Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    EA Sports Madden NFL 26 Head Coach But Why Tho 5

    Dear EA Sports, Why Can’t I Make A Hot Coach?

    08/14/2025
    Blade in Marvel Rivals Season 3.5

    Blade Can Shut Down The Other Team In Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 If You Know How

    08/08/2025
    John Cena and Cody Rhodes during Summerslam 2025

    The SummerSlam 2025 Main Event Was A Fever Dream We All Needed

    08/08/2025
    Street Fighter 6 Sagat

    Sagat Brings Depth And Approachability To ‘Street Fighter 6’

    08/07/2025
    Battlefield 6 Classes - Support trailer image

    Battlefield 6 Really Wants You To Play Support (But Knows You Won’t)

    07/31/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » Previews » ‘CLAWPUNK’ Is Platforming Chaos Nine Lives At A Time

‘CLAWPUNK’ Is Platforming Chaos Nine Lives At A Time

Adrian RuizBy Adrian Ruiz03/25/20255 Mins Read
CLAWPUNK
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

If there’s one word that defines CLAWPUNK, it’s chaos, and not just in the flashy, over-the-top combat or metal-blaring soundtrack. It’s in the way the game lets you play. Developed by the wonderfully named Kittens at Timespace, CLAWPUNK is a 2D action platformer that doesn’t just tolerate aggressive play—it thrives on it. I got hands-on time with the demo at GDC and chatted with creative director Jamie White about how this cat-fueled fever dream came to life. The short version? It’s a rogue-lite brawler where the platforms are as breakable as the rules.

From the moment the demo loads in, CLAWPUNK wastes no time letting you know what kind of game it is. You’re dropped into a destructible playground with three of the game’s nine feline warriors—each with their own stats, weapons, and attitude—and given free rein to smash, dash, and claw your way forward. Dash is agile and fast, Candy has a long-range weapon and solid balance, and Buck is the tank of the group, slow but devastating up close. There’s no hand-holding here, no drawn-out tutorials. Just movement, mayhem, and metal.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

What makes it work is how open it feels. It’s a raw, fast-paced platformer that doesn’t punish you for playing “wrong.” You can blaze through every level, dodging fights and hunting speedrun lines. Or take your time and wreck every piece of scenery in sight. The design supports both, and according to Jamie, the team leaned into this freedom on purpose. They saw through testing that both aggressive and evasive approaches felt fun and viable, so they built the game around that idea. “If you want to bash everything you see, you can,” he told me. “If you want to speedrun and avoid everything, that’s an option too.”

CLAWPUNK boasts a surprising amount of character depth.

CLAWPUNK Characters

That flexibility is immediately felt. Levels fly by quickly, and boss fights hit fast, but it never feels rushed. The pacing just keeps the action tight and constant. And thanks to the roguelite elements and procedurally generated environments, no two runs feel the same. Enemy spawns, traps, and layouts all shift based on how you tackle the zones, and the game adapts based on your chosen order. It’s the kind of system that creates just enough unpredictability to keep you on your toes without losing its rhythm.

There’s also a surprising amount of character depth. You’re not just controlling nine cats with different stats. They’ve each got their own flavor. You’re part of a gang of outcasts fighting to reclaim a city that’s been purged of cats by Mr. Fuzz, a former ally turned corrupt villain. Jamie explained that the story kicks off after Mr. Fuzz betrays the group and rises to power, exiling all other cats in the process. “The goal is to liberate the city from gang warfare and corruption,” he said, framing it like a grimy, feline revolution.

The cast is where that energy really comes to life. Hacks is on rollerblades and never stops moving. Jinx rides a hoverboard, like something out of Back to the Future Part II. And Larry (who immediately became my favorite) bounces around on a pogo stick like a total maniac. “Larry’s the wild card of the group,” Jamie told me, laughing. “He’s crazy.” I believe it.

You can switch between cats at will mid-run, but once one dies, they’re gone for the rest of that attempt. Jamie described it as a kind of survival strategy: rotate freely, but be smart about which characters you burn through and which you save for later. It adds a surprising layer of planning on top of the moment-to-moment chaos. Later in the full game, you’ll be able to equip collectible cards to each cat to modify their abilities—up to three per character. If you want to make the slowest cat the fastest, you can. “It’s about breaking the rules a little bit,” Jamie said, “and allowing players to make the cats their own.”

