BARK! and if you hit the corresponding direction on the d-pad before you serve, you'll get a 3-second time extension. You can absolutely mash the buttons and succeed so it is low-skill, but I find that the more precise I am, the better I score. The standard gameplay does not pause. 

My goal was to keep this accessible but additive, so that the game can be fun for all ages. I'm hoping the 'funny dog game' is a hit with kids (in addition to all of us).

In this new release, there are also a Bunch of new dogs (and some more not-dogs) as well as a revamped UI. There will be, at a minimum, another update with leaderboards, stat-tracking and again more pups. I'm looking into supporting Hats and Holidays down the line. So! Grab the demo or get the game here or on Catalog

The Demo

The demo includes the new gameplay but only the initial 5 dogs (& friends). If you purchase the game, you get all the dogs and all future updates. At this time, Leaderboard support will of course only be in the Catalog version. 

If you have bought the game previously, you Should be able to access the new v1.1 download, but if not, let me know in the comments and I'll reach out with a copy!

Tips & Tricks

There are three Crank Zones. Idle, Fill and Serve. Push forward on your crank to enter the Fill zone. Note the variable speed from 1x-5x ! The Idle Zone is at the top and is a good place to rest. You pull the crank back towards yourself to enter the Serve zone which scores the current dog in Tail Wags.

A risky strategy is to keep the crank just below 270 degrees (horizontally towards you) and push it up to serve. This keeps the Fill zone at a constant 5x speed, but it can be easy to overshoot. 

Dogs score +3 / +5 / +7 points depending on how close you get to the starred Good Boy Zone. Friends score +11 if you hit the zone. If you fulfill a Bork request before you serve you extend your time by +3 seconds! 

Be careful not to go over the Good Boy Zone or you will Splat! and make a mess which only scores +1 and takes a little longer to clear.

And be Ultra sure to move out of the Serve zone once you've treated your current Dog. If you stay in the Serve zone when the next Dog shows up, they'll wind up with no treat and you'll end up with 0 Tail Wags.

Future Plans

This is the game I wanted to make. It expands the root-like gameplay and you get to give treats AND HEADPATS to dogs!

But there is always room to grow. The next pup-date will introduce leaderboards, stat-tracking and potentially a more challenging endless mode called Borks4Evah. I'm also teasing out how a Yappy Hour might function as a Daily. 

Additionally, we already have support for special holiday-themed backgrounds, but that will be a focus alongside Hats(?) Maybe? TBD but that sure would be cute.