Gameplay: AMAZING!!! The game offers an easy tutorial with simple graphics explaining the core mechanic of the game (swinging on ropes / a lasso) without needing any text or lengthy explanations. The level design is elegant and the highlighted red hooks make it easy to understand your path through the level while still allowing for the challenge of determining the best trajectory. It’s infinitely replayable and encourages experimentation, I love it!
Art:
STUNNING! Vibrant colors from the beloved makecode pallete make the game a treat to look at. I love the use of green as an accent color in the cacti and sparse plants, with the mix of blues, oranges, and yellows for the background. It helps the red and gray hooks pop! The design clearly shows a lot of knowledge of video game art with dlithering, seamless repeating textures, consistent lineart style, and great small details like the cowboy-hat shaped clouds and animations for everything.
Story: Probably the only piece where this game falls short- at least from the first two levels that I played, the game has no story. However, I can see how the great gameplay and art would make up for it. I recommend an approach like in HEBES, where the player’s focus is mostly on the gameplay and art, however pieces of story like the text in levels, boss dialogue, and introduction give us enough story to establish clear goals and motivations for the characters.
Other: Sorry this review is quite long, I adore this game!! @eugeneredwing8 , this is an amazing contribution to the forums and you are clearly a great game developer!