A few years ago, a small studio called Medallion Games released a cute platform game called Dog wrestlingwhich, as you might have guessed, is a platformer about a dog with a hook. The simple premise made for a fun and impressively executed adventure that felt like a meaningful tribute to—and evolution of—classic platformer design, though it never really gained the audience it deserved. However, apparently sales were enough to justify a sequel, and Medallion Games has now brought us Hound: Space Dog. This second adventure of Pablo and his friends proves to be an even more engaging game than the first one and we highly recommend you give it a try if you are a fan of 2D platform games.
Grapple Dogs picks up almost immediately from where it left off, revealing that Pablo’s adventures aren’t over after he defeats the robot Nul. It turns out that Nul’s antics have inadvertently unleashed an evil god-like creature called Vyr, who threatens to destroy the entire multiverse if the four fragments of the Allkrystal aren’t collected. However, Pablo isn’t the only hero whose universe is involved in this ongoing conflict, and he’s soon joined in his quest by other a wrestling dog named Luna—a practical, gun-toting pup with no time for playing nice. Together, the two set out to find the fragments of the Allkrystal and hope to find a way to defeat Vyr before things get worse.
It’s a fairly straightforward story, but it’s supported by the various interactions between our two heroes and the supporting cast. Plus, Luna is actually Pablo’s Shadow Sonic, which leads to some interesting dialogue between them where her gruff attitude clashes with Pablo’s laid-back optimism and friendliness. Interactions like these help elevate Grapple Dogs into the world of platforming, as the charming characters and cheesy humor sprinkled throughout the game help make this world stand out.
Like the first game, Grapple Dogs feels like the lost GBA action platformer you never knew you had, tasking you with guiding the titular dog through linear levels and bonus stages that throw all sorts of inventive gimmicks, collectibles, and enemies your way. The main gimmick this time around is the addition of Luna, whose moveset differs from Pablo in a few key ways. She has a powerful mid-air dash that she can use to reposition, and she’s always brandishing some sort of gun that can be fired by tapping the right trigger. Pablo has also received a few upgrades since his last adventure; he can now perform a quick ground dash attack and a more powerful stomp attack that puts him a bit higher than his basic jump.
Each dog has their own unique levels designed around their strengths, and almost every level introduces a new power or mechanic that differentiates them from the others, while also playing around with each character’s moveset in interesting ways. In one level, Luna is given a grenade launcher that causes the dirt she shoots to sprout trees, giving her new places to climb and grapple. Meanwhile, a memorable level for Pablo sees him exploring a shaded world with platforms and obstacles that change to the beat of the level’s music. There’s always something fun to look forward to no matter which character you’re playing, and we appreciate Grapple Dogs’ focus on exploring a variety of new gameplay concepts throughout the game.
Even though you Maybe With just a sprint to the end of the level, Grapple Dogs offers plenty of collectibles to keep completionists busy. Overall, the levels feel longer with more verticality than the first game, and each level has three gems to collect, along with a hidden treasure chest containing a new cosmetic item. The gems are tied to your main progression—unlocking the next set of levels requires finding a certain number of them from the levels available to you—and you’ll often have to work your way through particularly difficult platforming gauntlets or keep an eye out for some cleverly hidden paths to get them all. Fans Donkey Kong Country Gamers will find plenty of fun here; we found that hunting for collectibles in Grapple Dogs satisfied that need as well.
While the first game required collecting all the fruits in a level to complete the whole thing, this time the fruits have been redesigned to have a different purpose. Not only are there much there’s more, but now you can take your stockpile to a shop run by Toni and buy new outfits and health upgrades. This not only helps you indulge the urge to collect literally everything in a level, but also gives you something to actually DO with fruits not only collected for enjoyment.
There are also a number of bonus stages scattered around the main map that you unlock with fruit, and they offer some great one-off challenges that really test your knowledge of each character’s movement abilities. With these, you’re dropped into a small, timed level and given an objective like smashing every crate or reaching a target within a certain amount of time, much like the old “break the target” challenges from the previous game. Super Smash Bros. Game game. These levels end as quickly as they begin, but they provide a nice change of pace from the longer levels and feel like they actually add to the gameplay loop.
Visually, Grapple Dogs sticks to the effective, not-quite-nostalgic art style that made the original so beautiful, extending it through the design of its many worlds. Whether you’re hurtling through the rain-soaked hellscape of a world ruled by a fascist frog regime or swinging through the shiny neon skies of a futuristic monkey utopia, each level feels meaningfully different from the last and memorable in its own way. Yet the cartoon charm of these levels remains unchanged regardless.
These visuals are well accompanied by a soundtrack that mixes hip-hop and pop music, giving it an early to mid-2000s feel. There’s a very summery, carefree tone to many of the tracks, which fits the upbeat gameplay as you swipe at enemies with your grappling hook and jump across platforms. Considering how often indie developers will use some sort of chiptune-inspired music, it’s nice to hear a well-done soundtrack that takes a different direction and definitely fits the overall tone.
The only complaint we have about Grapple Dogs is that it’s a little more than a little nitpicky. There were a few times throughout the experience where there wasn’t any Sound. Whether we were watching a completely silent cutscene or browsing Toni’s store without any music or cute sound effects to accompany menu navigation, there were a few times when we found ourselves wondering, ‘What’s going on?’ and having to double-check to make sure the audio wasn’t muted. This is more of an annoyance than a serious problem, but it’s common enough that it tends to throw you off a bit.
That aside, it’s hard to argue that Grapple Dogs achieves anything less than what an ideal sequel should aspire to. The first game was already a great hidden gem, but this new release both refines all the gameplay concepts introduced there and introduces a bunch of new ideas that build meaningfully on them. In doing so, it brings an even clearer vision of a pure and simple platformer focused on giving players happy experience above all
Conclusion
Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines is everything fans could hope for in a sequel, improving on every aspect that made the first Grapple Dog great. Strong level design, a great soundtrack, varied gameplay, and plenty of replayability make this an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a great, pure platformer to add to their Switch library. It’s the most fun platformer we’ve played in a long time.
