Clawpunk Review (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, & PC)

It’s a smart idea mixing furry paws and claws with punk rock, especially if you splash a coating of the ‘80s neon-styled, pixelated art aesthetic. The end result is a retro arcade brawler on steroids, both in the furious chaos pulsating through your thumbs and that exploding on the screen. 

But even more chaotic, the folks over at Kittens in Timespace decided to add roguelite gameplay to the feral savagery experience they dreamed of. Thinking of taking a ride in the rollercoaster, well, you’d better buckle in folks, it’s about to be a wild ride. 

Here are our thoughts about yet another new feline-dominated world in our Clawpunk review below.

Cat Nation

Wouldn’t it be nice to discover an alien planet just full of cats? With their big, bulging eyes, and furry coats doated in natural print and patterns? I can tell you one thing, though. The cats we’ll be entering diplomatic relations with will have a ring leader. And the ring leader might not be so kind. 

In fact, the one in Clawpunk’s world is a dictator, digging his claws into any sort of freedom or say. He’s allowed a shambled society to take root in Feral City, with corrupt corporations in charge of everything. Honestly, not too different from our own humanized society. 

Anyway, nine cats are cast away into an abandoned airfield, and immediately decide to take back their home. They become the heroes of Clawpunk’s story, going into Feral City, zone by zone, and cleansing its streets and sewers of its rot. 

For the Good of Catkind

You’ll play Clawpunk through five zones, each with nine stages, and mini-bosses and bosses. There’s the Junkyard, Sewers, Woodlands, Construction, and F zone, the final one unlocking when you’ve cleared the first four. 

At the start, you won’t be restricted to one zone, freely choosing where you’d like to begin your heroic journey. And your choice does matter, given every zone has its own distinct enemies and traps. 

It then goes to say that you can always skip zones if they prove tough to beat. And fair warning, Clawpunk can be pretty brutal. Some bosses fill the screen with explosions and chaos that it gets difficult to find an opening for attack. 

Pick Your Catfight

Clawpunk claims that each zone increases in difficulty. You get increasingly more enemies and traps. But the reality is that you’ll have more tools and equipment to boost your chances in the middle to latter rounds.

You’re constantly unlocking new cats, abilities, and special attacks, which help make future levels relatively easier. In the first zone, though, you’ll probably find the swarms of enemies and traps overwhelming. 

But if you hold on, you’ll ease into Clawpunk’s aggressive gameplay. And when you beat the game, you’ll unlock Hardcore and Iron Cat, which further challenge you to aim for higher scores. Though note that higher scores and ranks do bring with them their own surprise challenges that can be especially brutal. 

Way Down We Go

Clawpunk plays vertically, as you destroy enemies and environments. Nearly everything is destructible. And with every punch or slash of the sword, it gives the most hectic but satisfying feedback. 

This is definitely an aggressive game for players looking to rage out. There’s even a rage meter, which fills up the more aggressive you are, and can unleash special attacks or even temporary invulnerability. 

Not to mention that breaking stuff like TVs ensures that the ring leader can’t track you down. And so, you have leeway in the swarms of enemies after you. But it also rewards you with coins for upgrades.

Back at Base

For cooldowns, you do have a hub you can revisit after levels. And this is where you cash in your coins to unlock new cats and abilities. In total, there are nine playable cats, each unique in stats, skills, and weapons. 

Do you prefer heavy-hitting enemies but with slowed down movement? Perhaps wielding dual swords with faster sprints? All of your preferred playstyles will most likely be catered to in the nine cats available.

Best of all, you can switch up between your unlocked cats in battle. And they will serve as your tag-ins, affording you varied attacks, playstyles, and health. It’s essentially having nine lives by the time you unlock all the cats, pretty genius if you ask me.

Diving Deeper

Now, the hub is also the place to progress your cats’ abilities. It’s where you cash in the coins you’ve collected during runs for new skills. But also the cards you’ve collected for more specialized alterations to your abilities.

“Mutated” cards, as Clawpunk calls them, are special collectibles that can add elemental effects to your abilities, give you speed boosts, or combo bonuses. You’ll find them pretty paramount to dealing with some pesky enemies and bosses, who demand specific attacks. 

Or they can be simply fun upgrades that give you more power and a satisfying crunch. Like the ability to shoot bullets that break through walls and so on. These have to be wisely allocated to certain cats to ensure that you maximize their base stats and strengths. 

Pick Your Enemy

But Clawpunk has more to offer. As much as it encourages destroying every enemy and destroying every object you see, it also comes at the risk of increasing your wanted and notoriety meter. And these will then attract more vicious enemies and mini-bosses called hellhounds.

Yet, there’s a reward you can challenge yourself to get when you defeat the hellhounds of rarer and more powerful weapons. So, definitely an enticing risk versus reward scenario that adds an extra layer of thought to how you play. 

Still, all of your activity is tracked in your score streak. The number of times you fill up your rate meter. The combos you unleash. And the enemies you kill. It all counts toward your high score. And as anyone who was addicted to mindless arcade brawling will tell you, this is where they get you. 

Arcade Brawling

You can look at Clawpunk’s replayability in so many ways, depending on the type of gamer you are. Perhaps you want higher scores, which come by perfecting varied ways of play. Or you might want to experiment with different mutated card combinations and cats’ progression. 

Since every run rewards you with permanent upgrades, you don’t always feel the loss of giving it another go. Plus, the drip-feed of resources and rewards is pretty consistent enough to want to always get more.

Even though the roguelite aspect means you’re starting from the beginning when you lose, in Clawpunk, losing a run means losing all nine lives of all nine cats at your disposal. The only thing you might find contention with is the art and level design.

Look and Feel

Clawpunk definitely is a sight to see, with its bright neon colors juxtaposed against dark backgrounds. Its pixelated art harkens back to the retro arcade brawling days, alongside its score systems. 

And this is further supported by an electrifying punk rock and synth album that intensifies in boss encounters and explosions that fill the screen. But it’s during these explosive moments that the chaos can become a little too much.

At times, the screen is filled with too many visual particles that it’s difficult to keep track of the cats and enemies. Visibility can definitely be a problem when too much is going on, even looking a bit messy. At least, though, the controls are smooth and seamless throughout your playthrough. 

Verdict

Clawpunk feels catered to a specific crowd of gamers who like their playthroughs aggressive. Those who want to kick butt, punching and shooting through enemies and environments alike. It’s very fast-paced, leaving little room for thought or second-guessing. And this fits in perfectly with simply wanting to kill and break stuff. 

Your playthrough is further enhanced by constant and consistent meta-progression. You’re always finding exciting combos and abilities to take out enemies. And these varied and deep progression systems are important because the enemies and levels can be pretty brutal. 

The chaotic, melee, and ranged combat, and rewarding progression, combined, make returning for multiple playthroughs an easy choice. Even when it’s just to beat your high score or try out a new idea. 

As for the aesthetic, it can be a mixed bag. The bright neon, pixelated aesthetic definitely has its crowd of fans. And it marries well with the fondness for mindless arcade brawling. But it can get difficult to see clearly when there are rampant explosions and chaos flooding the screen. 

Overall, though, Clawpunk will definitely get your blood pumping. It might not be the perfect masterpiece you’re looking for. But it’ll definitely be an easy distraction, even if for a few minutes, when you have time to kill.