I'm having a lot of trouble getting anywhere. I kept finding myself falling short because of how long the tongue takes to reach its full length, or missing jumps entirely because the aiming system is sort of clunky. I think the control limitations just aren't built for quick aiming as a mechanic - you took the Yoshi's Island route but that's a much slower paced game where you never have to hit anything while moving yourself. The Flash game Give Up Robot is a good example of a similar grappling hook system with only arrows and a button to shoot your line in one direction, if you're interested in seeing other interpretations of the concept.