Dogs are the first enemies encountered in the game, and only appear in Penumbra: Overture (however, a short hallucination of a dog can be witnessed in the Kennel of Penumbra: Black Plague). They are zombified dogs that prowl around most of the hallways Philip Buchanon must travel through.
Appearance[]
The dogs are terribly mutated and zombified canines. Sections of the flesh are exposed, revealing internal organs beneath. The eyes glow a yellow color.
Behavior[]
Dogs are highly aggresive when Philip is spotted and will charge for an attack after a short charging animation. Their only method of attacking is biting, which will deal moderate damage to Philip upon impact. If a solo dog has been injured, they will run for cover. If more dogs are present in the area, they will also howl for backup if they have become low in health.
Evidence from the behavior suggests the mutations of the dogs has limited their vision. Philip will not be detected by the dogs until he is in there direct line of sight. They may also be attracted if the beam of the flashlight or glowstick has been used near them.
Dogs are easily distracted by bait(beef jerky) and loud noises. This can be used to Philip's advantage when attempting to kill or avoid the dogs. Beef jerky will not work as bait if the dogs have already entered combat with Philip.
Gameplay[]
Combat[]
Dogs can be damaged with both weapons and items. Pickaxes are the most effective solution at killing, as they are fast and will stun the dog upon impact during each strike. The hammer is also capable of stunning them, but deals far less damage compared to the pickaxe. Objects, explosives and gas canisters are also effect at killing/damaging the dogs. Beef jerky may be used to lure the dogs, allowing Philip to strike them from behind with his weapon.
Hiding[]
Dogs are incapable of climbing objects, and thus cannot harm the player when Philip stands on top of a rock or crate. It's recommended to crouch behind an object or seek higher ground to avoid detection from the dogs that plague the mine.
History[]
Dog Sign
In one area of the game, there is a yellow sign with what appears to be a German Shepherd dog on it, and a stylized surveillance eye. This hints that the dogs roaming the mines may in fact have originated from guard dogs that were brought into the area some time ago.
It is suggested that the dogs have contracted some form of the Tuurngait Virus, though only vaguely. This is supported by the impossibly long amount of time they must have remained in the mine with little to no food, in addition to their rotting flesh, glowing eyes and how difficult it is to put them down.
They were once kept in the Kennel area of the shelter facility, but seem to have escaped since then. The method of their escape is unknown, but likely candidates are additional tunnels unseen made by Wilbur Frisk, and through the same pathways that Spider Hater used to get to the lead mine entrance.
Trivia[]
- Done in a referential way, the Kennel area in Penumbra: Black Plague has ambience music that matches another piece of music in Penumbra: Overture that plays when dogs are nearby in the latter game. Most likely to remind the player of the dog encounters in Overture.
- Dogs are known to have a sense of smell 40 times stronger than that of humans, though the dogs in-game do not seem to have this. It is very likely that the virus they've contracted has greatly weakened their sense of smell, otherwise the dogs would almost always find the player no matter where they were, though this would've made the game painfully harder.
Gallery[]
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| Penumbra enemies | |
|---|---|
| Clarence • Dogs • Dr. Richard Eminiss • Wilbur Frisk • Slugs • Spiders • Tuurngait Infected • Worms | |