I really, really wanted to love this game. Every character is so funny, and cute, and charming, the visuals are stunning, and there are unquestionably moments of brilliance throughout. Unfortunately, the flaws of this game are too persistent to overlook.

This game probably has the worst character handling I've ever experienced; it's loose, like you never really feel in control. The titular grappling hook will often grab onto nothing instead of what you're aiming for, and the performance hitches/skips when you take damage means that you're consistently taking additional punishment in the form of missed jumps.

After the first few worlds, I was truly invested in this game, and was looking forward to every opportunity I had to pick up and play. This is why I was so disappointed to find that as the game went on, the cracks started to show.

It's still not terrible, but I think that with some fine-tuning, the upcoming sequel could be a thing of greatness, and I am eagerly anticipating it.