Red Rope is an amazing game that made me feel like my brain was expanding while playing it. It takes an amazing puzzle game to accomplish the feat of actually making you feel slowly smarter instead of just making you feel like you put the square peg in the square hole.

I played it solo. I actually do not recommend playing it with another player unless you have a friend that you would risk your life for. I feel like there is so much co-ordination needed between the two parties in this game that it would take under an hour of gameplay to want to wring a noose around your friend's neck. Solo is perfectly doable, but it has a high learning curve. But it feels amazing once you grasp onto it- after a while it just gets automatic and you can control the two characters flawlessly without even thinking about it. It totally makes up for the beginning being rough with you making all sorts of dumb mistakes.

There are a lot of weird confusing mechanics here, but all of them took a very short amount of time to learn. It's offbeat nature of scoring mechanics (or "morality" if you want to go with the tacked on art game premise this game apparently has according to the advertising, even though it's completely absent in game) and gameplay tricks lead to a very zen and tense experience at the same time. You are limited in lives, but you also know that enemies don't respawn when you die in this game except a certain type so you can suicide to clear a room if need be. It creates this balance of knowing when dying is worth it and when to take the bullet to clear a tricky situation.

Like most games though, it turns out the things you like most are easiest to criticize. There are a lot of issues with this game. The music sucks. I like the droning odd style of it, but it gets easily repetitive and sounds underproduced. There is also only a total of like 9 songs, so no matter what dungeon you go into if it's the same "level" dungeon (there are 4 per level) it will always have the same song. Some dungeons are also clear wastes of time or lives because of how much harder they are in comparison to the rest of the dungeons. Particularly, the summer, air, and pestilence dungeons are so tricky that you might as well go through literally anything else. Luckily it's like the developers anticipated this, and you only need a total of two dungeons on each level to make it to the final boss. So you can effectively skip half the game. Also, a small handful of rooms are balanced for longer ropes. This is terrible, because every time you die your rope gets reset. So if you screw up in these rooms, you will likely have to pixel hunt with your characters just to stay alive. There was one room in particular in the rightmost silver key dungeon where you have to travel across moving platforms with buttons on them, and I swear you have to land on the exact pixel if you have the smallest rope size. It doesn't feel like a challenge or a smart puzzle, just frustrating tedium.

All that aside, I highly recommend the game. The developers are great as they fix bugs quick and even have a promotion where the first 50 people to beat the game get pixel art done of them to put into the game. The game isn't impossible, so if that interests you and you have 10 hours aside to spare, maybe it's worth setting that up as a goal?

It's been a long, long, long while since I've played a puzzle game this good. As unpolished as it is in some aspects, it makes up for it with pure genius in other parts.

For those who say: MEHH THIS GAME IS HARD TO PLAY ALONE. Yeah, it's impossible actually. Don't try it. This game is meant to be played with someone.
For those who say: MEHH THIS GAME IS HARD TO PLAY WITH SOMEONE. No. It's not. This game is actually great for understanding a lot of the human mind and dialogue. You have to understand each other, you have to understand how your partner plays and think. You have to understand that dialogue makes this game possible. You have to undestand that your "obvious" isn't the "obvious" of your partner, that your "truth" is not the only one. Its perfected for understanding and solving conflicts within us and those around us.
This game has something rare: humanity.
I've loved every single day I've played with my friend. It was frustating as life, but joyful as life.
Enjoy this game. Enjoy your life.
Understand otherness so you can understand yourself.

A tough-as-nails game with pixel graphics that makes no apology for being difficult.


I was lucky enough to win a free key to Red Rope: Don't Fall Behind, from the developer, during its closed beta phase and I have to say... this game's quite fun. While my playtime may seem short, I've enjoyed every minute so far, and I honestly didn't expect to like the game this much. Because of this, I thought a positive review was only fair.

Red Rope starts you off in a labyrinth with two controllable characters on screen: a green-clad male and a brown-clad female. Soon enough you learn both characters are literally connected to each other by a red rope. It's both a curse and a gift. A curse in that you can end up getting yourself in situations like the below screenshot and a gift in that it can be used to kill any moving entity on screen by simply wrapping the rope around them.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=732806018

This is easier said than done though, and the game will be a lot more fun and easier if you have another real life person controlling the 2nd character. The majority of my playtime I still managed to do what I could by myself but it definetly takes a while before you "git gud" at controlling both characters. The controls are fine but this game is one of those "easy-to-learn, hard-to-master" titles.

