How to play Daily Grapple
Daily Grapple is a short grappling-hook speedrun. Every day there is one new course, the same for everyone in the world, and one leaderboard. You swing from hook to hook, reach the flag, and try to do it faster.
The goal
Each course is three screens wide and two screens tall. You start on a ledge on the left and the red flag is somewhere ahead: up high, down low, or at the end of a climb. A small progress bar with a flag icon in the top-right corner shows how far along the route you are. Touch the flag and the run is over: your time goes to the day's leaderboard and you can go again straight away.
The floor is spikes, and there are saws and other hazards at every height. Touching one ends the attempt and puts you back at the start in a moment. That is normal: most good runs come after many quick failures.
Controls on a computer
The default scheme is called MOUSE:
| Action | Key |
|---|---|
| Move left / right (on the ground and in the air) | A D |
| Jump (from a ledge) | Space |
| Grab a hook you point at | hold the left mouse button near it |
| Grab the highlighted hook | hold the right mouse button |
| Let go | release the button |
| Restart instantly | R |
| Pause (resume, restart, settings, main menu) | Esc |
Three more ready-made schemes are in Settings → Controls, and every action can be moved to any key or mouse button you like:
- KEYBOARD: A D move, Space jumps, S grabs. Good for laptops with a trackpad.
- ARROWS: ← → move, ↑ jumps, ↓ grabs.
- SPACE GRABS: A D move, W jumps, Space grabs.
The left click always grabs the hook it points at, whatever scheme you use.
Controls on a phone or tablet
On a touch screen the game shows buttons: arrows to move, JUMP, and GRAB. GRAB takes the hook the game has lit up for you, so you never have to tap the hooks themselves. The game plays best with the phone sideways. Phone and computer runs share the same leaderboards.
How swinging works
Your rope has a fixed maximum length. When you grab a hook you hang from it and swing like a pendulum: falling speeds you up, and the bottom of the swing is where you are fastest. Let go and you fly off in the direction you were moving. You can still steer left and right while swinging and while flying.
- Let go on the way up. Released while rising, you keep both your speed and some height.
- Grab the next hook while you fly. Chaining hooks without touching the ground is how fast runs are made.
- The lit hook. One hook in reach is always highlighted: it is the one a GRAB button or key takes. Pointing at another hook with the mouse overrides it.
Some hooks behave differently: amber hooks throw you, green hooks reel you in, and purple ones move or carry you. They are all explained on the hooks and course pieces page.
The timer
The clock does not start when the map opens. It starts on your first move, jump or grab, so you can look at the course from the start ledge for as long as you like. R restarts instantly and resets the clock, and so does falling on a hazard. Pausing with Esc stops the clock.
The daily leaderboard
A new course appears every day at 00:00 UTC. Your best time of the day is your score. The server replays every submitted run with the game's own physics before accepting it, and anything that looks impossible is held back for a manual check, so the board stays fair. Practice runners labelled BOT run next to you to show possible routes; they never appear on any leaderboard and can be turned off in Settings.
New to the game?
Your first visit starts with a tutorial of three tiny maps: grab, let go, and chain three hooks. Then comes an easy warm-up map, then today's course. An optional second part, Special hooks, has one short map for each special hook and pad. Both are always available from the Training tab.