Give me some action. Give me some strategy. And give me a cat brandishing weapons. That is all I ask of life at this moment. And unlike the time when I asked for a million dollars from life, this time, life has delivered.
Chip ‘n Clawz vs. The Brainioids, from developer Snapshot Games and publisher Arc Games, was released this week, and it’s a bunch of fun. It’s an action-driven game with a real-time strategy underbelly, all while featuring a hefty dose of fun characters and good comedy. What more could you ask for out of a game? Well, you could ask it not to ramp its difficulty up like it was an 18-year-old gunning a supercar on an empty stretch of highway. Then again, maybe that’s just my lack of skills.
Whatever the case might be, I have had the pleasure of playing this self-contained and whack-a-doodle game, and it certainly hits more than it misses. So, sit back, relax, make sure you have enough Brainium crystals at your disposal, and let’s dig into the review for Chip ‘n Clawz vs. The Brainioids.
Platformer at heart
The story of Chip ‘n Clawz vs. The Brainioids is a platformer-type tale. You play as Chip, a young inventor who is ready to defend Earth from Brainiod invaders at all costs. Of course, if you didn’t know already, Chip isn’t alone in this crusade, as his robotic cat Clawz joins him and travels to Earth-laiden spheres to keep the Brainiods away from the planet’s most precious element, Brainium crystals.
The narrative contained within Chip ‘n Clawz vs. The Brainioids gives off a sense of familiarity found in games like Mario (pick a 3D one), Ratchet and Clank, and pretty much any 3D platformer involving over-the-top enemies that can be repelled by over-the-top weaponry. Funnily enough, the narrative works, and it sets up how the gameplay is going to move and shake.
As stories go, it’s an ‘against all odds’ type narrative that truly puts the toughest of the tough against two of Earth’s presumed saviors. The story is fun, hilarious at times, with well-written humor and beautiful acting, and it occasionally builds drama and intensity that shouldn’t be so profound for a game of this type. You’ll feel it when Brainioids pour at you because of bad planning. It creates a good sense of urgency that will lock you into the moment and help to represent the characters’ perceived plight as best as possible.
What I’m trying to tell you is that the game’s story is entertaining with humor and fun driving it, but it gets you in the gut when things get hairy. It’s a good story attached to a good game that sets up good gameplay very well.
Good gameplay that is set up very well
How obnoxious was that heading for this section? Lord. I have outdone myself. *pats self on back*
Anyway, Chip ‘n Clawz vs. The Brainioids’ gameplay is an even mix of genres with good balance. And the genres it throws at the player aren’t exactly typical bedfellows. The game is a mix of action, real-time strategy, and platforming elements. Let’s break those down right now.
Action with Chip and Clawz
The action is superb in this game, as you get to use a variety of weapons, gadgets, and goodies to stop Brainioid hordes from invading pieces of Earth where Brainium crystals are located. You will spend a good chunk of time trying to swing, shoot, and do whatever else you can against these tiny creatures. If you have played any 3D action platformer, then you understand exactly what this type of game brings to the table.
Now, unlike games such as Mario (pick a 3D version) or Ratchet and Clank, the maps that you commit said action within are very contained. The spheres work with the action, as the gameplay doesn’t spread you out too much; rather, it keeps you contained in a small space. This also keeps you in a constant scrum, as aliens will run at you from every direction. All these simple elements mean that you won’t be short of action. Sometimes that’s a great thing, and sometimes it’s very stressful. Whatever the case might be, the action is thick and in the forefront of the gameplay in Chip ‘n Clawz vs. The Brainioids. And you shouldn’t have it any other way.
As you could probably guess, while the action is stoked by location and area constraints, the enemies play a heavy role in keeping it fresh. The enemies are a huge part of the entertainment in this game. Alien beings that look like they come from a 50s/60s UFO film are constantly invading and dropping off troops in each sphere. The enemies range in size and strength from giant motherships, which you must take down to end a level, to creator bots that constantly create weapons and manufacture ground troops. At the end of the enemy line lie common foes that come in a variety of uses and sizes. The enemy cast list slowly becomes bigger as you progress through the game, which only stands to keep the game fun and action-packed from beginning to end.
To make enemies even more interesting, the game assigns tasks to particular enemies. Some are just smash aliens, while others are hellbent on destroying structures in the game. Juggling the different types of enemies and figuring out a solution to approach them in the best strategic way just makes the experience even deeper. The enemies help deliver more action, and they help deliver more than just action. They are a good catalyst to keep a player locked into the gameplay.
Of course, what’s the fun of having a variety of enemies if you don’t have a variety of ways to take them out? This is where the Ratchet and Clank tip-of-the-hat comes in. As the pair of heroes, who you can choose to play as during a level, attempt to push back against the army of aliens, they come equipped with a sword (Chip) and a hammer (Clawz). Those are the standard weapons for these bros. The unstandard weapons are accessed through activating tiny construction towers that allow you to create new weapons, armor, and/or troops to command. We’ll get into the latter in a bit, but you’ll find out quickly that the game’s RC inspiration is well-placed and just makes the game, you guessed it, even deeper. The more ways of disposing of enemies, through guns and vehicles, and other creative methods, the more interesting items that can be accessed and built begin to make this a very three-dimensional experience. Maybe fourth-dimensional, although I still don’t get the explanation of that term.
