{
  "id": 10963499,
  "title": "Gravhounds – The First Hands-On Preview of an Intriguing Deep Rock Galactic-Like Extraction Shooter",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/gravhounds-the-first-hands-on-preview-of-an-intriguing-deep-rock",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-30T14:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "IGN",
    "slug": "ign",
    "url": "https://www.ign.com/articles/gravhounds-the-first-hands-on-preview-of-an-intriguing-deep-rock-galactic-like-extraction-shooter"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Gravhounds is an upcoming extraction shooter that blends the traits of dogs and humans, creating unique characters for players to assume. During a recent open playtest, the reviewer got their first hands-on experience of the game. In Gravhounds, players join up to four other Gravhounds - human/canine hybrids - and work together to complete missions and gather resources on alien planets before returning to their ship in orbit.\n\nEach Gravhound has distinct stats and special moves that set them apart from one another. These include Zane the Doberman, Finn the Shiba Inu, Selene the Weimaraner, and Dozer the Bulldog. As players progress through the missions, they can upgrade their dogs and unlock various tech and defensive turret upgrades across different skill trees.\n\nThe main method of traversing the alien worlds is through boosting and dashing, with shooting and blasting waves of enemies serving as secondary actions. A significant aspect of Gravhounds is the pipeline system, where players can construct a network of pipes that automatically deliver resources to the ship once they are deposited in the nodes. Players can also build turrets and other structures at each node to fend off enemies and aid in the collection process.\n\nGravhounds features a stylized, whimsical aesthetic, with the planets and environments taking on a cartoonish appearance. The dog characters were inspired by Daft Punk's \"Da Funk\" music video, with the dog heads being more realistic than the rest of the game. The reviewer expresses a desire for more dog-like features, such as tails, in the characters. While the shooting mechanics could use some adjustments, the overall experience is enjoyable, with a sense of \"push your luck\" PVE gameplay that keeps players engaged.",
  "summary": "After exploring its worlds and systems a bit during this initial playtest, Gravhounds has left a strong enough impression on me that I’m intrigued to come back and give it a try when it enters early access. Grinding on pipes and collecting resources is a good enough time that I could see myself having some fun during the occasional game night with friends, or mindlessly grinding some levels solo…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}