Paws & Effect: My Dogs Are Human!
A downloadable game for Windows, macOS, and Linux
Sadie is a young woman standing at one of life's early crossroads - namely, figuring out what to do with the rest of it. Ambivalent about her career aspirations and recovering from a recent breakup, she is a soul adrift in a sea of uncertainty. But hey, at least she has her dogs for emotional support, quirky as they are. If only they were people, capable of really understanding...
As the old saying goes, be careful what you wish for.
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Paws & Effect features a small, but colorful cast of characters, including but not limited to the following:
 | The Unwitting Heroine(Default Name: Sadie)An aspiring lawyer, Sadie is intelligent and caring, albeit with a sardonic impulse. She's unsure about her life's direction -- and doubly so when the whole thing goes off the rails. Beset by problems new and old, how will she keep it together? |
 | The Best Friend(Forever Name: Diya)Sadie's good friend from college, Diya is just as ready to help out as she is to throw shade. With her sharp instincts, she knows something is up - and she won't let Sadie leave her in the dark about her new "friends". Whether she can handle the truth is another matter... |
 | The Ex-Boyfriend(Forever Name: Vincent)Sadie is still recovering from her break-up with Vincent, her skinny Australian boyfriend for the last year. Things seemed to be great until they discovered their diverging opinions about keeping pets, which prompted the separation, but old flames sometimes burn longest... assuming her dogs don't snuff it out. |
 | The Lonely Prince(Default Name: Peaches)With a subdued demeanor and thoughtful gaze, Peaches is the more intellectual-seeming of Sadie's dog duo. Or maybe he just has the lax hubris of a creature that's been spoiled with treats and cuddles. He doesn't really care either way. |
 | The Warrior Princess(Default Name: Pecan)Intensely loyal and obviously needy, Pecan is a girl's best friend - as long as you stay out of her war path. Her obsessive love for Sadie is matched only by her distaste for Peaches, but her true fixation is the sky and all the evil it harbors. Y'know, birds, planes, space. |
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A lot! Since its submission to NaNoRenO 2016, Paws & Effect has received substantial changes, including:
- A complete rebuilding inside a new engine (from Novelty to TyranoBuilder)
- Completely new, hand-drawn backgrounds
- A new logo and branding
- Completely redrawn character sprites
- Completely revamped music and sound effects
- A host of animated details
- New characters
- Revised and expanded scenes
- A focused number of choice options that meaningfully affect in-game events
- Over 50,000 words across multiple paths and 5 distinct endings
- A robust episode and choice select feature
- Improved technical stability
- Several hundred "light" voice clips from professional voice-actors
- Greater platform spread (browser, Windows, Mac, and hopefully mobile)
And the list goes on! But don't take our word for it - give the new demo a spin to see our long toil in action.
We thank everyone who has supported us for the last three years! We're excited to present a new and improved Paws & Effect and hope that you find the game relatable, heartwarming and fun. As always, we welcome your thoughts and feedback.
NOTE: 20% of all sales will be donated to the ASPCA. We will provide receipts here and via our Twitter account for accounting purposes. So have fun and help animals at the same time!
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $4.99 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Download demo
Development log
- International Dog Day 2020 Sale!Aug 28, 2020
- Version 2.0 Released!Feb 28, 2020
- Updated Demo!Nov 25, 2019
- Paws & Effect is Ready for Adoption!Nov 22, 2019
- New Feature: Choice SelectNov 18, 2019
- Paws & Effect Releases 11/21!Nov 12, 2019
- New Demo for 2019!Jan 06, 2019
- Full Release Slightly DelayedDec 20, 2018
Comments
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can is it possible to me add the game to my account ?
A great visual novel with some lovely graphics. The only real problem was that occasionally some chapters refused to load (and had to close the program and load a save)
Rest in pepsi max pecan
The extra polish that went into the design of Paws and Effect was evident from the opening title through every scene once this light-hearted game had begun. As the game advertises, the main plot really begins when the protagonist's two pet dogs suddenly transform into human versions of themselves. I enjoyed the humor and perspective of the two dogs, observing the world in human form still from a dog-like perspective. I enjoyed the writing because it was obvious the writer was having fun with the concept and knew it was funny without trying too hard to make it so.
I felt like there was a balance between choices in the game that altered events and choices that had only a few different sentences ascribed to them. I played through different situations several times, picking different choices. Sometimes only a few references were made briefly to my choices, yet in other situations, an entire sequence with new characters occurred. There are 3 possible endings, which each have their own separate outcome, and I liked the menu options to restart from different branches and change previous elements so I could try everything.
I found the game very enjoyable and light-hearted, with a contrast between the realism of every-day life and the supernatural. This made the game relatable and intriguing, because I wanted not only to see how the protagonist would handle the dog people and their antics, I also wanted to know why it all happened in the first place. I'm glad the answer didn't feel like an afterthought. Paws and Effect had great presentation, style, flow, and just the right amount of comedic seasoning to make it fun to play through on a lazy afternoon. Thanks, Shimmersoft!
