Some secret spices could make make any game higher – FM synth jams, grappling hooks and invoking Treasure‘s greatest amongst them – Grapple Force Rena does all three. Released as we speak, it’s primarily the work of Tim Ashley Jenkins and printed by GalaxyTrail, the parents behind beautiful Sonic-alike Freedom Planet. It’s a cute Mega Drive/Genesis-styled platformer with mouse-and-keyboard pleasant controls and a grappling hook that may connect to nearly something, together with enemies. I performed by it over the previous couple evenings, and have some praises to sing. There’s a web-based demo here, and a trailer beneath.
Grapple Force Rena is pure comfort-food gaming for me. It’s fast-flowing, not particularly difficult stuff (though there’s a Celeste-inspired accessibility panel for anybody struggling) with a well-known type and a goofy sense of humour. It’s additionally closely impressed by Treasure’s offbeat N64 game Mischief Makers, proper all the way down to its UI and quirky construction, with ranges wildly various in scale, goal and seriousness. There’s six worlds in all, 5 ranges to every, however apart from a boss often residing on the finish of every world, something goes. Oh, and the music whips – FM synth at its greatest.
Young heroine Rena is armed with a magical pair of grappling bracelets that permit her swing from ceilings and partitions, choose up enemies or objects and chuck stuff round. Controls are easy digital motion, mouse (or analogue stick) aiming and the one buttons to fret about are Grapple and Jump. You click on and maintain to grapple onto partitions, and simply click on to seize an enemy. Then you click on the place you need to throw them, and Bob’s your unwilling projectile. Combat is straightforward however gratifying as a result of your main weapon is the baddies though even that will get switched up at one level.
It’s good, healthful enjoyable. The characters are largely likeable, and even the extra referential humour (going all-in on Black Knight 2000) hits the mark – it’s good for a giggle. My solely actual grumble is that I want there was extra of it. It’s a comparatively brief and straightforward game, and took me round 4 hours on my first undergo, with minimal deaths. Its scoring system and a few enjoyable achievements encourage return journeys and speedrunning, however so far as I can inform there’s no secret ranges, bonus bosses, new game plus modes or comparable. I can see myself returning to this simply to unwind, although.
Grapple Force Rena is out now on Steam for £11.39/€13.99/$14.99, and printed by GalaxyTrail. The demo is out there on Steam, or on its official page here.
