Welcome to 8 Bit Horse

8 Bit Horse is a website dedicated exclusively to 2D video games for all systems, old and new.

Lessons in 2D Game Design

We delve into the design lessons learned from classic 2D video games.

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Our picks of the most memorable games from the previous decade.

A Celebration of 2D

Our list of notable 2D video games.

Showing posts with label Jamie Rollo Games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jamie Rollo Games. Show all posts

Silver Grapple

A game by Jamie Rollo Games for PC, originally released in 2017.
The grapple-based action genre is sparsely populated but offers a surprising amount of variety in terms of swinging mechanics. Bionic Commando is known for its rigid grapple arm but a complete freedom to grapple any point in the environment, whereas most other games with grapple mechanics only allow the ability to be used at specified points. Ninja Five-O allows for more momentum and control over swing speed and grapple length, but requires players to fling themselves around obstacles instead of pulling themselves through them. UmiharaKawase, on the other hand, offers a more slow-paced and technical experience with a fishing line instead of a taught rope, allowing players to hang down from ledges and be dragged along conveyor belts, while making it more difficult to build up momentum.


Silver Grapple offers a rope that can be fired in eight directions, but no ability to reel it in or out. Walking along a flat surface and aiming the grapple upward at a 45 degree angle does not initiate a swing, as walking forward causes the rope to become slack. The game’s protagonist (which may be male or female at the player’s option) does not have superhuman abilities. The player begins the game with a waist-high hop before encountering high jump boots that allow for a 1x variable jump.


Wave Run

A game by Jamie Rollo Games for PC and Mac, originally released in 2017.
Wave Run is a game centered around speedrunning, and is meant to be completed in a single sitting. You control some sort of odd critter in a scuba suit who has a water tank strapped to his back, not unlike a certain vacationing plumber. This water tank can be used as a jetpack to boost up to high platforms, or as a speed booster when used horizontally. The goal is to make it from one checkpoint to the next as quickly as possible, and the entire game can be completed in under 10 minutes.


When the game begins, you are dropped into a cave system and given some space to test out the controls. At the start, you have a high floaty jump and the ability to wall slide and wall jump. The starting room also has a water pipe near the ceiling, but its use is not apparent on your first playthrough. On the right side of the room is a checkpoint, and running past it begins the game’s timer.