Hi there. I hope it's okay for me to ask you this question here: I remember seeing a Shimmersoft comment on reddit about a work in progress called Amorous Butler (and a character in it called Dionys), and I was very excited about it, as Otome games with dominant fem MCs/sub male LIs are quite rare. I'd just like to know if the project was dropped ? Thanks in advance for the answer.
Hey there! We appreciate you asking! That game does still exist, although it's still in early drafting stages (and has undergone some major conceptual changes since we mentioned it on reddit). The dominant MC is still very much present, though, ha. We're trying to close up development on RE4: Otome Edition, but rest assured there is work happening in the background on some other otome games! We hope you'll stick with us until then!
This is a real nice VN..I could play this a thousands times..And it's got cuteness factor rated in 1000% or more..ha. I gave 5 star rating..Thank you for creating this..I look forward into the next update..And more to see what happens with rest of story. 400 thumbs up!!! (P.S. I would recommend people should donate to your work and creative) I love this!!! Thanks again...
Hi Dragonz20,
Thank you so much for the very kind feedback and rating! We're really happy you enjoyed the new demo so well. We're working hard to get the full game done by no later than March, so you won't have to wait too much longer! In the meantime, we'd appreciate it if you shared the link to the demo with anyone you know who likes cute things, ha.
Thanks for reply..And I am relieved to hear there is more coming..I was looking into more cute VN's..I am glad there was a VN with more on the cute side of things (pets splash of humor etc etc)..If I had the funds..Would so recommend to donate towards your beautiful work with this..To further see this VN and have many people like this besides me hehe..
We like to think of it as "crude wholesomeness", ha. We're really glad that the tonality struck a cord with you; we wanted something that is quirky and lighthearted - antithetical to all the Game of Thrones and Walking Deads out there (those have their place, of course, but all the grimdark does get tiring, ha). And while we're certainly not opposed to people throwing money at us, your kind words are enough to keep us motivated to finish (that, and because we have more games to write, which hopefully you'll also enjoy!). Granted, if anyone else has some spare money to throw at us, be our guest. Our savings don't replenish themselves!
Oh, I'm looking forward to this so much! I mostly play VNs for romance aspect but both of your games (this and RE one... oh my, finally Leon's hotness got acknowledged in a otome-ish kinda game) are so well written and hilarious that even if there's not a tiny bit of romance just jokes and puns I'd enjoy it nonetheless.
Thanks for the kind words, Otofan! We're really happy to be able to share some laughs with you, and will do our best to ensure the final products deliver. We have other VNs in the works that are more romance oriented that you'll hopefully enjoy going into next year.
no, no, no, this is a site speaks that the game it is still being distributions ;|
Okay, I'm going to trow good sense over the window one second and ask: Is there human x human romance involved with one of them at some point?I mean, this looks like a dating sim so I want to be sure what's going to be go on here.I mean, they are her dogs. But they're also magically attractive people (more so in the final version compared to the demo). There's definitely room for some... confusion. Is that romance? We'll leave it at that for now, ha.
I know I know. x_x It's just that sometimes, in these fictions, the non humans grow and develop human intelligence and will along the plot, and so, relationship evolve (I mean look at the raven in the Maleficent movie). BUT not that into anything else but human x human! Just to clarify. Okay sorry for asking I'm going to find a hole to hide in the wall the there ._.Fair enough points. There will be some forms of development in Peaches and Pecan, but the story isn't really striving to be conventional - it was always intended as a bit of fluff, ha. In any case, we'll hope you come out of hiding when the full game is done!
aw.... unfortunately, I can't open it in Windows 32bit :')
Uh oh! You should be able to play it on 32bit, Sora. Did you receive a particular error message? Do you have DirectX 9 installed? Alternatively, try this method:
- Right click on the application
- Select 'Run with graphics processor'
- Select your processor
We'd like you to be able to try the demo, so let's see if we can find a solution!
I had tried installing DirectX 9 from the link you provided, but there was this message appearing when I open the setup :
"You must running Windows 98, Windows Millineum Edition, Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows 2003 family to install the DirectX 9.0"
....meanwhile I am using windows 10 (Is there any other versions I could try? or is it bugs in my computer system? 'Cause I have zero luck in this kind of technical matters :'D )
Hey Sora,
Yeah, I see other people online mentioning issues with Windows 10 and DirectX 9. The immediate solutions are to run one of these two installers:
Direct X 9.0c End-User Runtime
DirectX End-User Runtime (June 2010)
Some people say the latter is more reliable, so you might try that first. Sorry for the trouble, but let me know what happens if you decide to try those solutions.
Alright, I'll try it, and thank so much for the assistance (such a swift and great attendance you had showed here *thumbs up*)
Edit : It finally works and I am back! It's a bit cringeworthy as I find a few typo at the begining and the length of the explanation from MC just in one sequence of naration, but then their conversation runs gradually natural and amusing amidst the ludicrous persepective of the MC and also the still-canines nature of the Pomeranians xD
It definitely goes to my waiting list as I want to find out how our abs-obsessed MC babysits those two (and those mysterious lines from the opening o_o). Keep up the good work (^o^)9
Pffftttt Oh my god! This game is too hilarious! I can't wait for the full version!
