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Upon entering the island Pablo discovers a floating robot head named Nul who leads him to a grappling hook. Nul has other means because he also secretly led Pablo to his body. His evil robot body. Now it’s up to Pablo and his crew to stop Nul and his army from taking over the island. That’s the story gist, so here are some gameplay tips for Grapple Dog.
6 There Are Assist Options
More and more games are getting assist options built into them. Indie games like Grapple Dog seem to be leading the charge as was showcased in 2021. From the menu, players can turn on invincibility as well as infinite jumps.
The game has a well-balanced difficulty so there should not be a need to turn on these assist features unless players really get stuck. Still, it is nice to see games include them in for the more casual crowd. Players should also take heed of the HUD box in the options menu. Be sure to uncheck that box to free up the space on the screen.
5 Block Tips
As Grapple Dog is a platformer, players shouldn’t be surprised by the addition of blocks in each level. They come in all varieties. Some make players bounce while others, highlighted in blue, can be grappled onto.
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There are two blocks worth highlighting. First, there are fake blocks. After a while, their tilesets will start to look obvious. Players can run through them to reveal secrets. They usually hide fruit or a gem behind their sneaky walls. Later on, there are “X” blocks. Hit an “X” icon and the associated blocks will fill in. Before grabbing these icons, explore the area first. There might be something inaccessible if the block is filled in.
4 Traversal Tips
There are a couple of traversal tips players should take note of when platforming in Grapple Dog. Enemies can be grappled onto. At first, this may not seem possible. Many enemy robots are stationed on the ground and players can’t rotate their grappling hook horizontally toward the earth.
However, some robots will eventually jump. There is even some that hover. These can be targeted which shouldn’t be hard to figure out due to targets appearing on their bodies. There are ways to strike at seemingly inaccessible robots too. Players just have to be crafty. It is also worth pointing out that players can slide down walls if they press the butt stomp button.
3 Breaking Down The Collection
Grapple Dog is a platformer but more importantly, it is a collect-a-thon. Players must collect gems to unlock boss stages. Simply finishing a level will just unlock the next stage in the world. Now, most stages in the game are structured the same.
Every one of them will have five standalone gems to collect. There are also exactly 250 pieces of fruit to collect. Grabbing 110 will net players another gem and 220 with one more. Getting all 250 pieces of fruit will be just for bragging rights. Getting everything in the stage will unlock a way to let players pet the best boy, Pablo, which is a treat in and of itself. The only different setup for stages is that some have bonus level icons to collect too.
2 You Can Skip Stages
The nice thing about collecting gems is that not every single one is needed to beat Grapple Dog. In fact, every stage in the game doesn’t have to be completed either. If players are looking to speed run through the game then they should pay attention to the boss stages in each world.
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There will be a giant stone robot with a number of gems attached to it. For example, the first world requires 30 gems. Once that number is acquired then players can sail on to the finish line. That defeats the purpose of playing this engaging platformer for everything it has, but options are always nice to see though like the aforementioned assist features.
1 Check Back With Your Ship
Every time players defeat a boss and acquire a new piece of tech, the professor will invite Pablo back to the ship. Grapple Dog does not require players to talk to the professor or Toni though. However, doing so will fill in some more context with the world. The game doesn’t have the most engaging story, but its characters are charming.
There is another reason to go onto the ship. Pablo’s room has a video game in it called Boomerang Bandit. It is a pretty simple arcade-like experience. It’s not as good as the main experience, but mini-games like it are always nice to discover. There is a trick to getting off of the ship too. Players may think they have to run back to the entrance. However, there is a quick exit button in the menu that some players may not even think to check on.
Grapple Dog will release on February 10, 2022 and will be available on Switch and PC.
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