A climbing game was one of the ideas I was considering, but this game is way better than whatever I would have created if I went that route. The controls took a bit to get used to, but it was fun once I got it. I would definitely say a controller is basically a necessity though.
I do have a few pieces of feedback though. At the start, it's a bit weird because you can move while not climbing until you leave a wall. I think this is what made the controls initially confusing to me. I think there could be maybe a better indicator to help differentiate the different climbers, maybe corresponding to their side of the controller. Also you can cheat moving up past a colored section by climbing with that guy and just spamming the climb button with the other.
The art and sound more than make up for these small issues though, and overall it was a great game.