Anyway, long story short, the game’s action element is fantastic. I didn’t expect it to be as good or as expansive as it was.
Real-time Strategizing with Brainium
I wasn’t prepared for how involved and complex the RTS gameplay element was for Chip ‘n Clawz vs. The Brainioids. You look at a game like this from far away, and your first thoughts will probably be that it’s a smash-and-grab action game. As soon as the game begins, and you start to see that you must collect Brainium crystals and convert them into troops, weaponry, and even miners, then it’s clearly understood that this action game is going to take some RTS know-how to get through it.
When you land inside most spheres, you’re tasked with mining Brainium crystals before the aliens get to them. To do that, the game will initially give you some crystals and parts to construct a mining machine. Once that gets going, small miners pop out of it and begin to bang away at the giant crystals scattered throughout the sphere, in hopes of gathering them up and returning them to your mothership. As you collect more crystals, you can create more miners, and/or other machines.
This game works like any other RTS game, where you must dominate a territory by using the gathered crystals to create a force to protect it. The more crystals you gather, and the more tiny towers you turn on that give you more machine options, the more strategy pours into the experience. And before you know it, the game shows off its RTS madness and methods. Again, I was not expecting this much RTS in my action game.
Now, this wasn’t simply RTS to be RTS; rather, this was a purposefully designed RTS implementation into an action game. The strategic part of this genre has you thinking about how many crystals you have, what situation you’re in, what aliens are attacking you, and where they are coming from. It’s insane how intricate and methodical the RTS process becomes in this game. Keep in mind that this game introduces itself as a light-hearted, made-for-just-kids type of experience, and it’s so far away from being that. I was blown away by how well the RTS gameplay component worked and how it made you approach the action.
Deep, deep, deep stuff.
Platforming through spheres
The game comes equipped with a platforming structure, a la Super Mario World 3D. You have a set path you can go to and from, sometimes it’s a story, sometimes it’s a challenge, and each sphere contains starry goals. Literally, there is a star system in place that works with the amount of effort and accomplishment you achieve within each sphere.
You’re given goals with every sphere, and the stars you gain are directly related to the goals you achieve. For example, you may enter a sphere where you’re asked to build 10 machines before you win, or you might enter another sphere where you must keep two towers intact to achieve the set goals. Whatever the case, this aspect of the game is tough, though not interruptive to the gameplay. But it’s also the reason to revisit levels, as you will want to accomplish more, and you do this by getting better through your journey. The better you become, the more precise you are, and the more accomplishments you achieve.
Anyway, this is just a natural platforming set of gaming elements that works well and just adds to the overall fun.
The overall mix of multiple genres works well within Chip ‘n Clawz vs. The Brainioids. It is handled with care and careful crafting. Each weaves its way in and out of the other, which means nothing feels forced in its design. It’s just created to be a wonderfully natural fit.
Now, having said that, the game isn’t without its imperfections.
Difficulty
My GOD, the difficulty of this game can ramp up unexpectedly. I was maybe on the fourth or fifth sphere of this initial game when I got a taste of that. I must have played this particular sphere 5-6 times before getting the strategy right for containing alien attacks on my base. Turning a corner after collecting crystals and building machines, only to find a variety of enemies charging, was a defeating sight to see. The one time this happened, I figured I could develop a plan of attack in the next go-around. As I continued to play and fail, I realized that this game was putting the pedal to the metal with its difficulty and not holding back. Locking in only worked so well, as I finally understood that the game brought me to this level of difficulty and was trying to sharpen my skills for this crescendo of an alien attack.
It didn’t work.
It didn’t work after two times.
My skills really sucked by the third time.
And by the fourth and fifth time, I was pulling my hair out.
The game has a tendency to come on a little strong in certain moments, ramping up the challenge hard, which is concerning if the game is trying to attract younger gamers with the characters and humor. Regardless, the game is still well-crafted and fun, but just make sure you have honed your skills before moving on to each sphere. Returning to each sphere didn’t seem like a bad idea to get better after this initial difficult experience.
As it stands, Chip ‘n Clawz vs. The Brainioids can get overwhelming and difficult at times. Learn, get better, and keep trying is the only route it wants you to go. I can respect that, but I also respect the Dark Souls series without wanting to play it because of its difficulty. That’s a different type of beast, and Chip ‘n Clawz vs. The Brainioids isn’t in the same zoo.
Overall, this doesn’t mean the game is bad. This just means that you should expect quite the challenge when you get deeper into the game. It might frustrate some folks, but it’s worth the effort.
On that sweet note, let’s wrap up this review.
Conclusion
Chip ‘n Clawz vs. The Brainioids brings a wonderful combination of action and real-time strategy with its gameplay. The difficulty can be a bit much at times, but the challenge will more than likely keep gamers coming back for more.
