Who let the dogs out?
What They Say:
When Syd the Shiba Inu returns to Shiba Island after a ten-year absence, she sets off a chain of events that overturns the lives of all the dogs she had left behind. She gets back in touch with her old friend, Max, and along the way meets a mysterious Labrador retriever named Quei-Li. (What’s a Lab doing on the Island, anyway?) They are her only remaining allies as she tries to survive the past that made her leave the Island in the first place.
Your choices matter – there are multiple drastic ways to change the fate of Shiba Island, with 10+ variants depending on how you treat the dogs you meet along the way.
Content:
Judging by the title alone, you’d think that A Summer with the Shiba Inu would be an innocent game about adorable dogs doing adorable doggy things. Well, you’d be wrong. That’s not to say that you won’t find cute dogs or amusing moments. But what you will find an abundance of is regret, betrayal, and dog puns. So many dog puns! And it all revolves around one particular Shiba Inu, Syd. She has decided to return to her hometown of Tai-paw in Shiba Island. It’s been ten years since she’s last been here. Why did she leave? Why did she come back? Let’s find out, shall we?
As I mentioned, it’s been ten years since Syd has been home. She was living in the city of Toron-tail in Canine-da during that time. She had a cushy office job there. She’d play games such as “Beaglenetta 3” in her spare time for fun. She even had a really good friend. Yup, she was living the life. But in the back of her mind, she couldn’t forget what happened on Shiba Island. Those were crazy times. And she still had some unfinished business. One question remained on her mind – what ever happened to her brother? She plans to find out! On a side note, all the dog puns made me laugh. Maybe I’m just easily amused? Canine-da. Toron-tail. Tai-paw. Beaglenetta. And my personal favorite, OH MY DOG!!! I’m chuckling as I type these puns out, haha.
Back to the story! Syd’s main goal is to find out what happened to her brother. She’ll have to rely on an old friend, Max, and a Labrador retriever, Quei-Li, along the way. By the way, what’s a Labrador doing on an island of Shiba Inus? Suspicious, very suspicious. It’s not going to be easy to find the answers that she seeks either. The ghosts of her past come to haunt her and she must constantly relive that past in the ARinas. What’s an ARina? It’s a virtual arena where dogs do battle in order to determine their rank. It’s essentially a doggy battle royale. The better you do, the better your social standing is in the world. A prize of unlimited power awaits the dog with the highest ranking. We learn early on that ten years ago, that dog was Syd. She dominated the ARinas and obtained the highest ranking. She had it all. And yet she decided to leave. Too many bad memories. Too many regrets. The view at the top isn’t always the best.
Throughout the game, Syd has to face her past. She has to confront other dogs that she wronged. She has to suffer through the ARinas again. Will she make amends? Or will she make things worse? That’s up to you to decide. A Summer with the Shiba Inu is a visual novel. Not only will you be reading a whole bunch of dialogue, but every choice you make will have a consequence. How you treat the other dogs will either help you or bite you in the butt. Choose wisely! The game has multiple endings so if you come across one don’t like your first time around, you can always go back and try again. If you’re a completionist like me, you’ll be aiming for all the endings anyway. For the record, I got the bad ending on my first try. I clearly did not make the right choices! But that’s okay, I enjoyed immersing myself in the story over and over again. I don’t want to spoil too much but let’s just say all of the endings are pretty nuts. I also want to add that this game is fully voiced. Yup, you’ll hear all the barking you could ever want! It was quite amusing hearing barking sounds while I made my way through the text.
I thought it was charming that the dogs in the game acted like humans. They wore fashionable clothes, had jobs, and even used phones! I found it very entertaining. As is the case with a lot of visual novels, there’s not much in terms of graphics. Instead, beautiful still images do all the talking. And let me tell you, the imagery was definitely pretty. They were so vibrant and full of life. Hilariously, there were a few times in the story where random dogs would just walk around in the background. It was jarring, but oh so funny. I approve. Looking at cute doggies is always a plus, too. As for the soundtrack, it was nice. It’s nothing groundbreaking but it did a good job setting the mood in various parts of the story.
As this game is published by Ratalaika Games, it makes it a perfect pickup for all your trophy hunters out there! It won’t take you long to complete A Summer with the Shiba Inu, depending on your decision to read all the text or skip through it. Either way, it’s a fairly short game. You shouldn’t have any trouble achieving all the endings and racking up all the trophies. That platinum trophy is as good as yours!
In Summary:
A Summer with the Shiba Inu is a doggone fun time. The story was certainly unique and the multiple endings will keep you coming back for more. Well, that’s not true. The dog puns are what will keep you coming back. Okay, maybe it’s just me. I thought they were pawsome. I guess you’re probably getting tired of them by now, huh? Does that mean I’m in the doghouse? Haha! Dog puns for days! All jokes aside, this is probably one of the most amusing visual novels I’ve read this year. For the price, you’ll definitely be getting bang for your buck. And remember, it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. Don’t let your choices hound you for the rest of your life. Sorry, I couldn’t resist throwing in one more dog pun!
Grade: B
Publisher: Ratalaika Games
Developer: Quill Game Studios
Genre: Visual Novel
Age Rating: E for Everyone
Number of Players: 1
Release Date: June 26th, 2020
MSRP: $9.99
Platform: PlayStation 4 (Reviewed), Nintendo Switch, Xbox One
This review was done with a review copy provided by the publisher. We are grateful for their continued support.
