Dog in the Machine
2026
- puzzle
- strategy
- turn-based strategy (tbs)
- indie
- single player
The story
A tactical roguelite where you help an AutoDog escape a dystopian mecha-city and get back to their exiled humans. Teach the dog custom tricks to tackle strategic challenges through devastating chain reactions. Break the Machine in your path to freedom!
What it’s like
Dog in the Machine is a turn-based tactical roguelite from Studio Chahut and Goblinz Publishing, in which a robotic dog works its way through a mecha-city toward the humans it was separated from. I don't recognize it well enough to speak to its specifics, so this rests on its stated premise: a puzzle-minded strategy game where each run is a chain of small, deliberate choices. The mood reads as lonely and mechanical, a lone creature against a hostile machine landscape, with the emotional pull coming from a single loyal companion rather than a crowd of characters. Play is likely to feel patient and methodical, with the satisfaction arriving as a sudden cascade when a well-planned sequence of tricks sets off a run of destruction across a grid of obstacles. Expect the pleasure to lie in reading a board, committing to a plan, and watching it unravel or succeed in one rush. Its appeal should sit with players who enjoy indie tactics games, roguelite restarts that reward experimentation, and the quiet tension of trying again after a failed run. Achievement-hunters and fans of compact, systems-driven puzzles will likely find the most to savor here.
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