Would you like to live in a world full of sunshine, flowers and rainbows? Where you are supported and affirmed? Then you need to play A Corgi’s Cozy Hike!
Two Backstories!
The first backstory is personal. I played the demo for A Corgi’s Cozy Hike months ago, before I joined the LadiesGamers team. I loved it and put the game into my impossibly huge wish list. And there it sat. Recently, I remembered it and decided to replay it and write this article, so you can learn about it too!
As for the demo backstory, I played as a Corgi! I arrived by boat onto an island where Corgis were rare. But I was told there used to be more of them on the island. The Corgis even built statues where it’s said that you can make a wish and it will be granted. There was a King Corgi Statue which was pointed out to me. Time to explore! Maybe I’ll find that statue and get to make a wish.
The Look and Feel of A Corgi’s Cozy Hike
The island I arrived on was a fantastically colorful and happy place. There were so many great things happening there. A Corgi’s Cozy Hike is an open-world 3D adventure. I could go anywhere I wanted, whenever I wanted. Near the boat dock where I arrived was the Tourism Desk, where I could choose what type of adventure I wanted to go on. Did I want to explore freely, or did I want a checklist? Did I need hints of what to do first? So many options to make the gameplay of A Corgi’s Cozy Hike exactly what I wanted. Loved that!!
I was able to walk, run, bounce, pee on hydrants, jump from palm tree to palm tree and “butt slam” in A Corgi’s Cozy Life. With the exception of walking, I was taught each of these mechanics one at a time, as I needed to use them. Learning as I go is my preferred method of tutorial, so I don’t get overwhelmed. (Although I discovered I could jump from palm tree to palm tree on my own!) The environment really is full of sunshine, flowers and rainbows! In fact, the flowers start as seedlings, but when I go into water and then come back out, I water them by dripping on them, and they grow into huge flowers! That’s something I haven’t seen before, and I really like it!
I can dig for bones as well as open a bunch of cool-looking chests that are scattered about. In both cases, I receive dog treats! Yum. I can pee on fire hydrants, which marks my territory, as well as expanding my map. There is also a great mini-game obstacle course in A Corgi’s Cozy Hike, as well as many areas to explore. I played the demo for 45 minutes and didn’t find everything! I should mention that the demo does not have a save feature, so I’d recommend you budget at least an hour to complete it.
A Corgi’s Cozy Life is very affirming, too. I was always told that I could achieve what I wanted. At one point, I was teased by some cats because they could climb steep walls with their claws, and they assumed I could not. Another cat jumped in and stood up for me. She told me that she had lost one of her legs in an accident and now had a prosthesis, but she could do nothing. She told me not to give up, to believe in myself and she told those mean cats to leave me alone. Later, I got the ability to climb walls, and that showed those cats!
The Gameplay of A Corgi’s Cozy Hike
The game does not have a day/night cycle, combat or energy requirements. It’s very chill and accompanied by a happy, cheerful soundtrack. There are some very high plateaus on the island, which I learned how to reach with a special type of climbing. I fell off once but didn’t get hurt, I discovered a whole new area of the island!
In general, I don’t like platformers, and Steam has this game tagged as a platformer. But the demo utilizes easy, no-risk platforming, which I’m fine with. There is no penalty if you don’t hit your mark, and honestly, it’s pretty easy to hit it. And I’m someone who is really bad at platforming! I spoke with one of the game devs and was told that the platforming will get a little more challenging as the game progresses, but it’s still not terribly hard. They have seen players naturally improve as they progress in the game and master the particular types of platforming it contains.
There are many things to do in A Corgi’s Cozy Hike. I rescued lost dogs and brought them back to the dog rescue area on the island to keep them safe. There was one Corgi statue that I had to find; there are many more in the full game. Each statue would grant me a wish from a menu of options. I could swing on a lovely swing with ropes made of flowers. I could butt slam a special device which released yummy dog treats. There were squeaky toys that I could find and play with. I could poop (!!), as well as eat it, because that’s what some dogs do! Seriously though, I was told by a dev that that feature was actually added to the game at the request of game players! Later in the game, I can trade my dog biscuits for costumes and game hints. I can even ride a gondola to the top of a mountain! There were just so many wonderful things to do in A Corgi’s Cozy Hike.
A Game with a Mission
The game devs, Scalisco, care deeply about animals. 10% of the profits from A Corgi’s Cozy Hike are donated to shelters to sponsor rescue dogs. Scalisco has created two other games (Rescue Pets and Rock Miner), and between the 3 games and merch, they have raised and donated over $30,000 and helped over 30 dogs find their forever homes. Isn’t that wonderful?
I found a bulletin board which contained a dev diary, which was heartwarming to read and a lot of fun to find. It described their commitment to rescuing dogs and even has photos of them.I believe there are many more of these in the full game, hidden for me to find.
Adding to the collection of affirmations in the game is the following screenshot. I had climbed up a large hill and ran into the edge of the demo. Look at the message I found! I love it!
A Corgi’s Cozy Hike is heartwarming, super fun to play and benefits a great cause. I hope you give the demo a try. If you enjoy it, the game is available for purchase on Steam, too. Happy hiking!
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