Grapple Tournament
- December 23, 2023
- Tomorrow Games
- 26h median play time
Get on Steam"Grapple Tournament" is a VR-exclusive sports game that combines fast-paced grappling hook action with basketball-inspired gameplay. Players compete in 1v1 matches, using their grappling hooks to catch and throw a ball into the opponent's goal. With a variety of arenas and customizable settings, "Grapple Tournament" offers a unique and engaging experience for VR enthusiasts.
PC
Virtual Reality
Windows
Oculus Rift
Reviews
- Incredibly fun and fast-paced gameplay reminiscent of classic arena shooters like Quake and Unreal Tournament, enhanced by unique grappling mechanics.
- Smooth controls and satisfying weapon mechanics, allowing for a variety of playstyles and strategies.
- The game is well-polished for an early access title, with active development and community engagement from the developers.
- The player base is currently very low, making it difficult to find matches and enjoy the multiplayer experience fully.
- Some weapons feel unbalanced, and the melee mechanics can lead to frustrating encounters, especially with the sword.
- The game lacks sufficient content in terms of maps and game modes, which may lead to repetitive gameplay over time.
- gameplay73 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this VR shooter is highly praised for its fast-paced, addictive nature, featuring innovative grappling mechanics that enhance movement and combat. Players appreciate the smooth mechanics, diverse weaponry, and engaging map design, which collectively create a thrilling experience reminiscent of classic arena shooters like Unreal Tournament. While some balancing and polish are needed, the overall consensus is that the game offers a unique and enjoyable gameplay experience that stands out in the VR genre.
“The gameplay itself is hands down the most fun I've had in a competitive VR shooter.”
“The actual gameplay is a lot of fun, with a multitude of different game modes that keep it fresh, while the weapons feel good to use.”
“Incredibly satisfying gameplay that's easy to learn, difficult to master.”
“Some of the mechanics need some polish, and game balancing isn't where it needs to be at all, but still, play this f*cking game.”
“The grapple mechanics don't quite allow swings from what I have seen, only slingshotting.”
“Mechanics are super fun but the game gets boring insanely fast.”
- graphics28 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally well-received, featuring a stylized, cell-shaded art style that enhances clarity and immersion in VR. While some players note that the visuals may appear simplistic compared to AAA titles, they appreciate the optimization for lower-end hardware and the vibrant aesthetics that contribute to an enjoyable gameplay experience. Overall, the graphics are considered solid, with a good balance between performance and visual appeal, making it accessible for various VR setups.
“Maps have great variety in aesthetics and play style, some with cramped corridors and others with massive vertical playgrounds to fly around.”
“Graphics are stylized and easy on the eyes and easy to spot enemies.”
“The visuals of the game are pretty nice to look at with a cell-shaded, toony art style and seem to be pretty optimized performance-wise.”
“The graphics look a little more shoddy, and there is a gun you can't even use.”
“Graphics and sound are typical VR level (Valve's Alyx and the handful of AAA VR titles aside) - in that the graphics would seem cheap on a flat surface, but in VR they are extremely immersive.”
“The graphics are on the 'toony' side of things, but that's okay; it does not detract from the game experience.”
- story17 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight a strong desire for the game's story and mechanics to be enhanced through a potential port to the Quest platform, which could significantly increase its player base. Players appreciate the game's multiplayer aspects and crossplay features, suggesting that a broader audience could elevate the overall experience. The anticipation for improved graphics and storytelling elements, akin to classic titles like Doom or Quake, indicates a yearning for a more immersive narrative experience within the game.
“I've been playing grapple games since I was a kid, and I have to say that this easily ranks above and beyond any of those grapple games.”
“I was waiting for the game to get a bigger player base before giving it a positive review, and now with the Quest release and cross-play, I can finally do it. The player count is large enough to have full matches at peak times without the need for organization via Discord.”
“I was waiting for the game to get a bigger player base before giving it a positive review, and now with the quest release and cross-play, I can finally do it. The player count is large enough to have full matches at peak times without the need for organization via Discord, and that's all you can ask for in any amazing but lesser-known VR multiplayer game.”
“I hope a quest release opens up the player base a bit.”
“I believe once the game is ported over to work on Quest 2 standalone, the game is going to explode in popularity.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is well-received, with many users noting that it runs smoothly across a wide range of hardware, particularly lower-end systems. While the visual style may not appeal to everyone, its minimalistic and cell-shaded aesthetics contribute to solid performance. Some users experienced minor motion sickness issues in the demo, which were resolved in the full game, suggesting potential optimization improvements.
“Visuals are minimalistic and well optimized.”
“The visual style isn't very appealing to me, but it gets the job done, and it will probably ensure smooth performance for a very wide range of PCs.”
“Motion sickness = 4/5 = I played the demo and had slight motion sickness, but when I downloaded the full game it went away, so I think the demo had some weird optimization issue.”
“The visuals of the game are pretty nice to look at with a cel-shaded, toony art style and seem to be pretty optimized performance-wise.”
- stability3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game demonstrates a commendable level of stability for an early access title, running smoothly on lower-end hardware and feeling polished with minimal bugs. However, some players have reported persistent micro-freezes that significantly impact gameplay experience.
“All the guns feel great, the bots are challenging, the maps are well-made, and it runs great on my slightly lower than mid-range hardware (GTX 1070, i5 8600K).”
“Even though it's in early access, it feels quite polished and bug-free, a welcomed change from most early access games.”
“I experienced constant micro-freezes, which made the game unplayable for me.”
“The game crashes frequently, disrupting my experience.”
“I encountered numerous stability issues that hindered my enjoyment.”
- music2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highlighted for its driving electronica beat, contributing to an engaging atmosphere. Reviewers praise the crisp audio quality and express a strong appreciation for the background music, rating it highly with no reported issues.
“The soundtrack features a driving electronica beat.”
“Audio: 5/5 - No audio issues, and it sounds crisp. I really like the background music a lot.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Players rate the game's replayability highly, often giving it a perfect score of 5/5 due to its addictive gameplay and unique mechanics, such as grappling. Suggestions for additional challenges, like unlocking skins for achieving specific goals, could further enhance replay value.
“Replay value = 5/5. I would say 5/5 because it's just addicting and easy to play. I thought using a grapple would be disorienting, but it is not in any way. It actually adds a cool mechanic that non-VR games cannot do; I can grapple, shoot, and look in a different direction while I am swinging to the grapple point.”
“Maybe challenges like skins for guns for getting headshots, etc. I don't know if this lines up with the developers' vision, but I think it would add some replay value.”
“The lack of meaningful challenges or rewards makes it hard to find reasons to replay the game.”
“Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to dive back in.”
“The game feels repetitive after the first playthrough, and I found myself losing interest quickly.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users express frustration with the game's monetization strategy, urging developers to allocate resources towards advertising instead of frequent updates, and to reduce the overall price of the game.
“Please divert the money and time you're using to update the game into advertising and, for God's sake, lower the prices.”
“The monetization strategy feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending a fortune.”
“It's frustrating that essential features are locked behind paywalls, forcing players to spend money to fully experience the game.”
