Revealed at today's OTK Games Expo, Bandai Namco has announced that Doronko Wanko, a game which stars the most adorable pomeranian we think we've ever seen, is coming to Switch in Spring 2025.
To the British people reading this, yes, okay, stop chuckling in the back. The game's name actually derives from わんこ Wan ko, which is an informal or cute way of saying dog or puppy in Japanese. Kids use it a lot. And come on, the puppy in this game is pretty darn cute.
Alright, with that out of the way, what is Doronko Wanko? The game launched on Steam back in March 2024 and has received over 3,000 reviews, sitting at "Overwhelmingly Positive". It's entirely free (we don't expect that to be the case on Switch), and was one of three games to be released on the same day from the company's 2023 new recruits training program.
It's a sort of sandbox game where you need to make your owner's house as messy as possible, and not just with mud. Juice, ketchup, and paint can add some colour, and you can even use household appliances to spread the muck.
Your score is a cleaning and repairs bill, and you can even dress up your little pomeranian in cute cosmetics. Look, butter wouldn't melt in this little one's mouth — they can make the house as messy as they want.
You won't just be able to play as a pom, either. When the game launches on Switch, you'll have access to a number of dog breeds on day one. Can there be too much cuteness in one game? Have a look at the trailer (at around 23:30) to see what we mean.
Have you played Doronko Wanko on Steam? Will you be getting this on Switch next year? Bark in the comments and let us know.
Comments 21
The Pokémon Rockruff in Japanese is “I-Wanko”
finally a dog game with cat game energy. And ofcourse it’s a pomeranian!
@Munchlax brilliant
Wanko …. 👀
What on earth…
Sometimes it's a good idea to have different names in different regions...just saying...
We're thinking of getting another cat. At least now I don't need to worry about what to call it... that's all sorted now.
This looks really cute/fun, and being free (or, well, if not free then I can't imagine the Switch version being particularly pricey) makes it even better.
Also... I have access to Steam now, so I may pull this one off the store.
Wanko... Well I thought I had a sophisticated level of humour, but it turns out I don't.
It has the name humor of asso wipo every time I read it.
This seems amazing. Just impeccable vibes and you're just some weird dog that messes things up? This is, like, that vintage Namco bonkers vibe, from back when it seemed like they just released a Mr. Driller or a Katamari or some other oddball idea every other month.
I enjoyed it but it was like 20-30min max. Anything above 1.99EUR on Switch would be wild.
Looks like absolute wanko
For anyone that doesn't get it, Wanko (わんこ) is a cute word for dog, similar to 'doggy' in English. Doronko (泥んこ) translates as "muddy" or "covered in mud".
Edit: oh they actually acknowledged it in the article. So, I should have read the article more thoroughly first (as should everyone else, I guess?)
BBFC: Classified 12 for moderate language
It’s only natural to have a bit of a Doronko Wanko after a few beers with the lads.
Gee...free on Steam. Guess where I'll be playing it!
Why is it that Namco, Capcom, and Nintendo are the only AAA publishers left that understand you need to teach the fresh meat how to make a game before you can set them loose on the big stuff? Capcom has that Osaka college program, and Nintendo uses remakes and New Super Mario Bros to teach it's new staff. Namco meanwhile does these training nonsense games, going back to the days of at least the PS2 with Katamari Damacy. That's the funny part about the Katamari story people always leave out, Namco milked it because it was a GREAT teaching tool for new staff, and it's what convinced the creator to come back for a sequel at all in the end.
Ubisoft also has their thing in Montreal, but that's a tax evasion scheme that floods the industry with people that only know how to make Assassin's Creed. So it sucks.
Wanko the Sane 🙂
@Ooyah Whatever you named the cat, this is what you would have called it when it was naughty anyway.
Does this mean that soon we'll be seeing dozens of children playing with their Wankos at the dinner table?
Write to your local MP today, citizens!
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