Keane Ng wants everyone to know first and foremost that his studio, Foxdog Farms, is neither a farm nor a dog. Thanks Keane. Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s get to the game: Year of the Dog is a “slice of life” simulator that places you in the shoes of a know-nothing dog sitter who must care for his partner’s Shiba Inu over the course of a year. This all seems fairly mundane - that is, until you take a closer look into the surprisingly interesting universe that Keane Ng has concocted.
The Year of the Dog is set in San Francisco and structured as an epistolary novel, meaning in this case that the plot is revealed through e-mail correspondences between the player and the dog owner. The game is set to include 12 vignettes about various aspects of dog ownership - one for each month of the year - which is intended to simulate the various trials, tribulations, and joys of dog ownership. Keane Ng says that the game is designed to encourage players to learn more about your Shiba companion throughout the game, and maybe learn something about yourself along the way:
According to Foxdog Farms, players will be able to explore areas of San Francisco’s Outer Richmond district with their new friend, which includes real-to-life locales such as Sutro Baths, Land’s End, and more. Along the way, players will encounter other dogs, their owners, and a variety of local weirdos to interact and become familiar with:
Though Foxdog Farms states that Year of the Dog will focus primarily on atmosphere and story elements, each of the game’s 12 chapters will include mini-game interludes in which players take control of the Shiba to do, you know, dog things:
Although no solid date has been announced for release, Foxdog Farms plans to release Year of the Dog for PC, Mac, and Linux next year. Until then, we will follow its development and announce updates as they occur.
