Stickman Hook: hold, swing, let go
Stickman Hook is a swinging game by the French studio Madbox, released in 2018. Your stickman flies through a level of hook points, and you hold to grab the nearest one with a rope and release to let go. Get the timing right and you sail from hook to hook all the way to the finish.
How it plays
There is one control. On a phone you touch the screen to attach the rope to a hook and lift your finger to release. On a computer you hold the mouse button or the space bar. While you hold, you swing like a pendulum. When you let go, you fly in whatever direction the swing was going.
That makes every release a small physics problem. Let go too late, near the top of the arc, and you shoot straight up and lose your forward speed. Let go a bit earlier and you keep moving toward the next hook. Levels add bouncy pads, walls and moving parts that change the math.
It is on iOS and Android, and on web game sites like Poki. Poki lists hundreds of levels.
Swing timing tips
- Release on the way up. Let go as the swing rises, not at its peak, to keep moving forward.
- Grab low for speed. Attaching when you are below the hook gives you a longer, faster swing.
- Use the bounce pads. They can fix a bad release, so aim for them when a jump goes wrong.
- Short taps on tight spots. In narrow sections, quick grabs keep you from swinging into walls.
A Roam swing game and ideas of your own
Slurp & Swing on Roam is a tongue-swing platformer: stick, swing, slurp, with 20 seconds on the clock. It is a separate game, not Stickman Hook, and the timer adds pressure the original does not have.
- Swing through your city. Hook onto streetlights and cranes above your own streets.
- Race a friend. Two swingers on one course, first to the flag.
Play it on Roam
More on Roam
Make your own swing game with Roam
Roam is a free iPhone app. Describe who swings, what they grab and where the finish is, and it comes back playable. Roam is rated 13+ on the App Store.
Try: "swing game, my dog grabs balloons with a rope and swings across a city, let go to fly, 30 levels, race my friends to the flag"Roam ("Roam - Make Games" on the App Store) is an iPhone app where you play games and make your own by describing them or from a photo. It is free to download and play, and making games works without a subscription; optional Spark and Reality plans and credit packs add more creation. Android: pre-register on Google Play.
Questions people ask
Who made Stickman Hook?
Madbox, a studio from France. It came out in 2018.
How do you play Stickman Hook?
Hold to attach the rope to a hook and swing, then release to fly toward the next one.
How many levels does Stickman Hook have?
Hundreds, according to Poki's listing of the game.