Grapple - Android 2D platformer (finally released to Google Play)

Showcase
#1

Finally released!


https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Get_it_on_Google_play.svg/320px-Get_it_on_Google_play.svg.png

After a short period in alpha testing (thanks to @PlainBug for finding the show-stoppers) I have finally gotten to the point where I can release this.
Feel free to try Grapple for Android, it’s free and has no ads nor any in-game purchases!

[i]You are the King, find the lost key fragments and return to oust the impostor that stole your clothes and broke the key to the castle.
In this 2D platformer you need to Run, Jump and also Swing using a Grappling-hook as you search for the missing key fragments, all whilst avoiding traps such as fire, moving platforms and spinning saw-blades!

Features

  • Simple puzzles
  • Full frontal male nudity
  • Speed runs
  • Physics
  • Pixels
  • Snakes

This game uses assets licensed under Creative Commons, most graphics are done by Buch (https://www.patreon.com/buch?ty=h), music is done by deadEarth (https://www.patreon.com/DeadEarth?ty=h).[/i]

Grapple Trailer;

8d0JfHUWg6E

Update:

I’ve got a pre-alpha desktop version available for download here; https://drive.google.com/uc?id=0B38R323dMc0oWWtheDU0WjEzd28&export=download

Controls are W, A, S, D and clicking with the mouse in the direction you want to fire the grappling hook (when you find that, you start without it). The game is not really intended for desktop play so changing window size isn’t handled properly, also most levels aren’t finished, and the game is missing most levels.

If anyone is willing to try it I would be interested to know if this is a game you would play to completion (considering it will be an Android game with just 32 levels and be free and free from ads), any feedback is greatly appreciated.

I’ve gotten to the point in my current project where I have some game-play to show off so I thought I’d post it as a WIP.

Grapple is a 2D platformer for Android, with focus on speed and completing levels quickly. You play as a King who’s gotten his clothes and crown stolen, and he’s been locked out of the castle, so your mission is to find all the pieces of the broken castle key (as well as your clothes) and get back in.

Db9UFDwVbHA

It has cute, pixely graphics from Buch at OpenGameArt.org (http://opengameart.org/content/a-platformer-in-the-forest).

It’s possibly to die gruesomely;
Falling:

Burning:

Saw-blade:

The game is being written using libGDX, and I use Box2D for the physics.

And while I don’t have a playable download for you, I am still interested in any comments/feedback you might have.

Thank you.

#2

Looking good! You might want to add some backgrounds in with a bit of parallax, it feels a little ‘flat’.

#3

I love it just the way it is, especially the music, very catchy ;D

#4

Thank you!
I know what you mean with it being a bit ‘flat’, right now there’s only one parallax layer and I am not using it that much in the levels I’ve made so far.
Hopefully it’ll get a little less flat, but I am using a fairly limited tileset and can’t really do graphics myself so it’s going to be fairly sparse anyway.

#5

Ah I understand, good luck with your game!

#6

Cool, thanks.

I wish i could take credit for the music but I can’t, it’s by deadEarth, I found it on OpenGameArt.org.

#7

So I am making slow but steady progress on this little project, music has been added and I am working on the pause/resume/return to menu functionality. I’ve implemented a minimalistic approach to this that I kind of like, but I am interested in any opinions on whether the controls are intuitive and make sense.

The controls are in the upper right corner and they slide in and out as they’re needed:

Ignore the single-centered-button screen that is my main menu right now.

#8

Id love to see what types of games you could also make if you moved away from android at any time because they styling of the game looks really good

#9

Thank you!

Grapple is currently cross-platform and runs both on the desktop and on Android, I mainly use that as a way of achieving shorter turn-around times compared to using an actual Android device or emulator, but there’s nothing preventing me from releasing the desktop version as well.

I’ll probably do that, as the game is going to be free anyway.

The reason I like doing Android stuff is that I do Windows stuff at work, and it’s nice to do something different.

#10

I like this. The nice color scheme really stands out and gives it mood.

#11

Cool, I’m glad you liked it! I’m quite fond of the dark, gloomy mood the graphics sets.
I can’t take any credit for the color scheme used for the graphics (except for deciding to use them ::)), I’ve gotten more or less all graphical assets from OpenGameArt.

#12

After a break from working on Grapple over Christmas I am back to tinkering with it, today I implemented finding new outfits in chests.

Next step will be making it possible to find the grappling-hook as the player starts out without it.

#13

I got side-tracked and worked on damage and armor, and in testing that I compiled a list of ways to die/lose/fail in Grapple (blood is still very much work-in-progress).

Warning: The following video contains scenes of what looks like several peperoni-slices erupting from the player.
They’re not peperoni, they’re supposed to be blood. :o

kLKv3rUIo7k

#14

So I added snakes to my game. Not because it makes any sense, but because there was snake sprites in the tileset I used for this ::slight_smile:
They’re agressive and attack with speed;

https://i.imgur.com/HavkXyA.gif(image larger than 102400KB)

They can’t be killed by jumping on them as is usually the way to dispatch enemies in platform games.
Immortal, aggressive and fast. So watch out :persecutioncomplex:

#15

Work on this game is progressing slowly, I am currently doing boring stuff (such as save/load and leader-boards) and I find it hard to stay motivated. The biggest task left if creating the remaining levels and since I’m not a fan of level design I struggling to get started on it. Code-wise the only really interesting part left to add is possibly a boss-fight, initially I hadn’t planned to add one but now I might just so that I get to do some coding rather than graphics, levels and audio.

#16

I must have missed your previous post, that’s looking really fun!

#17

Thank you! I am hoping the final version will have about one hour worth of casual, fun game-play.

If I can ever get around to finish all the boring tasks. If I can get the menu system done I’ll probably post a desktop version here to get some feed back on the first levels.

#18

Forcing myself to do menus and splash has produced a first draft, any comments very much appreciated;

#19

I’ve got a pre-alpha desktop version available for download here; https://drive.google.com/uc?id=0B38R323dMc0oWWtheDU0WjEzd28&export=download

Controls are W, A, S, D and clicking with the mouse in the direction you want to fire the grappling hook (when you find that, you start without it). The game is not really intended for desktop play so changing window size isn’t handled properly, also most levels aren’t finished, and the game is missing most levels.

If anyone is willing to try it I would be interested to know if this is a game you would play to completion (considering it will be an Android game with just 32 levels and be free and free from ads), any feedback is greatly appreciated.

#20

This looks like it could be really fun and enjoyable.

What are your plans for the sound and music?