The game doesn't handhold you one bit and I imagine most people will spend a good half hour or so before they even know what to do (talking to NPCs will give you hints, if you wrap your rope around shadows - the length of the rope increases, killing shadows will lock all exits and make guards hostile, shadows are your currency and can be used to buy extra lives, save the game as well as lengthen your rope and so on).
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=732805208

For some this may be irrititating and I completely understand that. The difficulty will not appeal to everyone too (if one of your characters just touches a hostile entity: that character immediately dies and so does your other character). But that's part of what I love about Red Rope. What I also love about Red Rope is the art style, the symbolism, the rewarding feeling you get after clearing each room, the rope mechanic and the ambient sound used throughout the game.

I personally haven't even gotten far into the labyrinth and have only collected 1 bronze key, so I don't think this game's length will disappoint. On the port side of things this game runs well - as expected - but the game doesn't offer much in terms of graphics options (which the screenshot below demonstrates). It's just resolution, v-sync on or off and whether you want to run the game in fullscreen or windowed mode. To be fair: I don't think there's a whole lot more that could be added here.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=732808462


Overall, there's just this strange charm to Red Rope that's hard to explain. I invited my brother to play it one time with me and he immediately got addicted to it and was cursing just as much haha. I encourage you to give this game a look simply because it's a unique indie game which captured my attention pretty quicky and very few indie games can manage to do that these days. It's also quite cheap at a normal price of $7.99. I'll give it a rating of 8/10.



http://steamcommunity.com/groups/rblc#curation

Red Rope: Don't Fall Behind is a fantastic demonstration of how cooperative play can be integrated into a game. In most multiplayer video games, a stronger player can support a weaker player; in "Red Rope," if both players aren't on the same page, you're not going to get very far. This because both players are interminably linked together by a short rope. You can't kill enemies, clear traps, or even make it to the other end of the room without careful coordination, coordination which typically means yelling at each other.

It can be horribly frustrating. This game is not easy. But from the get go it forces you to talk to whomever you are playing with, which is a refreshing change of pace.

This is a brilliant game, put together with solid yet simple elements and deserves high praise. It takes a straightforward, simple mechanic and does wonders with it.

The basic premise is easily understood. A rope of variable length tethers two characters together, and with that rope they must overcome obstacles. It is both a help and a hindrance. And the minute you leave the halls and hit the first dungeon, this should become immediately clear.
And while easily understood, the premise is not so easily executed.

One of those games that pushes players into the ‘trial by dying’ gauntlet, there is very little escape for mistakes. You will die while puzzling things out. You will die while perfecting execution. You will die because you or your teammate failed to communicate, commit, or you overcommitted or hesitated. There is no tutorial, no handholding or in-game guide to tell you what to do, or not do, or how to proceed. NPCs will offer cryptic bits of advice, but from what I’ve seen (or understood) they offer little more than the basics. You make progress simply by doing that—making progress, learning what works and what doesn’t in any given situation.

And in a game that relies so heavily on communication, it is a brilliant move.
As a big fan of co-operative experiences in games, I have played many. I love to sit down with a friend, whether side-by-side, or online. FPS, roguelike/lite, arcade, whatever, I’m usually down to play. From those that are drop-in, drop-out, to those that require the time and attention of you and a friend to make any progress at all, this game requires some of the most teamwork I have seen.

Games like Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes (a game with thousands of reviews, and Overwhelmingly Positive at 98%), recently lauded for its emphasis on communication, do require solid communication between players, no denying. But once you and a partner, or a team develop a language, and a rhythm, much of the challenge is lost. The modules do not change at their root. Here, if you do not communicate at all times, synchronize at all times, and learn and play together, Red Rope might be virtually impossible.

I will not dis the single player experience possible in this game. That in and of itself is a challenge. But this game ought to be played with someone else. As the trailer says, two ‘someones’, it doesn’t matter, in the end, it’s up to you who you sit down with. The experience of learning alongside another is where a large part of the game’s brilliance comes from.

And while I said that the game has no tutorial, it is not as if it doesn’t teach you at all. The first room of each dungeon smoothly introduces new mechanics, and the initial zones of the game have a smooth difficulty curve, making it easy to pick up the tricks you will likely use throughout the entire game, as well as become accustomed to the overall flow.

As for the art style, there are few criticisms. It is pixel art, solid and well-put together. Neither overly complex, nor too simplistic, or terrible. One of the reoccurring complaints my fellow player has is trouble with the hitbox—in that at times it is hard to delineate. It adheres to the same sort of twiggy character design seen in games like Sword and Sworcery.
The sound design and music composition is also not overly complex. Very ambient in style, the music style is minimal—at its most obvious when players are in more serious combat. I wish there was a little more variety here, but it is still well put together, and does not break genre or immersion.

