Feedback/Critique: Let me start with the good.
- Concept: This is very intriguing. As a prototype, I can see the mechanics in this game being applied to a larger game with some cool in-world explanation as to what the grappling mechanic is all about.
- Graphics: While the player dot is simplified, I do like the background and the wall texture - very pretty! And I absolutely adored the particle and grappling effects - well done!
- Controls: So here is where I start with the critique. Z to jump and C to grapple aren’t standard controls, and nowhere in the game are the controls explained. Don’t rely on your front page to be the explainer of things in game - the front page should be treated as a storefront advertising your game, not your game’s tutorial.
- Difficulty: I see that others were able to get a hang of the mechanics and progress, but maybe this was too difficult? Think about player appeal - if the player can’t get past the first stage, what are the chances that they’re just going to quit and look for a different game? While difficult games with precise platforming skills are out there, there is still a bit of an explanation of how to navigate the world so that the player is equipped with the basic skill that they must then master.
- UI: UI is non-existent. There is no HUD, no pause menu, no intro, nothing one might expect in a standard game. That said, I’m not trying to brow beat you about this - I understand that getting the gameplay loop down is sometimes a challenge enough in and of itself, and honestly, in this case, the UI is small potatoes compared to some of the other issues with the game.
- Sound / music: I loved the sound! I do wish you had included music though.
Overall, this isn’t a bad concept. I would have loved to see where this might have gone with more time.