Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines Review (Switch eShop)

A couple years ago, a small studio called Medallion Games released a cute platformer called Grapple Dog, which as you could probably guess, is a platformer about a dog with a grappling hook. The simple premise played host to an impressively well-made and enjoyable adventure that felt like a meaningful homage to — and evolution of — classic platformer game design, although it never quite captured the audience that it deserved. Clearly sales were sufficient to justify a sequel, however, and Medallion Games has now graced us with Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines. This sophomore outing for Pablo and friends proves to be an even stronger game than the first one, and we’d highly suggest you give it a look if you’re a fan of 2D platformers.

Grapple Dogs picks up almost immediately where its predecessor left off, which teased that Pablo’s adventure wasn’t quite over with his defeat of the robot, Nul. It turns out that Nul’s antics inadvertently released an evil godlike being named Vyr, which threatens to destroy the entire multiverse if the four pieces of the shattered Allkrystal aren't collected. Pablo isn’t the only hero whose universe has a stake in this brewing conflict, however, and he's soon joined on his quest by another grapple dog named Luna—a no-nonsense, gun-wielding pup who doesn’t have time to play nice. Together, the two set out to track down the pieces of the Allkrystal and hopefully find a way to defeat Vyr before all is lost.

It’s a simple enough story, one buoyed strongly by the various interactions between our two heroes and the supporting cast. Plus, Luna is very much the Shadow to Pablo’s Sonic, leading to plenty of amusing dialogues between them where her abrasive demeanour clashes with Pablo’s unfettered optimism and friendliness. Such interactions help elevate Grapple Dogs within the realm of platformers, as the charming characters and corny humour sprinkled throughout the fantastic gameplay help make this world stand out.

Much like the first game, Grapple Dogs feels like the lost GBA action platformer you never knew you were missing, tasking you with guiding the titular dogs through linear levels and bonus stages that throw all kinds of creative gimmicks, collectibles, and enemies your way. The main gimmick this time is the addition of Luna, whose moveset differs from Pablo’s in some key ways. She has a powerful midair dash she can use for repositioning, and she’s always brandishing a firearm of some kind which can be fired with a tap of the right trigger. Pablo has also received a few upgrades since his last adventure; he can now do a quick-dash attack on the ground and a stronger stomp attack that gains him a little more height than his base jump.

Each dog has distinct stages designed around their strengths, and just about every level introduces a new power-up or mechanic that differentiates it from the others while also playing around with each character’s moveset in interesting ways. In one stage Luna is given a grenade launcher that causes earthy spots she shoots to sprout greenery, giving her new places to climb and grapple to. Meanwhile, a memorable level for Pablo sees him exploring a silhouetted world with platforms and obstacles that change according to the beat of the stage’s music. There’s always something cool to look forward to regardless of which character you’re playing, and we appreciated how much Grapple Dogs focuses on exploring a diverse range of new gameplay concepts throughout its run.

Though you can just simply sprint for the end of the stage, Grapple Dogs offers plenty of collectibles to keep completionists busy. Stages overall feel longer with more verticality compared to the first game, and each one contains three jewels to collect along with a hidden treasure chest that houses a new cosmetic. The jewels are linked to your main progression—unlocking the next set of levels requires finding a certain amount of them from the levels available to you—and often you’ll have to put in work on especially difficult platforming gauntlets or keep your eyes peeled for some cleverly hidden pathways to nab them all. Fans of the Donkey Kong Country games will find lots to love here; we found that chasing down the collectibles in Grapple Dogs scratched that same itch.

While the first game made collecting all the fruit in a stage a requirement for total completion, this time around the fruit has been retooled to have another purpose. Not only is there a lot more of it, but you can now take your stockpile to a shop run by Toni and buy new outfits and health upgrades. This not only lets you relax the neurotic impulse to collect literally everything in a level, but it gives you something to actually do with the fruit beyond collecting it for the sake of it.

There’s also a smattering of bonus stages scattered across the main map that you unlock with fruit, and these offer some great one-shot challenges that really test your knowledge of each character’s movement abilities. With these, you’re placed in a small, timed level and given an objective like smashing every crate or reaching a goal in a set amount of time, a bit like those old “break the targets” challenges in the earlier Super Smash Bros. games. These stages are over just about as quickly as they begin, but they offer a nice change in tempo from the longer stages and feel like they meaningfully add to the gameplay loop.

Visually, Grapple Dogs sticks to the effective not-quite-retro art style that made the original such a looker, expanding on it through the design of the many worlds. Whether you’re blasting through the rain-soaked hellscape of a world ruled by a fascist frog regime or swinging through the slick, neon skies of a futuristic monkey utopia, each level looks meaningfully distinct from the last and is memorable in its own way. Yet, the cartoonish charm of these stages remains consistent regardless.

These visuals are accompanied well by a hip-hop and pop-infused soundtrack that feels straight out of the early-to-mid-2000s. There’s a very summery and carefree tone to many of the tracks, which matches the bouncy gameplay well as you sail over enemies with your grappling hook and bound across platforms. Considering how often indie devs will go for some sort of chiptune-inspired music, it’s nice to hear a well-executed soundtrack that goes in a different direction, and it certainly feels like a great fit for the overall tone.

The only complaint we have about Grapple Dogs is more of a nitpick. There are several times throughout the experience which are awkwardly devoid of any sound. Whether watching a completely quiet cutscene or browsing Toni’s shop without any cute music or sound effects to accompany menu navigation, there were a few too many times when we wondered, 'What’s going on?' and had to double check to make sure the sound didn’t somehow become muted. This is more of an irritation than a serious issue, but the problem is prevalent enough that it does tend to take you out of the experience a bit.

That aside, it’s tough to argue that Grapple Dogs accomplishes anything less than what an ideal sequel should aim to. The first game was already an excellent hidden gem, but this new release both refines all the gameplay concepts introduced there and introduces a whole host of new ideas that meaningfully build upon them. In so doing, it delivers even more strongly on the clear vision of a pure and simple platformer that focuses on giving the player a fun experience above all else.