Haru & Dako: Going Home is now on the App Store

August 31, 2026 · Matt Zhu

Haru & Dako: Going Home is now on the App Store. Download now →

It is a puzzle game with real difficulty to it. You switch between the two characters to move them across the board, read the terrain, plan a route, and keep trying different approaches until you find the one that actually gets them through.

The first story, The Long Way Home, is open now — 200 different puzzles in all.

No level is simply walking from A to B. Each one asks you to think: which step comes first, how to get around an obstacle, when to trigger a mechanism, how to use whatever that particular level gives you. As you go further, new mechanics appear and the combinations get richer.

I wanted Going Home to be a game that exercises your head. It does not rush you and it does not lean on twitchy input — the weight is all on observation, reasoning and route planning. Sometimes the answer looks like it is right there in front of you, and only once you start walking it do you find there is another possibility you still have to account for.

Beyond the puzzles, there are stickers to collect, stories to uncover, and a cat and a dog to interact with. None of it is decoration: it is all tied to Haru, to Dako, and to the mood of this world. Solve your way forward and you slowly see more of their story.

For me, this is a game about challenge, company and discovery. It has a cute cat and dog in it, and it also has puzzles that ask you to think seriously. I hope you get the satisfaction of cracking a hard one, and a little warmth from the two of them along the way.

If you like route-drawing puzzles on a grid, like taking your time over every step, and like cats and dogs — download Haru & Dako: Going Home on the App Store.

Haru and Dako are already waiting in there for you to walk them home.

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