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 Some of the puzzles in Grappling Hook can be frustratingly difficult and sometimes make the game feel more like hard work than fun. However I seemed to find one frustratingly hard puzzle and then the next few would be more logical, which did help a bit. I certainly didn't get stuck for more than 5 or 6 attempts on any puzzle and I never got lost! This is amazing because some of the levels look horribly complex, but they're well designed enough to keep you on track.
Musically I wasn't overwhelmed, it was good enough don't get me wrong, but it wasn't anything memorable or especially atmospheric. I was really hoping for something a bit more stirring when I achieved impossible jumps, something that might have said "yeah, you evil scientists trying to test me, you ain't seen nothing yet!" Also there was nothing that really reflected the obvious solitude that anyone would feel in that situation. There was also no voice acting - which might be a good thing as if you know it's not going to be excellent, it's not worth doing! There were Unreal Tournament style sound bytes such as "Groovy" and "Great!" and also inexplicably "Wonky!" (Or at least that's what it sounded like!)
 The story is narrated in parts by communication panels that type out their message as if an observer was actually typing it to you. Spookily they all have the current date and time at the top, which surprised me at first (you would usually expect some future date!) Aside from these small bits however there isn't much in the way of story events and the game focuses more on the puzzle side of things. It's a shame because I feel Grappling Hook would have benefited from more of these panels to read with warnings and threats and information about the character you play. It would have added a bit more depth to the game and helped make more of a connection between player and character.
Grappling Hook works well as a game, focusing on the challenges it also includes additional goals per level in terms of number of grapples, time taken, etc...Some of the target times are completely out of my league but it's obvious that given enough time there are some amazing moves you can pull off using the grapple. My main issues are around the atmosphere the game portrays, while there's certainly something there it didn't feel key to the game itself, nor did it have any bearing on the game events other than the actual set location. If, however story is not of prime importance and you love a challenge this is going to be fantastic for you!
Score: 78 out of 100
Final Words: Grapple and jump, and soon you'll be hooked!
Click here to visit the Grappling Hook official site!
Or click here to read the other reviews on the site!
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