Every now and then a game emerges from the great machine and dangles a claw above my expectations. Sometimes that claw misses and I’m left disappointed, other times the claw wraps itself around my addictive nature and won’t let go.
Such as it was with Balatro, and before that Peglin. Next on my list is a new game from Stray Fawn Studio that blends roguelite deckbuilding with the wondrous splendour of the arcade claw machine.
The game is called Dungeon Clawler – an excellent play on words, I might add – and your in-game mission is to take a bunny with a claw into a dungeon in search of loot and a missing lucky paw.
It’s really early days and therefore the new demo on Steam represents a game that has a long way to go. However, I spent some time with it last night and I was really pleased with my first look, despite there being one or two rough edges.
Dungeon Clawler demo impressions
Dungeon Clawler’s overworld has your mechanically-handed rabbit friend moving between different types of encounters. As you can see below, most of them are combat oriented, and therein you’ll face off against a selection of enemies, each with their own attacks.
There seems to be a fair amount of choice in terms of where you can go, however, dungeon exploration is not the main the focus here, and things really come to life when you encounter an enemy and engage them in battle.
The claw slides into action, from left to right, hovering above the giant pit above/behind your hare-y friend. In the pit is a selection of weapons, shields, balls of fluff, and then any new items that you’ve unlocked during play.
You get two attempts to send the claw down to grab items, and anything you pick-up comes into play in your next action. When rummaging around, you can activate the pincers early, although it happens automatically after a short time.
Of course, there’s a knack to grabbing the things you want, although there’s also a chance that you’ll come back empty handed. During each turn you’ll want a good balance of items, with shields to block incoming damage, and knives, swords and hammers to deal your own.
You might try to grab a couple of shields, or even a suit of armour, if you’ve got a powerful enemy before you. Of course, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get what you want, and as the screenshot above shows, it’s easy to drop the armour that you were trying to grab.
Luckily you can inflict damage yourself, and it’s not just via simple weapons either; I noted a poisoned dagger that inflicted damage and applied a status effect. I’m intrigued by how the combat will evolve over time, as more complex weapons and potions come into play.
Dungeon Clawler’s release date
At the time of writing, there’s no Early Access release date beyond the year 2024, so there’s not much to tell you on that front right now. The Steam listing does mention that Stray Fawn Studio plans for it be in Early Access for a year or more.
The current build has a solid selection of items (around 35) and perks (25), with many more to come during the EA process. Still, the devs are already pleased with what they’ve put together, and they write that “the game offers a complete deckbuilder roguelite experience.”
On that front, we’re promised “a vast catalogue of cards” to build a deck from, and pachinko machines that offer up powerful items to further aid you on your quest into the dungeon. Mixing things up further are lucky charms to boost your chances of getting the good gear, and you’ve got a grandma who’ll knit you a nice sweater!
Items and perks aside, underpinning everything is a wonderfully simple and intuitive claw machine mechanic that blends a bit of skill with just the right amount of luck. As we’ve seen recently with titles like Balatro, Peglin, and Luck be a Landlord, that can be a winning combination.
For what it’s worth, I think there’s a fun little demo here. The only question mark for me is whether there’s going to be enough gameplay variety to sustain an extended campaign (or two). I look forward to finding out, though.
