Yet Another Research Dog

Yet Another Research Dog is an autobiographical casual game about a personified dog working as a researcher. Based on the experiences of a studio founder and other researchers, it follows a research dog who faces long-term pressure and unequal treatment. You take on the boss’s many jobs to earn enough for daily supplies while trying to avoid being fired, going hungry or being mentally worn down.

The research dog’s story

The game draws on an academic career shaped by years of study and work. The researcher takes paid jobs to help support their family, including working as a teaching assistant, doing hourly work and serving as a cashier. They also do other people’s assignments and attend a child’s parents’ meeting for pay.

At the research institution, a procrastinating Ph.D. mentor and two colleagues add to the difficulties: one colleague breaks the researcher’s equipment, while the other graduates using research data borrowed from them. The researcher eventually produces a dissertation considered good enough for Science, but the mentor keeps it for nine months. After continuing to work under pressure, the researcher gets the dissertation back untouched and is told it is ready for publication. They graduate, remember their lifelong ambition to become a scientist and use the dissertation to enter a research institution.

Along the way, the researcher experiences a breakup, a family member’s death, a childhood friend’s wedding and another friend’s company going public. A cousin six years younger has a child who grows old enough to sell girl scout cookies while the researcher is still waiting for a diploma.

Work and daily life

You manage everyday needs and distractions, including meals, sleep, laundry and traffic jams. Colleagues may offer help or cause trouble, while a neighbor may give you a nice gift. The game lasts 11 in-game days and takes about 1.5 hours to play; each day gets tougher, and new gameplay or systems appear every several days.

The game’s style

The protagonist is a dog, and all the other characters are cats or dogs. Nearly all the game’s elements are made from black-and-white lines, giving the world an apathetic and humorous tone. The research dog reflects on society in private, turning to their own thoughts as the sole audience and finding ways to turn sadness into comedy.

The tools in the game are based on real-world prototypes, with designed ways for you to operate them.