Game Idea #5: Grappling Hookies
The Grappling Hookies are inseparable.
High Concept:Grappling Hookies is a 2D, platform, puzzle game, where you need to get past obstacles and solve puzzles together with a friend. Being geneticly modified to be able to extend their arms as grappling hooks, they'll be pulling objects, pulling each others, swing and climb, as they work together to make it through.
Platform:
Any
Why it needs to be made:
Most games is about competing against each others, while this is about cooperating to complete the levels together. There's alot of people that don't want to play some games because of the violence in them. Those people might be tempted by a coop game like this.
Description:You start out together with your friend in the labratory that you were modified in. In front of you is a stack of heavy boxes. You try to pull one of them down, but instead you drag yourself towards it. Next, you try to pull it down together with your friend, and with your combined efforts you successfully pulls it down.
Next up, there's a chasm and a ledge above. There's no ceiling for you to grab onto, and you're unable to swing yourself up on the ledge. One of you attach your arm onto the ledge, creating a catwalk for the other one to walk up onto the ledge. Once he's past the chasm, you attach to him and try to pull yourself up to, but instead you pull both yourself down in the abyss below.
Next try, your friend attach himself to the ground first, making him impossible to pull down, and you're able to drag yourself up to. From there is another edge with a pitfall that you easily swing over together. The next pitfall is too big for you two to be able to just swing past because your arms can't extend long enough.
You decide to attach yourself to the ceiling first, and then your friend attach himself to your body while you're swinging, and you're able to swing him over where he activates a switch that creates a bridge beneath you, and you're able to walk over to.
There's alot more puzzles and possibilities than these few examples.
Why it will be fun:
The feeling of accomplishment when playing together and cooperating past the puzzles and obstacles. There's always fun to swing and play with physics. Sometimes there's just fun to deliberately sabotage for your friend by letting go of your attachment at a crucial moment.
Final thougths:Haha, I thougth it was better to name the game "Grappling Hookies" than "Grappling Hookers", or else it could be easily misinterpreted. The idea came from playing the Sega Genesis (MegaDrive) classic "World of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck", where the coop mode made it into a completly different game, and you needed to help each other out, to be able to proceed.
Also, the grappling hook idea is somewhat inspired by the Worms clone (but in realtime) game Liero. Originally I just wanted to come up with a idea that let two people cooperate together, and this is what I came up with for now :)
