About the Game

Big Bad Dogs is a psychological horror visual novel and dating sim set in 2009. Players take on the role of a woman working the night shift at Mad Dog Convenience, a run-down 24-hour store. The gameplay involves interacting with strange customers, dealing with an infuriating coworker, and uncovering a bloodstained timeline. The game combines psychological horror, romance, and the mundane rhythm of a late shift. Players explore the convenience store, complete small tasks, talk with characters, and notice details that challenge their memory of events. The story unfolds through memories and timelines, prompting players to connect the past with the unsettling truth of the present. The setting is grounded in the reality of a convenience store, with its counter, stockroom chores, repeat customers, and workplace friction, which amplifies the impact of the darker moments.

Key Features

• Extensive Content: Features 235K words of content, offering approximately 10–15 hours of gameplay, with variations based on reading speed and route exploration.
• Multiple Love Interests: Includes three distinct love interests, exploring themes of romance where affection can become possessive.
• Meaningful Choices: Player decisions significantly impact relationships, unlock or miss scenes, and influence the branching narrative.
• Intuitive Navigation: Simple click-to-explore mechanics allow players to interact with the environment, complete tasks, and discover hidden details.
• Deep Lore: Optional NPC conversations and an unraveling timeline provide deeper insights into the game's world and the protagonist's past.

Characters and Love Interests

• Lane: The protagonist's sexist and misogynistic coworker, whose bad jokes and big mouth may hide more complex motivations.
• Biker Boy (BB): A regular customer who is calm, polite, and unsettlingly serious, making him difficult to read.
• Amelia: An intelligent and independent friend who is outspoken and seemingly always in control.
• Red Biker (Red): A character whose identity is not remembered by the protagonist.
• RJ: The store manager, primarily known through Post-it notes as he is rarely present at the store.

Gameplay and Replayability

The core gameplay loop involves reading, making choices, inspecting the environment, and paying close attention to details. Big Bad Dogs is driven by dialogue, exploration, and decision-making rather than fast-paced action. Players are encouraged to explore the store thoroughly during available opportunities, as tasks and optional conversations can reveal more about the setting and its inhabitants. A blind first playthrough is recommended to fully experience the mystery. The game's length, multiple love interests, optional conversations, and branching choices provide ample reason for replayability, allowing players to delve deeper into specific characters or piece together more of the timeline.

Technical Information

The game is playable online via an embedded HTML5 build in modern desktop or mobile browsers. Downloadable builds for Windows, Linux, and macOS are available through the creator's itch.io page. The site also provides links to the creator's itch.io page and other relevant resources.