Sink Your Claws Into This One
A Review of Claw
Craig Majaski
Remember a few years ago when side scrolling platform games were all the rage? There were so many of these games that they literally saturated the market, with many of them dismally failing due to really bad design. The console market has seen plenty of successes, most notably the Mario games and Sonic. Technology has forged ahead and now the companies are concentrating on 3D worlds. Going back to the core of what makes a good action platform game, Monolith Productions has released Claw.
What's so unique about Claw? Well, what sets this game apart from others isn't originality, innovation, or some new gimmick. This title is special because it combines the best elements of past games into a good looking, very playable high quality game. In an age where 3D gaming seems to be the only medium of choice, it's refreshing to be able to play an "old school" game.
As is the case in many games of this genre, you control a cute character (a cat). His name is, appropriately enough, Captain Claw. In the opening cinema he's captured by his archenemies and must escape the prison and find the missing gems he needs for his amulet of nine lives. Your quest won't be easy, but luckily you'll have some weapons at your disposal. Claw's main weapon is his sword. Other special weapons will be hidden throughout the various levels. He can also pick up certain barrels and throw them at the enemies for an explosive effect. There are even some magical items to further aid you. During the levels you'll be constantly collecting various coins, tokens, and other trinkets for points.
The graphics in Claw are some of the best I've seen. They are brightly drawn and all of the characters animate flawlessly. All of the levels have parallax scrolling for added depth. The cinema scenes are especially good looking with animation that rivals Sierra's King's Quest VII. This is one of the few platform games available on the PC, and the high-res graphics really give it an edge over the console competition.
Equally impressive in Claw is the music and voice. The cinema scenes have music spooled off the CD, but the levels are your basic midi music. As you're playing the levels, Claw will occasionally talk. Most of the time he's badmouthing the enemies, or telling the player to hurry up. The voice doesn't get annoying since it's not constantly being used.
Control in the game is pretty tight. It's easy to swing your sword, duck, and jump. Speaking of jumping, you'll be doing a lot throughout the game. There's disappearing blocks, moving platforms, spikes, tar pits, and just about every other hazard you can think of. Playing with a gamepad is highly recommended since the keyboard really doesn't do the game justice.
The game's only downfall is its difficulty. Claw looks so cartoony and cute that many younger kids will probably want to play it. The levels are full of enemies and instant deaths which can really be aggravating, especially to the younger players. It's difficult to obtain extra lives, and there are 14 big levels to beat. On your first try you'll be lucky if you make it past the first level.
If you love action platform games and don't mind a difficult quest, then Claw is definitely a PC game that you'll want to have in your gaming library. It's not often a game like this gets released on the PC, and it's even rarer to see one with this level of quality. Claw does support multiplayer gaming for up to 64 people on the internet, and Monolith Productions even has contests and level editors set up on their website. Let the swashbuckling begin, and win one for all the cats in the world.
Gamer's Zone Scorecard
| Product: | Claw |
| Company: | Monolith Productions |
| Cost: | $39.95 |
System Requirements:
A Pentium PC 75 Mhz or better,
Windows 95, 16 MB RAM, Sound Card,
Direct X accelerated video card with 2 MB video RAM,
4X CD-ROM drive.
Breakdown:
Fun Factor 4
Graphics 5
Sound 4
Interface 4
Replayability 4
Overall Score:
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