Buck is an Aussie Metroidvania adventure about a dog

People love dogs. It is difficult to dislike dogs because there are many different kinds. Somewhere in the world there is a breed of dog for you. But if you want a dog that walks on its hindlegs like a human, can punch, lives in a desert and is capable of solving mysteries and puzzles, you may struggle.

That's where Buck comes in. It's a 2D Metroidvania adventure currently in development by Australian studio Wave Interactive. The game asks you to "help Buck discover what happened to his love while encountering the strange and dangerous inhabitants of Cordova Desert." The game takes place in a "hand drawn post apocalyptic" world, where Buck will fend off enemies with all manner of clever bells and whistles, including his fists. Exploration is apparently a core component of the game, as is conversing with many of the colourful characters you encounter along the way.

Most interesting is the 'mechanic' ability though, which allows Buck to build and fix objects throughout Cordova. This will tie into a customisation system which allows control over things like a weapon's reload speed and damage. Overall, Buck looks like a potentially awesome mix of Metroidvania and point and click adventure.

If this sounds appealing you might want to throw your spare change at the Buck Kickstarter campaign , which has currently raised just under $12,000 of its $75,000 goal. The game is expected to release for PC in May 2015. Check out the trailer below.

While you're in the mood for Kickstarter-funded Aussie games, check out this story on Hand of Fate .

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.