REVIEW: ‘Clunky Hero’ is Too Clunky for its Own Good (XSX)

Clunky Hero is a Metroidvania developed and published by Chaosmonger Studios. Originally released in 2021, the game has grown slowly in popularity and reached most major platforms. It desperately tries to show players a good time through quirky designs and silly dialogue but, unfortunately, fails in most of its attempts at creating any charm.

Set in a medieval fantasy, players embark on a quest through the perspective of Rufus, a peasant on a mission to save his wife. Despite the developer’s claims that Clunky Hero is a story-driven game, the narrative never expands on any of its concepts or develops any of its characters. For the majority of the playthrough, Rufus remains a two-dimensional antagonist that shows no signs of growth. Aside from the unexplored relationship that he has with his wife, Rufus is rather unrelatable and uninteresting.

Every interaction, cut scene, and dialogue is devoid of any substance. Interactions with new characters usually triggers a series of unfunny dialogue boxes that drones on for far too long. For example, early on in the story, Rufus kills a gigantic spitting head that is terrorizing a young boy. Rufus and the boy then go back and forth, debating whether the boy should come with him. Ultimately, after a number of boring one-liners, the boy decides that he should stay away from strangers and refuses to go with Rufus to safety. These details never come up again further in the story, and nothing is learned from the interaction. An overwhelming majority of interactions in Clunky Hero follow this pattern. The negligible impact of interacting with non-playable characters begs the question of why it is even an option to begin with.

Any personality that Clunky Hero has is likely due to its doodle-like graphics. For better and worse, environments and most characters look as if they are hand-drawn and torn straight out of a sketchbook. On one hand, this at times, lends itself well to the fantastical atmosphere that Clunky Hero is trying to achieve. Most of the time, however, it feels cheap and careless.

Character design in Clunky Hero has no theme and, quite frankly, seems thoughtless. Rufus himself is wearing a bucket on his head, armed initially with nothing other than a broom. This design could be charming if given an appropriate backstory, but Rufus dons this appearance only because there is nothing else to wear. Most characters look derivative of designs from MySims, while a handful of hideous characters stick out like a sore thumb. Enemies often feel like they are misplaced in their setting. Some early enemies include drunken bees, giant heads, and young men dressed as hipsters. There is no explanation for why hipsters are present in a medieval setting or what caused giant heads to be roaming the fields. Everything is just coexisting with no regard for whether it was a good idea in the first place.

One of the most vital aspects that a metroidvania game needs to have a solid grasp on is its world design. Though Clunky Hero’s maps are not awful, there seems to be little thought on how platforming in the environment would impact the player experience. At times, the platforming can feel like a simplified version of Getting Over It, where unnecessary challenges in scaling walls become incredibly frustrating. The art design generally works well despite some elements that feel completely random, such as gigantic white blocks in the forest or rocks purposely shaped like genitalia in an otherwise kid-friendly game. Maps are easy to navigate, and those that are new to the Metroidvania genre will be able to appreciate the accessibility of the puzzles and combat.

Despite already being on the market for over a year, Clunky Hero still has some bugs. At times, Rufus gets stuck in place if he’s in the wrong position on a platform. There are several areas that force blind jumps, and almost always, Rufus will land on an enemy and die as a result. These bugs are minor, easily fixable, and would breathe a new sense of playability into the game if corrected.

With so many Metroidvania games on the market, Clunky Hero will be drowned out by a multitude of far superior titles. Even if it has its moments, there is absolutely nothing that makes it stand out against similar, better-crafted titles like Hollow Knight or Monster Sanctuary. If anything, it’s worth picking up for a cheap laugh due to its lack of purpose.

Clunky Hero is out now on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X | S, Playstation 5 and PC.