Gravhounds is a co-op wave shooter where you play as a dog with a human body. That is the pitch. That is also the reason you should probably try it.
The game is running a free weekend playtest on Steam, and it ends Monday. All you need to do is click the “join playtest” button on its page, and you, too, can be a dog who thinks he’s people and also is people.
What You Actually Play
The game borrows its structure from Helldivers, but it does not play like it. The home base spaceship setup is familiar, but the shooting is fun. The movement feels good, especially gliding across networks of buildable cables.
There is also a light resource mining and tower defense element. You collect resources by hucking them across the map with a gravity gun, which is satisfying — though the writer warns against doing it with explosive materials.
Why Dogs Work
The dog characters are the headline, but they are not the joke. They are the hook. The writer admits the particular dog people are a bit unsettling, and compares the feeling to Fox in the Star Fox remake.
The question is whether that hook works. Would you have tried Gravhounds if the characters looked like Helldivers 2 soldiers? The writer is not sure. But the writer does like that when you respawn, you come back wearing a cone of shame.
Maybe a worn-down, dissociating blue collar dog guy is just what you need to get people in the door.
Hands Under Those Gloves
The writer raises a specific detail: are the gloves paws that have morphed into hand shapes, or do they cover regular human hands? It is a small question, but it captures the absurdity of the premise.
The game is an unreleased early access title, and the playtest is free for the next few days. The writer describes it as well put-together.
Comparing the Wave Shooters
| Game | Premise | Core Mechanic |
|---|---|---|
| Helldivers 2 | Soldiers fighting waves of aliens | Co-op shooting and home base management |
| Gravhounds | Dogs with human bodies fighting waves | Co-op shooting, cable gliding, gravity gun |
The comparison helps explain why the Helldivers setup works here. Gravhounds does not reinvent that wheel, but it does not need to.
A Reason to Try It
The playtest runs through Monday. The writer’s own verdict is that the game worked on him, even if the dog people were unsettling.
The resource mining and tower defense elements have potential. The shooting is fun. The movement feels good.
It is an early access title, and it is borrowing a lot from Helldivers. But the dog people are memorable, and the gameplay holds up.
If you have a few hours this weekend and you want to see what the fuss is about, the playtest is free. Just remember not to throw explosives with the gravity gun.
The game has to stand out in today’s crowded industry. Sorta like Helldivers 2 except dog people worked on me.
Source material: “It's tough to stand out in today's games industry, but 'sorta like Helldivers 2 except dog people' worked on me,” PC Gamer.
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