Overall, this is the kind of game that gains most of its traction through word of mouth. While it should probably be lauded critically, you are most likely to hear about this game from someone else. And you should. It’s amazing. It leaves its mark.

The majority of the current reviews are positive, as they, in my opinion should be. The majority of the negative ones are complaining about co-op--that how dare it be local. Those that leave these do not understand the experience, or how development, or even the internet works.
In fact, one review calls it “not a multiplayer game to play with others.” Words that are more false cannot be spoken. If you know someone who plays games, play this game with them. (I would not recommend it for rocky relationships, or those who do not play, or understand games---the difficulty curve would likely be too high for novice gamers being that the game is rogueish. Though if said person has patience and persistence, perhaps my recommendation would be different.)

Highly recommend, well worth the full price, worth even more on sale. Going by playtime so far, I would guess at least 20 hours of first run playtime can be assumed. Probably more, only less if you are extremely on point.

Wow, the time for my first review has finally come and I'm quite happy that it's gonna be for this game.
So, this game's about: Journey, "friendship" (only true friendships are gonna last if you play this game in coop), and the bounds between two people that, even though sometimes can seem quite restricting, if powerful enough can overcome even the hardest of the obstacles, achieving a sense of retribuition that I have rarely seen in other games before.

Let's start by saying that if you really want to enjoy the game you'll have to find a "couch-mate" and fortunately I had my little sister.

The game is obviously not perfect; It has his faults but it's overall a very solid game that can give you a good time.

pros:
+ The art style: It is amazing! I like it a lot, the minimalistic pixel art reminds me "Superbrothers"!
+ gameplay: The gameplay has a very unic concept. The bound between two people has never been really exploited like it has been here! It can obviously be improved but it's overall nicely done!
+ Music/sound effects: All the sounds and the music blend very well with the style of the game giving to the experience a nice onirical feel.
+ Bosses: the design of the bosses is one of the best i?ve ever seen! Eachone is unique and the difficulty is well calibrated.

cons:
- Difficulty: I like difficult games and the tougher the better but, I understand that it can be tedius replaying a room over and over. The sense of accomplishment after beating it though! (but really, ♥♥♥♥ the fire temple)
- approach: Approaching it for the first time could result confusing and nobody really holds your hand. Explore your sorrounding and die to live again.. each time you'll be wiser.
- Single player: I find that playing this game alone is sightly more difficult and sightly less rewarding.. So go to find yourself a mate!

Overall it's a solid game with a hidden lore, full of symbolism, great graphic and a great gameplay concept that are greatly put together..
..and remember travelers of the maze: nobody is watching after you, you only have eachother and the game likes to change the rules often, so think wisely every move you chose to make and learn how to overcome even the simpler of the foes.

An interesting idea that sold me on giving it a try.

But after a half hour of local co-op play, both of us realized we were playing to end the irritation of every single room. And the moment we did, and the new puzzle loaded, we knew with a look how frustrating it would be.
- The finicky controls
- The tiny play areas
- The annoying hands that pop up without warning, grab you and (more often than not) pull you to your death without much you can do about it. It's this last part -the powerful feeling of "that's just unfair"- prevalent in the game, and not it's difficulty, that turned us away. The game likes killing you without providing any indication that you're about to die, until it's too late.

Not recommended if you prefer games that communicate information you need to know when making decisions. I enjoy difficult challenges, but very much dislike trial-and-error style traps.

Me and my sister in front of a C64. A CRT TV displaying a maze full of monsters. Suddenly the Wizard of Wor appears on screen; we fire like hell to get him, we scream, we laugh, trying not to kill each other in the attempt. That's the kind of FUN Red Rope is bringing back to memory.

The good ol' times when you and your brother or sister, or your best friend, were sitting behind two joysticks, trying to beat a game together, side by side. Local co-op is so underrated this days that reviving it from the past feels like a breath of fresh air.

The basic concept of RR is simple, yet intriguing: two players, linked together by a rope, have to cooperate in order to escape a maze. However, the very rope that binds them is also their only weapon against their enemies. The rest is what you can expect from a CLASSIC: themed dungeons, tons of different enemies, puzzles, boss battles. It's all there. At the beginning it will be blood, sweat and tears, but DON'T GIVE UP! This game has so much fun to offer for those who want to know how deep the rabbit hole goes =)

My wife and I played this once.
One of us quit.

Play with someone you love. When you inevitably start to yell at one another, you should probably take a break.