Grapple

Overview

A grapple is an object traditionally consisting of a rope or chain ending with a 'hook'. Grapples are commonly used by adventurers as a way of safely scaling otherwise impassable obstacles such as cliff faces or wide chasms. An important tool in the inventory of any intrepid explorer, the grapple has inevitably found its way into games.

Within gaming, the grapple has many applications, depending on the game in question. In a lot of games, grapples are used in platforming segments to allow a character to access a location that would otherwise be out of their reach. Some games use grapples within combat, sometimes to pull an enemy in close for a melee hit, and other times to steal protective shields and armor from foes in order to expose a weakness. The importance of grapples in gaming is perhaps best illustrated by titles such as Bionic Commando, in which use of the grapple is a key game mechanic.