| 33bits |
Rubén Rionegro |
90 / 100 |
02-15-2022 |
There are few things that Grapple Dog can’t do well: it has a very solid and addictive gameplay that will keep us glued to the screen for hours, an elaborate level design with many secrets to discover, a unique visual style and a lot of replayability. A real must have for fans of platform games. |
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| Cultured Vultures |
Ashley Bates |
7.5 / 10 |
02-09-2022 |
Grapple Dog’s not a perfect platformer by any stretch of the imagination, but the core gameplay concept and visual design still manages to raise huge grins. |
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| Digital Chumps |
Will Silberman |
8 / 10 |
09-22-2021 |
Grapple Dog is an excellent proof of concept for a 2D action platformer that requires you to swing through levels and traverse through the air as an adorable pup. While I did enjoy the gameplay despite the quirky movement, I couldn’t help but wish there was more, as Medallion Games are onto something fun, charming, groovy, and unique with Pablo. I hope to see this game optimized and updated for the Switch, as the gameplay issues I encountered slightly detracted from this short but sweet indie platforming gem. Need I remind you to pet Pablo every time you complete a level? Please give him all the pets; he deserves it. |
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| Digitally Downloaded |
Matt Sainsbury |
4 / 5 stars |
02-16-2022 |
I’m not the world’s biggest fan of platformers, but I very much warmed to Grapple Dog. The thought and passion that went into every element of the experience is explicit, and it’s hard not to fall for its wiles and charms. I do think the developers lost sight a little of how they wanted people to play this game, as the speedrunning quality of the movement system does feel at odds with the way the game also asks you to carefully explore levels, but that’s really splitting hairs here. Grapple Dog is a bold, confident, and often inspired take on a genre that is as oversaturated as they come. |
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| FingerGuns |
Kat Bullock |
8 / 10 |
02-10-2022 |
Grapple Dog is an exhilarating, fast paced 2D platformer that feels like a familiar warm hug and a nod to platforming greats such as Sonic and Super Mario. While it doesn’t do anything especially new, the game never stops surprising with its mechanics and it’s a valiant addition to the genre. |
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| GameSpew |
Chris McMullen |
7 / 10 |
02-10-2022 |
The game is clearly a labour of love and it shows, to the point where a sequel seems like a given. And so, if you’re prepared to look past Grapple Dog’s level gatekeeping, you’ll have a blast. |
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| GameSpot |
Steve Watts |
7 / 10 |
02-15-2022 |
Grapple Dog is a light, breezy mascot platformer that hooks you with precise, simple controls. |
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| Hardcore Gamer |
James Cunningham |
4.5 / 5 stars |
02-11-2022 |
Grapple Dog is a fantastic platformer that nails just about everything it tries to do. |
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| Hey Poor Player |
Josh Speer |
4 / 5 stars |
02-11-2022 |
Grapple Dog may look cute, but it grows more and more challenging the farther you go. It has tight, fast-paced platforming and features a ton of hidden goodies to keep you playing. If you’re at all a fan of the genre, I’d say you need to check Grapple Dog out. |
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| Nintendo Enthusiast |
Steven Rollins |
6.5 / 10 |
02-09-2022 |
Ultimately, while I did enjoy my time with Grapple Dog, it doesn’t feel like it reached its full potential. There’s a lot of room for replayability and improving your skill in traversing the levels, but the game feels quite slow a lot of the time due to long levels and the also long waits that come with trying again. I do think I’ll come back to it at some point in short bursts to try to clean up the missing collectables, but it’s not something that begs to be finished in any hurry. |
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| Nintendo Life |
Stuart Gipp |
9 / 10 |
02-15-2022 |
Grapple Dog isn’t quite perfect. We feel that more could have been done with the grapple itself, as it’s a little restrictive in its application. A less friendly, more freeform approach would interfere to an extent with the tight level design, but it would still be cool for speedrunners if the grapple really let them cut loose. That’s pretty nitpicky, though, because developer Medallion does precisely what it sets out to do — deliver an unpretentious platformer that’s a hell of a lot of fun to play. |
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| NintendoWorldReport |
J.P. Corbran |
7.5 / 10 |
02-15-2022 |
undefined.Grapple Dog has some neat ideas, and it keeps them coming throughout the campaign so it continues to mix things up along the way, but it doesn’t really stand out in a major way. It’s an enjoyable game, but it doesn’t do any one thing exceptionally well. If you’re a platformer freak like I am it’s definitely worth a look, but there’s not much here to put it above some of the great examples of the genre on Switch. |
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| Rapid Reviews UK |
Joseph Barrood |
3 / 5 stars |
02-16-2022 |
Grapple Dog is an action platformer that follows Pablo the dog on his quest to save the world from an evil robot. Along the way, I met a host of allies, fought robotic enemies, and made use of my grappling hook to manoeuvre through levels. Does this adventure keep me hooked? Find out in this Rapid Review. |
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| Rice Digital |
Pete Davison |
Recommended |
02-09-2022 |
To sum it up then, Grapple Dog is a great game, albeit one with more than a few elements which give me a certain amount of pause in recommending it unreservedly. For some, these issues won’t matter at all — in which case I encourage you to pick Grapple Dog up right away. For others, though, you’ll need to weigh up whether the promise of an extremely solidly designed platformer is enough to make up for a few potentially significant annoyances along the way. |
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| Rock, Paper, Shotgun |
Matt Cox |
Not Recommended |
02-09-2022 |
A cute yet frustrating platformer, with a grappling hook that can’t quite do the business on levels mired in frustrating repetition. |
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| Saving Content |
Ed Acosta |
5 / 5 stars |
03-31-2022 |
Even though Grapple Dog is just one 2D platformer in a sea of them, I believe this can be your one diamond in the rough. It’s a game that feels responsive and is relatively easy for anyone to pick up and play. It isn’t a cakewalk, though, and you will find challenges ahead, but at the same time, you’re going to soak up the bright colors and the fun story, placing this near the top of your lists. |
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| TechRaptor |
Tanushri Shah |
7 / 10 |
02-14-2022 |
A fun platformer that offers quite the challenge, Grapple Dog scratches that nostalgia itch but is still pretty ruff around the edges. |
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| The Game Crater |
Max Mitchelson |
9 / 10 |
02-09-2022 |
Grapple Dog is an approachable platformer with enough depth in its central mechanics to encourage replayability and mastery. |
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| Use a Potion |
Unknown |
7.5 / 10 |
02-10-2022 |
Grapple Dog is a charming and well-designed 2D platforming adventure that’s only let down by some imprecise controls and technical hiccups. I loved exploring its creative levels, uncovering its collectibles, being a part of the vibrant world, and grappling everywhere, but having to deal with some clunky jumps and long loading times could be a little frustrating. |
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| Video Chums |
A.J. Maciejewski |
8.4 / 10 |
02-09-2022 |
I love Grapple Dog so much that I hope to see Pablo come back for many more swingin’ adventures. From its fantastic 2D platforming action to its rewarding collectibles and its adorable world to its quirky cast of characters; this delightful dog has it goin’ on. |
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| WellPlayed |
Mark Isaacson |
8.5 / 10 |
02-12-2022 |
Grapple Dog is a lot of fun, and for platform fans new or old it should provide plenty of entertainment. But the concept doesn’t push the ingenuity slider high enough, and many of its other tricks have been used aplenty elsewhere. |
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