There’s no better tool in video games than a grappling hook. 2022’s Grapple Dog knew this, and made it the platformer’s core ability. The ability returns in the sequel, Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines, which is out today, but now there’s a second character to play as for those morons who prefer shooting to grappling hooks.
Pablo, the protagonist from the first game, returns with some new powers like fire throwing, but players can also instantly switch to a secondary dog, Luna. Luna is more of a Shadow to Pablo's Sonic: an edgy anti-hero with an arsenal of weapons that might be better suited to certain enemies or challenges.
Otherwise, it seems to follow the formula of the first game closely. This won't please everyone. In his review of Grapple Dog , Matt Cox found the original quite frustrating, as it kept killing him over and over again with large gaps between checkpoints.
“Demanding mastery through repetition can work for platformers, but only if it's done carefully and thoughtfully so you don't have to pummel through long sections of junk before trying the hard part again. The grappling here feels good when you're allowed to build momentum, but too many levels are more concerned with killing it,” he wrote.
This is pretty negative and it never really appealed to me in the short time I played Grapple Dog. However, I've watched every trailer for the first game and this sequel and I'm thinking, yeah, this looks like a good thing. I want to be good at this.
Here's the news of the sequel. I'll try to jump back in. Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines is out now and is currently priced at £12/$14.39/€13.99 on Steam, with a 20% launch discount.