Product Info

Platform

Switch, Xbox Series X, PC

Publisher

Serenity Forge

Developer

Serenity Forge

Genre

Dance/Rhythm

Players

1

File Size (Minimum)

3 GB

Release Date (NA)

Aug 20, 2026

Purchase From

eShop

Microsoft Store

Steam

Epic Games

Home » Puppergeist (Review)

Puppergeist is a rhythm journey into the Doogie Underworld where you’ll engage in entertaining rhythm-based mini-games with creative visuals, but the journey stops too soon.

Pawful Memories

You’ll play as Claire, a witch on a journey to find her lost dog named Pup in the Doogie Underworld. During your travels, you’ll encounter many dogs that require your rhythm skills before finding where your lost dog is while also listening to their heartbreaking stories.

It’s a well-written story with fun and colorful characters. Claire showcases herself as a kindhearted witch who will go to any length to find her lost Pup. You’re accompanied by a demon named Lunne, whom you’ll meet and aid you to find your lost dog. The dogs you’ll encounter in each level carry a unique personality that you’ll grow attached to and even more so to their backstories. These stories pulled my heartstrings, even for those who are cat lovers. There are a few creative dialogues, mainly in the last stage of the game, that added some comical moments in the story while carrying its emotion.

Paws Ready

Mini-games are uniquely different from each stage and all require players to listen to a specific rhythm and focus visually. For example, you’ll play a catch game with one of the dogs in the underworld, where you’ll need to bat it at the right tempo. Different balls create different rhythms, so you need to pay attention to what’s being thrown. There’s also a tug-of-war mini-game where you need to match the beat based on the music. However, the rhythm changes based on the dog’s bark or howl. These games can be disorienting, but a tutorial is provided for each stage before you begin playing. The tutorial will continue playing until you demonstrate a high level of understanding of how to play.

Mini-games themselves last a few minutes, and most levels contain no more than three mini-game stages each. There’s a total of five levels, making it a quick journey to find your lost pup. It’s a bit sad since I was hoping to play more of Claire’s journey.

The game’s options to recalibrate is a helpful feature when jumping from different devices or screens. Playing on the Nintendo Switch 2, the game runs smoothly and doesn’t run into any issues with lagging. The only personal issue I encountered was understanding the mini-game rules during the tutorial, even after completing it a few times.

One feature that feels missing is the ability to choose levels that you’ve completed. To go back, you have to guide Claire backward. It becomes a dreadful journey back if you are on the last level and want to replay the first level. The option to choose a level should be available to players. Hopefully an update in the future can fix this missing piece.

More gameplay options can potentially enhance the game’s depth, especially given the short time of the story. For example, play as different characters, high score challenges, or change the difficulty. There’s a lot of potential in Puppergeist, and I’m hoping more will come.

For a price tag of $4.99 USD, it’s a good deal for a howling short journey.

Visually Pawsome

The visual presentation is full of fun, adorable, and vibrant for an underworld theme. The vibrant designs enhance the enjoyment of playing mini-games. Claire’s character design is fun, with her hair resembling dog ears, and her colored outfit suits her overall look. Lunne’s demonic characteristics also make this character a cute sidekick, from the outfit to the single horn sticking from the head. I’d like to see future options for Lunne as a playable character since you’re only using Claire throughout the game.

Animation also helps carry the visual style and, at times, make it even cuter. Towards the end of a mini-game of fetch, you’ll see Claire teary-eyed, and the dog you’re playing with will jump towards the background, disappear for a few seconds, and reappear in Claire’s corner while comforting her. The visual appeal is simple but splendid. It’s one of the best-looking creative games, and I want more.

The Final Paw

Puppergeist delivers a pawsitively charming rhythm adventure with wonderful visuals, creative mini-games, and heartwarming stories that’ll tug your heartstrings. Its short journey and limited replay options leave it a little ruff around the edges, but there’s plenty of good boy goodness to enjoy.

A Nintendo Switch review code provided by the publisher. Puppergeist is available now for the Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Fans can visit the game’s official website for more information and purchasing options.