The Dog Island was released in 2007 for the PS2 and Wii, developed by Yuke's and published by Ubisoft. Yuke's has a pretty strange track record as far as development history goes having predominantly developed wrestling games featuring licenses like WWE and New Japan Pro as well as both Rumble Roses and Rumble Roses XX for Konami. A licensed title based on The Dog, the cute big-headed fish-eye-lens puppy photography that was a brief trend in the US in the 2000s (well, enough of a trend to get a Happy Meal toy at least), The Dog Island is one of few The Dog video games created and one of the only ones to leave Japan. The Dog itself is a Japanese franchise created by Artlist and received a few other game-related doodads like some Japan exclusive 3DS themes according to Wikipedia.

Back on track, The Dog Island is essentially an action RPG where you play as a cute dog (you choose the breed and fur color from a list of options) on a quest to save your terminally ill sibling (either a brother or sister, once again your choice) by leaving your home town of Puroro for the titular The Dog Island in an effort to find the esteemed Dr. Potan and subsequently seeking a cure for your brother or sister's illness. This plot, in tandem with the cute visuals and nostalgic music, gives The Dog Island a very strange atmosphere that's one part soft and sweet and another part oddly moving. There's something about the looming shadow of mortality that haunts The Dog Island paired with the gentle, dreamy soundtrack that has a very moody and melancholic atmosphere, like shivering from a spring breeze. It's a very beautiful, bittersweet feeling that pops up now and then in Japanese media and I'm always equally happy and sad to see and feel it.

Incidental NPC dialog is often like something out of an NES era RPG, brief blurbs of random chatter, sometimes informative and sometimes funny, but ultimately cryptic enough to give it an enjoyably retro flavor. Little bits of player-dog-lore stand out and give pause, like when a dog in Pupsville mentions learning about Puroro Town's festival from "a dog who looked a lot like you" in reference to your deceased father. Oh yeah, did I mention your dad is dead? Your dad is dead. Your dad died embarking on an adventure not too dissimilar from the one you're embarking on in this game. Your poor mom has a lot at stake in all of this.