Dogpile Blends Cute Dogs with Merge-Mania Like Suika Game

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Studio Folly has revealed Dogpile again with a new trailer, a light-hearted and absurd game that mixes the fun of merge puzzles with the planning of roguelike deckbuilders. Shown during the PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted 2025, the trailer leaned into its playful tone with a narrator asking: “So, you like dogs? Wouldn’t you be happier with a bigger hound?”

Dogpile draws inspiration from popular merge titles like Suika Game and blends that idea with the card-based strategy seen in games such as Balatro or Slay the Spire. The main idea is simple to understand but tricky to master. Players build a deck of dog cards and place them into a shared field called the bucket. When two of the same dogs touch, they instantly merge into a bigger one. The challenge is to control the tight space, chain merges together, and grow the largest dogs possible.

You then earn money during each run, which can be spent on upgrades or used at the Dog Wash, where dogs gain traits like Barky, Sleepy, Timid, or Cool. These traits interact with Dog Tags, powerful modifiers that change the way dogs behave or combine, allowing you to create different strategies.

Although the goal is to build the biggest dogs, the roguelike nature keeps the game difficult. Space fills up fast, and failed runs simply lead to another attempt, where meta-progression helps you grow stronger over time.

Dogpile will launch on PC via Steam, with the trailer promising a release before the end of 2025. A free demo has been available since last week, giving players a chance to try this chaos of a game for themselves.