Shotdogs — Play Free Online

Throw the gun, then ride the recoil

Shotdogs is a one-button launch game by Alex Johansson, who also made 100% Golf. You wake up on a beach with a seagull in your face, and the nearest thing to throw at it happens to be your gun. That throw turns out to be fun, and the rest of the game is about flinging the gun as far as it will go across a chain of islands. It went live on Poki in April 2023 and works with a mouse or a touchscreen.

How to play

Everything happens with the left mouse button, or a tap on a phone or tablet. You throw the gun, then fire it in mid-air, and the recoil from each shot pushes it on. Timing is the whole skill: a click at the right moment earns a "Perfect!" message.

The air is not empty. Other seagulls, bouncy slimes and hot air balloons can all help launch the gun further. The game tracks each run's distance, airtime, bounces, loops, obstacles cleared and perfect shots, and keeps your best distance and best airtime.

The dog vendors

Cash is spent at the upgrade dogs. Three of them handle the core stats:

• Throw Dog improves the strength of your opening throw.
• Power Dog adds power to your gun.
• Ammo Dog gives you more bullets per run.

If you are short of cash, the vendor offers an advert as an alternative way to get an upgrade.

Guns and hats

Besides the Pistol, the launchers in the build include the Uzi, Golf Club, Flare Gun, Jelly Pistol, Catapult, Tuba, Banana, Phaser and Mustard Bottle. A separate hat shop, which greets you with "Welcome to Hatdogs!", sells cosmetic headwear such as Shades, a Fly Hat, a Viking, a Chef, a Trophy, a Pyramid, a Seagull, a Hotdog and a Wide Brim. Some items are locked until you reach a certain loop, and a Crown is billed as the ultimate achievement.

Islands and endless play

The goal is to reach all ten islands. There is also an Endless mode for chasing distance.

Tips

• Ammo upgrades are worth it: every extra bullet is another shot, and every shot is another push through the air.
• Aim for Perfect timing on each shot instead of clicking as fast as possible.
• Do not ignore the Throw Dog. A stronger opening throw gives every later shot a head start.