The original Grapple Dog was a really pleasant surprise, featuring very approachable mechanics and gameplay in a colorful, charming, and family-friendly package. When I saw a follow-up was on the way, I was curious how far it would go to further set itself apart, and expand on what was already a solid foundation. Having now played the sequel, I’m happy to report the developer has taken everything that worked with the original, expanded it, and through the addition of a new character with her own play style, have managed to really up the ante with even more great gameplay.

What really draws you in is the game’s generally easygoing style, backed up by flowing and often impeccable stage design. Even by introducing a new character, who has her own distinct abilities and flow, the developers managed to make getting the hang of both likely very doable even for less experienced players. For the most part the main path in stages is pretty straightforward and doable, but you’ll easily see a few spots off to the edges that you can push to get to and grab bonuses from. Since progress needs to be unlocked, you’ll need to get used to eventually chasing many of these down, but nothing feels that out of reach in the core stages.

For more experienced gamers there are then challenge stages that will really push you to execute very quickly and efficiently, with gold, silver, and bronze awards depending on your times. In order to get gold and the best rewards, you will need to really be on top of each character’s core moves, then working out as optimum path as you’re able and executing consistently or you may come up short. I think having these challenges off to the side, but not necessarily required too early on, does at least extend an olive branch to the folks who want to be tested, even if the primary stages may feel a bit on the easier side.

While perhaps I’d say the overall experience errs more on the side of being approachable and friendly than average, you could easily view that as a strength. Not all games need to be pushing people equally hard, and the inclusion of challenge stages does at least throw a bone to that hard core crowd regardless. While there are still better indie platformers out there, Grapple Dogs manages to bring tight and rewarding gameplay that can be considered more of an all-ages affair.