We're glad you enjoyed the demo so well, Kat123! We can't wait to give you the full version!
Cannot play :( I keep getting an error, "The program can't start because d3dx9_37.dll is missing from your computer. Try reinstalling the program to fix this problem." I did reinstall, but got the same error. I also already have the directx9
EDIT: I did get the game working, and I wrote about my thoughts in my blog, the entry can be found, here: http://pajamagaming.blogspot.com/2017/01/demos-to-keep-eye-on-2.html
Hi Bellannmae,
I'm sorry that you encountered this problem! The safest solutions are to:
1) Restart your computer and see if that fixes the problem;
2) See if you can upgrade DirectX to a more recent version;
3) See if your video card drivers can be updated;
4) As a last-ditch effort, you might try to download and install the DLL file manually, from sites like this, http://fix4dll.com/d3dx9_37_dll, but I'd be cautious with this method. Ideally, you would have an anti-virus program that scans downloaded files.
Please let me know if any of these methods work or you need more guidance. We'd really like you to be able to try the demo!
I downloaded the dll file directly and it worked!
I really loved the demo! I have 3 dogs myself, and I always wondered what it would be like if they were human. I thought the MC was very funny, and Peaches and Pecan acted just the way I thought dogs as humans would. The art is cute, and the music is kind of arcade-y. I really enjoyed it, and I look forward to the full game!
One thing I did note, was when you name the MC, if you use all of the spaces available (my first play through I used the name Cinnamon because I wasn't sure if I was naming the MC or one of the dogs), and during dialogue in the game, the 'n' would be left off of the end, naming her Cinnamo instead. Nothing serious, just something I noticed :)
Hi Bellannmae,
I'm really glad you were able to play the demo! Thank you so much for taking the time and offering your feedback. It's good to have a vote of confidence from a fellow dog lover!
Thank you, also, for bringing up the naming issue. I'll make sure to address that in the final version. Which does, exist, by the way, despite the obvious gap between the demo and now. It's one of several projects we have in progress, and I still have to attend to other work to keep the electricity on, ha. So it's slow, but I do want you to be able to enjoy the full game soon.
- Shawn, Erotome Co-Founder
Hi! sorry to bother you but I was wondering if you could please help me with a problem,, for sme reason the game won't launch and all it says is " application crashed. Process exited with code 3221225781". Do you know what this means and how to fix this? Thank you!!
Hi kawaiinoobplays,
It's no trouble, and we appreciate you taking the time to download the game. My best guess is that you still need to download updates for DirectX beyond just installing DirectX 9. I think you can do via this link: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.a...
Try installing these updates, and maybe rebooting your PC, and let me know if that works.
Thanks!
Hi! Thank you so much for your help! After a few tries of downloading it finally worked so thank you! Can't wait for the full version!
We're glad that it finally worked for you! Thanks for your support. We are still working on the game, along with others concurrently.
You really should take off the OS X symbol since basically I'll need to run Windows on my Mac, which defeats the whole purpose of filtering my results. You game sounds really cute, so good luck.
A: the renpy engine is great because of how easy it is to run in wine.
B: the dialogue is HILARIOUS (in a witty and creative way)
C: It's "making America great again"!
Hi hytru,
Thanks for the rating and feedback! We're thrilled that you enjoyed the demo! Renpy does seem great, but unfortunately, we don't have any mad programmer skillz and I didn't want the project to be stalled from having to learn some. For future projects, though, with more budget behind them, we will very likely change our tune and employ Renpy.
Also, let's all do our part this American election cycle and list "Peach Cobbler" on our ballots.
omg peach learning "shit" from his owner in my opinion is fabulous XD
It's just like a child - gotta be careful what you say around 'em, or one day, they'll become people and ruin your life.
Thanks for playing the demo!
haha no problem! I'm excited for the game~
Our underpaid gnome workers are toiling on the project as I write this. But they're an unruly, unreliable lot, so day-to-day progress varies. It will happen, though!
Whenever I go to Open it, it just tells me it cant start because 'd3dx9_37.dll' is missing? Help? Please
Hi TheObsoleteQueen,
Sorry for your trouble! It seems like a pretty easy fix, though; you just need DirectX 9, which you can download here. After you install the program, you should be able to run the game without a problem, but let me know if it doesn't work for some reason. We hope you get to try out the demo soon!
Hi! I have been having the same problem and I have downloaded DirectX 9 but for some reason it's still not working,, any ideas? Thank you!!
Not gonna lie, I cackled at the 'mental block'. B') Really enjoyed the demo, and super curious to see how this and the protags life turns out! Poor precious babies. :')
Ha, someone's gotta think of the children, right?
Thanks for the reply and encouragement, maddmouse!