PlayStation Plus Just Quietly Added The Cutest, Most Chill Co-Op Game

There’s no shortage of fantastic co-op games these days. From the mega-popular Overcooked to the award-winning It Takes Two, players looking for a fun time while sitting on the couch with friends and family over the holidays have plenty of options to make sure everyone’s having fun.

For those who’ve played those games to death, however, PlayStation just added the perfect antidote. Phogs!, an adorable co-op puzzler from the four-person indie team Bit Loom Games, is free to play for PlayStation Plus subscribers. And it is well worth a download — especially for animal lovers who want a chill and aesthetically pleasing romp through some inventive two-player conundrums.

In Phogs!, players take control of a stretchy two-headed dog (think Nickelodeon’s CatDog, not The Socerer’s Stone) named Red and Blue. Each player takes control of one end of the canine companion, slithering across the environment and using its ability to grab things with its mouth and stretch to complete little challenges. It’s a deceptively simple premise that Bit Loom Games uses to introduce dozens of unique puzzles across three distinct worlds.

One of the most unique things about Phogs! is the ability to play with two players on just one controller. With the controls being as simple as they are (analog stick to move, the top shoulder button to grab items and bark, and the trigger stretch), two players can grab each end of the controller. It's a bit of novelty that works perfectly for new console adopters who may have forgotten to pick up a second controller. For those with two controllers, the game works as expected.

As a co-op experience, players have to consider how they’ll work in tandem to progress every step of the way. One platforming challenge will have them using their stretchy body and Herculean bite to coordinate a daring swing across a chasm. Next, you’re using your tubular body to repair a gardener’s broken hose. In the serene Sleep-themed world, players have to use the light of a miniature Moon to activate and deactivate platforms and lights. However, one player grabbing the moon means the light will shine through the other’s panting mouth.

The entire game is full of these cause-and-effect mechanics and outside-the-box problems that only this weird little guy can fix. It’s a smartly designed puzzler that will make players communicate in really fun ways to start. And as you and your partner get used to thinking as a single happy-go-lucky organism, there’s a weird zen that can take over. The wonky physics of the world adds a fun layer of unpredictability to the game is amusing for both kids and adults.

Tying this one all together is the game’s look. It’s a colorful, friendly world that looks like a cross between Pendleton Ward’s Adventure Time and Keita Takahashi’s experimental Nobi Nobi Boy. Objects and animal companions alike are all smiles. Bosses are just derpy enough to diffuse any sense of actual threat. And of course, the titular Phog (or Phogs?) are some of the cutest dogs in all of gaming. There’s a timelessness to its look that will make it endlessly appealing. If you have a soft spot for four-legged friends, Phogs! might be worth the download just to see this endearing dog in action.

Phogs! is an underappreciated gem that flew under the radar when it was released in 2020. It’s the perfect co-op gem, especially for those looking for something as charming and family-friendly as some of the most popular games in the genre. With a few months before the excellent-looking Split Fiction (from the creators of It Takes Two) and Stage Fright (from Overcooked’s Ghost Town Games) releases, I wholeheartedly recommend players fill the co-op void with Bit Loom Games’ Phogs!