A Perfect Pickup or Better Left Put Down?
The claw machine. The devourer of quarters and bane of many dates. Definitely an interesting concept to add to a game, let alone build a whole game around. Stemming from the studio’s co-founder’s side-project, the team at Stray Fawn Studio took on the challenge. Luckily, not only is it a winner, but they hit the jackpot with it.
Dungeon Clawler, as the name cleverly implies, is a dungeon crawler roguelike where you play as a variety of characters moving through floors to defeat Squalo “The Loan” Fishetti to get your paw back again. It’s a simple setup but sold well enough through the two claymation cutscenes that bookend the story to get the point across despite the lack of dialogue. To get your hand back, you’ll be using your claw replacement to pick up new items which can be upgraded and altered as you battle your way through the dungeon.
Grabbing Your Attention
There’s a simple charm to Dungeon Clawler’s presentation. From the claymation cutscenes to the various inventive enemy and character designs, it’s very likely you’ve never played a game that looks like Dungeon Clawler. While other dungeon crawlers may opt for something gritty and realistic, Dungeon Clawler casts a pastel rainbow over its designs. And the designs, particularly the enemy designs, feature an interesting array such as pistol-toting mice and a jacked viking walrus.
Plus, the audio design complements the visuals and gameplay perfectly. The eclectic electronic beat gets you ready to dive in, but falls into the background as the game begins. Even the little clicks as you slide the claw along the top. It all coalesces into a unique experience that eschews realism and grittiness for cartoons and simplicity without cutting any corners.
Snatching Fun From the Jaws of Frustration
Mechanically, Dungeon Clawler is very simple. You use the left-stick or directional buttons to slide the claw and then A to drop it. While there are some varieties of claws, such as a fan that sucks and blows the items around and a magnet that grabs only metal objects, the gameplay does not change. There are some minigames that can break up this gameplay that fits into the arcade loop, such as a pachinko or slot machine, but these come about only occasionally.
Very much like the real life game, the claw swings as it pulls items, sometimes sending the items flying opposite to the hole. Or it’ll catch impatient players as it scrapes along the side if you don’t let it settle before sending it down. Even then you may still misjudge your shot and miss the intended item or watch in horror as it dangles from the maw of the claw hoping it doesn’t nick the ledge and tumble back down. While these are frustrating, they are teaching moments. Taking the time and picking the best spots to grab are just as important as knowing what pickups work with your build.
Claws and Consistency
However, this is the only part where I’ve run into a problem. Just tapping A worked normally most of the time, but sometimes the claw would not go all the way down. Holding A seemed to help make it more consistent but it would still sometimes stop short. Whether this was due to something in game I missed, user error, or a bug, I was never able to suss out.
Despite how simple it is and the minor frustrations, it also goes to show why claw games have been staples of arcades for years: It’s addicting. I caught myself saying “just one more battle” multiple times as I wanted to get right back into it. While not a particularly hard game, Dungeon Clawler does have a good balance of difficulty where each loss feels close enough to a win that you are never discouraged, and winning a run feels like an accomplishment. Plus there’s always a micro-dose of dopamine whenever you drop the claw down, unsure what may be lost or locked in until it’s deposited.
Depth in the Dungeon
Since the gameplay does not change a lot, even with the few different claws and minigames available, the length is crucial. This may be the most divisive aspect. Combining having to win a run with all 20+ characters at least once, plus 20 difficulty levels to conquer that, luckily, covers all characters and not individually, and you have a pretty decent length game. And that is without even including the daily challenges. While I never grew tired of the mechanics despite how simple and repetitive they were, it could be understandable that others may find there to not be enough variety to justify the multiple playthroughs.
However, this is where the RPG and roguelike elements give Dungeon Clawler plenty of depth despite the simple mechanics. Each character has their own starting attributes which are added onto as you play and pick up more items. While the characters lend themselves to different playstyles based on their starting attributes, there is a healthy balance of freedom and RNG to mix and match. There’s also rewards for trying out different strategies. Not only do you unlock new characters by completing challenges, but you’ll unlock the paw of each character you beat a run with, granting extra bonuses.
There are even some secrets that, while won’t wrack your brain, require a bit of extra challenge, adding a little extra twist if you want some extra challenge.
A High-Stakes Arcade Adventure
Dungeon Clawler also gives the freedom and variety to allow for some incredibly strong builds which you may need for the achievements and higher difficulties. So even though the playing may be similar, each run can feel different depending on what kind of items you go for and even what sort of claws you use. This is why I never felt like Dungeon Clawler overstayed its welcome, each trip into the dungeon felt like a new adventure with old friends.
While it may not steal your coins, you will find the hours disappearing as you delve further into Dungeon Clawler. Whether it’s your first run with a character, trying new builds, or challenging the higher difficulties, there are plenty of reasons to dive back in for another run. And that’s great because you’ll be looking for any reason to jump back in and start picking up objects again. Luckily you won’t be losing a hand, or your quarters, in the process.
Important Links
In Dungeon Clawler, You Fight With A Claw Machine – https://www.thexboxhub.com/in-dungeon-clawler-you-fight-with-a-claw-machine/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/dungeon-clawler/9n1k8r7ddvbz
