Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 78 | 34 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 85% | 79 | 465 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 81% | 75 | 5 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 14 reviews sampled · 6 total reviews in window · weighted 4.5 up / 1 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (39)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 90
“Grapple Dog is an adorable, challenging platformer with a lot of content for the price. It's a great filler if you're waiting on some of the bigger 2022 titles to be released, or if you're wanting a game to play with the kids. I highly recommend checking it out!”
read full review ↗ - 90
“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.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Grapple Dog may not be wholly innovative, groundbreaking, and meaty, but it is a fun and bright diversion for what it's worth.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“From the beautiful visual style and catchy music to the throwback level design and tight mechanics, Grapple Dog is a blast all around. The gameplay is easy enough to pick up but difficult enough to feel rewarding, and the light-heartedly story and adorable characters round out the experience really nicely. Having watched Grapple Dog swing around social media for a long while, it’s incredibly fulfilling for me as a reviewer to finally get my hands on it and enjoy it so much - I can only imagine the sense of achievement that the Medallion Games team are feeling at creating such a wonderful experience.”
read full review ↗ - 78
“With a colorful and cute look, some pretty solid level design, and a generally approachable level of challenge, Grapple Dog has quite a bit going for it...”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Ultimately, Grapple Dog is fun, and sometimes that’s what I want from a game: no seriousness, just light-hearted, satisfying fun. And it offers that, in spades. If you love a good platformer, it’s a must-play.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“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.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Grapple Dog can be a lot of fun, and it has a fantastic look and sound to it.”
read full review ↗ - 80
- 80
“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.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Grapple Dog is a light, breezy mascot platformer that hooks you with precise, simple controls.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Grapple Dog is a charming and inventive 2D platformer with a solid foundation that's not afraid to ramp up the challenge when needed. It still needs some work in the performance and accessibility departments, but fans of the genre should still check it out.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
Nintendo Life
Kakuchopurei
VGamingNews
Nindie Spotlight
Last Word on Gaming
NintendoWorldReport
Siliconera
Forever Classic Games
FingerGuns
GameSpot
GameGrin…and 27 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Grapple Dog Version 2.0.1Jun 13, 2022
- Grapple Dog Version 2.0.0 !!!Jun 7, 2022significant · resets scoring window
- Grapple Dog Version 1.1.0 !!!Mar 8, 2022significant · resets scoring window