Hooklings

[h1]Only a dead enemy is a good enemy[/h1] Everybody who liked titles like [b]Snowbrothers[/b], [b]Bubble Bobble[/b] or [b]Wani Wani World[/b] will also get a kick out of this one. Whereas the other titles all relied on the pretty safe way, to dispose of an enemy facing away from the character, here you have to reel him in, death-defyingly towards yourself, and this proves to be quite challenging. Most of the time, you need to jump to safety, but there are also other ways. So, as you can't play it safe, encounters end mostly in unpredictable chaos. Not only is the touch of a living or tumbling enemy deadly ([i]and don't forget about fireballs[/i]), no, the dead ones can end your life as well. But to be fair, they also end their comrades life, which gives way to the opportunity of combos. Levels range from plain to absolutley murderous deathpits, if you take a wrong jump. Which you sometimes just have to, to avoid one enemy or when you just need to reel in good positioned bugger. Greed for the fruitbonus and the chance to perform are the most common cause of death... So, I find myself most of the time snickering at the mistakes I made or the seemingly last-second-safety-jumps from…

This is a sweet little game, which reminds me of Bubble Bobble from the 80s. I'm old. The hook-and-pull mechanics are a nice twist on the old formula. Playing with friends and maybe former friends is greatly recommended.

A very refreshing take on platform gaming. The attack-style is unique and it takes some getting-used to, but soon enough you get the hang of it and beat your enemies into submission. The difficulty rises progressively and no matter how good (you think) you are, there will always be situations that catch you by surprise. The levels offer diversity with some being fun, some frustrating and some winking at you as a tribute to the old classics. Even after finishing the game, I felt inspired to try out different approaches and toy around with the enemies (and their helpless remains) ping-pong style and maybe even manage to get that no-continue achievement. In multiplayer this game can take on a new form since friendly-fire is just as lethal and friends can easily turn to foes, if you dare head for the fruits of their labor. So stay away from my diamonds before I go bananas on you!

I like Hooklings! Graphics and animations are nice and with great attention to detail. The controls of the hero is pleasantly simple. The game idea is simple yet cool. The music loops are pretty short but I didn't find them annoying :) Playing in the group is certainly more fun. I'll catch up this later. In summary: Small, fine game The only point of criticism: No Mac version > Need to start VMware to play it

Hooklings is a really fun throwback to games like Snow Brothers and Bubble Bobble. If you like those games, then you will enjoy Hooklings!