You blink. You rub your eyes. You look around. “Oh crap,” you realize, “I’m at a party.”
Pet The Pup At The Party is a game even the most mildly introverted among us can identify with. You’re at a party (a procedurally generated party that seems to take place in an infinite apartment, no less), and the idea of sputtering your way through small talk with strangers is like un-clipped nails across the chalkboard of your soul. But then, while awkwardly staring at the ground, you see a dog toy, and it fills you with hope. For where there are dog toys, there must also be dogs.
The goal of the game is simple: seek out and pet as many dogs as possible before time runs out. Each time you pet a dog, you gain a bit more time, and its name and face are added to your Good Dog Gallery. The party labyrinth, however, is long, winding, and overrun with clones of that one guy who shows up to every party and decides it’s a great idea to play a 12-minute rendition of “Wonderwall” on an acoustic guitar. You’ve got to look and listen for any signs of dogs. Otherwise, you’ll open the wrong doors and find yourself surrounded by randos. Eventually you get to go home:
It’s not a particularly complex game, but it’s cute and soothing. You can grab it for free on Itch.io.