Stealth horror Survival horror Horror PS1 horror

CANINE

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Get your dog back from the pet-experiment lab. You have only a ball.

Platforms: PC, Switch, PlayStation, Xbox
Stores: Steam, GOG, itch.io
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (97% of 357 reviews)
Players: 1
Made by: Puko
Released: 2023

Get it on Steam GOG itch.io Nintendo eShop (Switch)PlayStation Store (PS5)Xbox (One, Series X|S)

What frightens A boy breaks into the building of a corporation that experiments on pets to get his kidnapped dog back, with no weapons, while a humanoid dog stalks him through dark storerooms and labs full of mutilated animals.
Content: gore, dead animals, animal experiments.

CANINE is a PSX-style horror game by Puko. A boy goes after his dog Tomy, kidnapped by a corporation that experiments on pets, and has to slip past a humanoid dog with nothing but Tomy's ball to throw.

About CANINE

CANINE is a first-person horror game by the solo developer Puko, released on Steam in May 2023 and since brought to Switch, PlayStation 5 and Xbox by Dolores Entertainment. It tells a deliberately B-movie story in a PSX look: low-poly models, grainy textures and harsh coloured light.

Your dog Tomy has been taken by an evil corporation that runs experiments on pets. You go into its building after him. There are no weapons in CANINE. All you carry is Tomy's ball, and a humanoid dog patrols the warehouses, labs and corridors.

Play is about stealth. You keep out of sight, listen for where the thing is, and throw the ball to pull it away from where you need to go. The building holds tanks of mutated creatures, a dog carcass torn open on the floor and blood trails leading down yellow-lit halls.

There are two endings depending on what you do. A score system with stars and a timer rewards faster, cleaner runs, and earning four stars unlocks a hardcore mode. The maker names Resident Evil, Silent Hill and Alien: Isolation as inspirations. It suits players who want a cheap, tight stealth horror game they can replay for a better score.

How to play CANINE

Enter the corporation's building to search for Tomy.
Move carefully and watch for the humanoid dog patrolling the halls.
Throw Tomy's ball to draw the creature away from your path.
Explore the labs and storerooms to find the way deeper.
Reach the end, then replay for a higher star score and the other ending.

Screenshots

A German Shepherd in the foreground while a dark figure stands at the end of a warehouse aisle of crates

Mutated creatures floating in green-lit specimen tanks

A dog's carcass torn open in a pool of blood on a concrete floor

A yellow-lit hall with gurneys and a blood trail leading to a red figure crouched by a door

Tips

You cannot fight back, so learn the creature's patrols before you move into open rooms.
Throw the ball where you want the creature to go, not near where you plan to hide.
Speed counts for the star rating, so a second run once you know the layout scores better.
Four stars unlock hardcore mode.