Grapple Knight Demo

While game developers struggled for years to create platformers like Sonic and Megaman back in the day, technology allows us to do the same work a lot faster today. On the other hand, making the games fun and maintaining a high-quality level is still a matter of talent and dedication. As such, not every 2D retro platformer is worth the bother, especially if it doesn’t try to bring anything new to the table.

Grapple Knight has a few grand ideas when it comes to the atmosphere and the level design, but the gameplay mechanics are not very different from what you may have seen in every other platformer out there. In essence, you play the role of a knight who goes on a mighty quest, which means that you have to deal with all the enemies that get in your way and avoid the traps scattered around the game world.

The story is not original either and it’s only a spin off on an old cliche. As such, you have to find and defeat an evil alchemist by the name of Malefern, who plans on taking over the realm and probably kill everyone in the process. Your every move takes the knight one step closer to the alchemist, only to meet him in a final confrontation.

One of the defining characteristics of the game is the grappling hook, which can be used to reach otherwise inaccessible areas. Not only that, but you can also use it to grab onto enemies and get close enough to use your melee weapon on them. However, the mechanics are nowhere near as revolutionary as it would have to be in order to make the game unforgettable.

As previously mentioned, the level design is spot on and you can see that the designers took their time, which makes for a very immersive atmosphere. The animations are smooth and quite fluid as well, although you shouldn't expect too much either, given the small number of pixels the game has to work with.

While Grapple Knight is not yet quite there, the game can turn into something much better with enough dedication from the developers. Until then, you can decide for yourself whether they deserve support or not by toying with the demo.