CLAWPUNK is creative and exciting in every way.

CLAWPUNK Gameplay

That philosophy shows up in every part of the game. CLAWPUNK doesn’t just allow creativity—it pushes for it. The destructible environments let you carve your own paths. The character-swapping makes every encounter feel tactical. And the cards encourage build-crafting and experimentation in a way that rogue-lite fans will immediately appreciate. What starts as a tight action-platformer quickly becomes a playground for whatever kind of chaos you want to create.

The soundtrack rips with an aggressive, dirty mix of industrial metal, punk riffs, and synth stabs that perfectly match the retro-futuristic world. It’s got a gritty 80s/90s energy that feels pulled straight from old cartoons, dystopian sci-fi, and underground zones. The team calls it a “love letter to all the games, TV shows, and movies that have inspired us over the past 30 to 40 years,” and yeah—you feel that influence in the DNA of every pixel.

What I love about CLAWPUNK is how it commits to letting players break things. Break the rules, break the level, break the expectations. It’s a platformer that dares you to ignore the platforms. It’s fast, flexible, and plays like a high-speed brawl you’re constantly rewriting in real-time. Whether you’re the kind of player chasing world-record runs or someone who just wants to jump in and bash buttons for an hour, CLAWPUNK finds a way to reward you. It’s chaos, sure. But it’s your chaos. And I’m already ready for more.

Wishlist CLAWPUNK on Steam now. 

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous Article‘Hela’ Might Be Your Next Favorite Couch Co-Op Game
Next Article Warhammer 40000 Darktide’s Free Update Is Out Now
Adrian Ruiz

I am just a guy who spends way to much time playing videos games, enjoys popcorn movies more than he should, owns too much nerdy memorabilia and has lots of opinions about all things pop culture. People often underestimate the effects a movie, an actor, or even a video game can have on someone. I wouldn’t be where I am today without pop culture.

Related Posts

Battlefield 6 promotional image from EA and Battlefield Studios

We’re So Back With ‘Battlefield 6’ Multiplayer

07/31/2025
Still from Story of Seasons Grand Bazaar

‘Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar’ Could Be The Perfect Cozy Game To Close Out The Summer

07/30/2025
King of Meat

King of Meat Create Mode Bolsters Player Creativity In Our Hands-On Impressions

06/24/2025
Lumines Arise

Hands-On With ‘Lumines Arise’ Put Me In The Perfect Flow State

06/19/2025
Digimon Story Time Stranger key art from Bandai Namco and Media Vision

‘Digimon Story: Time Stranger’ Is Redefining Expectations

06/18/2025
Invincible VS key art for our interview with RObert Kirkman

Invincible VS Can Be A Gateway Fighter Without Sacrificing Depth

06/16/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Still from Shin Godzilla
8.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘Shin Godzilla’ Is More Relevant Than Ever

By Sarah Musnicky08/16/2025Updated:08/17/2025

It is understandable how Shin Godzilla succeeded at the box office nearly a decade ago. The strength of its story still stands today.

Botanical Bliss Update Palia But Why Tho 5 News

Palia’s New Botanical Bliss Update Brings New Flora, Decorations, And Quest Mechanic

By Matt Donahue08/18/2025Updated:08/18/2025

The Botanical Bliss update adds new event, more plushes, and a host of quality-of-life improvements and more to celebrate 2 years of Palia.

BOOTS Netflix First Look promotional images News

First Look at Coming-of-Age Story BOOTS, Coming to Netflix This October

By But Why Tho?08/17/2025

Netflix is reporting for duty this fall with the new eight-episode series BOOTS, a comedic drama starring Miles Heizer and Vera Farmiga

Nuestra Magia Secret Lair Art Interviews

EXCLUSIVE: How The ‘Nuestra Magia’ Secret Lair Found Its Identity And Raised Over $1M

By Kate Sánchez08/15/2025Updated:08/15/2025

We spoke with Ovidio Cartagena about Magic: The Gathering’s Nuestra Magia Secret Lair drop, its impact, and the real treasure within.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here