Catapulting Puppers To The Rescue!
HIGH The late-game reveal that elevates the story.
LOW The gold time targets in the time trials.
WTF Catsablanca.
The kind of sequel that picks up almost exactly where the previous game left off, Grapple Dogs continues the story of Pablo and his crew of scientist friends as they deal with the aftermath of villain NUL’s decision to pry open the walls between dimensions. Doing so has freed VYR, an enormous pyramid-headed beast who wants to subjugate all realities. The only thing standing in his way is Grapple Dogs‘ returning hero Pablo (and new star Luna, packing heat.)
Grapple Dogs’ controls were so perfectly tuned that it would have been a crime if the developers hadn’t built more levels around them. While we can all respect what Spider-Man games accomplish, grappling hook and swinging mechanics work best in a 2D setting, a truism that’s proven here over and over again. Every level is filled with opportunities for Pablo and Luna to fling themselves through the world, arcing from one blue-tinted hook anchor to the next. This gives the gameplay an infectious momentum, and the feel of zipping from one point to the next is so satisfying that I found myself thrilled by each new set of complicated platforming challenges.
Not that things are ever that complicated — Grapple Dogs has quite noticeably had its difficulty dialed back in comparison to the previous entry. The levels are still filled with hidden nooks and crannies that the player has to search for if they want the true ending, but enemies are thinner on the ground and mostly crop up in Luna’s levels where they can be be dispatched easily with her weapons.
Pablo’s levels are — as ever — devoted to precision platforming, but even those have been nerfed considerably compared to the original. The ‘bounce pads’ that were the bane of my existence in GD1 have been replaced by ‘stomp pads’ which perform the same function without punishing the player for coming in at the wrong angle. The momentum meter which required Pablo to get a run up to every major leap has been removed entirely, giving players much more control over the dogs’ movements.
(There were also no sections in which I was asked to grapple between a series of flying enemies who were busy trying to kill me — doing so is an option, but never a necessity.)
It’s possible that this is a case of aesthetics conquering gameplay. The first GD‘s iconic adorableness was harshly contrasted by the intense challenge its level design offered. GD:CC, by comparison, plays like it looks — something more likely to encourage people to chill in the vibes of its colorful worlds than smash their controller in fury. GD1 had deeply frustrating bosses requiring perfect reflexes, but I beat almost all of GD:CC‘s bosses on the first try. There’s even an ‘accessible’ mode that turns off player damage and allows them to make infinite mid-air jumps.
Grapple Dogs isn’t just an easier version of the previous game, though — the developers take their fundamentally great platforming and throw in a bunch of new mechanics.
There are three elemental powers on offer, and with Luna and Pablo getting completely different versions of each, that’s six new mechanics to play with — everything from turning Pablo into a ball of lightning that zips across metal plates to arming Luna with a flamethrower to clear out deadly vines, the powers are sprinkled liberally throughout the campaign, so the player always feels like they’re running into new obstacles no matter how close to the end they are.
The plot is another high point — the first title’s story was well-told, but this one’s on an entirely different level. It does a great job of both expanding on the world already created and also builds a stable foundation for what’s obviously intended to be a long-running series. There’s even a hint that inventor-bunny Toni might wind up as a playable character or get her own spin-off at some point. However, more important than the nods to the fans is the serious message at the core — this is a story about the dangers of non-intervention, and offers a warning that a love of comfort for its own sake is a corrosive that will inevitably lead to disaster.
Okay, that sounded a little dark, and Cosmic Canines does have some frightening foes, but it fundamentally remains one of the most family-friendly franchises around, and even moreso now that the difficulty has been dialed back so significantly. I thought that Grapple Dog was one of the best 2D platformers I’d played in ages, and this sequel absolutely lives up to its pedigree. Whatever the developers want to do next with these characters, it’s going to be worth tagging along.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Disclosures: This game is developed by Medallion and published by Super Rare Originals. It is currently available on PC, XBS/X, and Switch. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the XBX. Approximately 20 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode. The game was completed. The game contains no multiplayer modes.
Parents: This game was rated E by the ESRB, and it contains Mild Fantasy Violence. There are goo monsters, and the explode into showers of goo when stomped on or shot. Do be cautious, though — while the original only had Pablo headbutting and stomping on foes, 50% of this game’s levels are about shooting enemies, which might not fit your defintion of kid-friendly.
Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes.
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: I played almost the entire game without sound and encountered zero difficulties. All information is provided via text, which cannot be resized. The game is fully accessible.
Remappable Controls: Yes, the game’s controls are remappable.
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