The upcoming Chip 'n Clawz vs. The Brainioids will bring the RTS and third-person action genres together with a sci-fi coat of paint. Sporting aesthetic elements reminiscent of pulp sci-fi comics and B-movies, Chip 'n Clawz will grant players a comical action-strategy experience.
Developed by Snapshot Games and published by Arc Games, Chip 'n Clawz vs. The Brainioids will see players take on a blend of third-person action and RTS gameplay. Players will be tasked with repelling an invasion by the alien Brainioids and will command an army of machines themselves. The Best War Games sat down with some members of the Snapshot Games team, including game director Julian Gollop and game designer Nikola Petrov, who spoke more about the game's inventor protagonist Chip—the one behind the player's own machine army.
Chip 'n Clawz' Chip Explained
An Inventor With An Ancient Lineage
Chip is the main protagonist of Chip 'n Clawz, a young inventor with the monumental job of repelling an alien invasion. Sharing the spotlight with his robotic cat sidekick Clawz, Chip's inventing streak is more than a character trait, with the character creating not only Clawz but a variety of robot minions for the player to weaponize against the Brainioid forces, the center of the title's RTS twist (a system similar to games like Minecraft Legends).
When discussing the game's characters, designer Nikola Petrov spoke on the design history of Chip. As the main protagonist of the game, Chip is important to get right, especially with him sharing the stage with another character in Clawz. Chip 'n Clawz being led by an eponymous duo, similar to those of games like Ratchet and Clank or Banjo-Kazooie, means that both protagonists need to do more to stand out, while also having big personalities that can play off each other. Petrov spoke about how, when designing Chip, the team hit upon an idea that could really do the trick for defining Chip:
"As for Chip, we initially had him look way more modern and trendy—he had rocked a sporty vest, frizzy hair, and showoff sneakers. However, we couldn't help but think that the vibe was somewhat wrong for his personality. After some experimentation, we took inspiration from our own world. We see the ruins of an ancient civilization all over the early parts of the game, as well as the collectible comic books. We asked ourselves—what if a descendant of these ancient people is now a modern-day boy interested in robotics? And that was the "Eureka" moment. Our concept artists gave him cool tattoos that match the ancient ruins, wavy hair and wavy scarf gave his movements a sense of flow, and his jumper and engineering accessories grounded him, making him feel like a modern-day kit-basher."
Chip's ancient heritage could really help flesh his character out. From the first trailer for Chip 'n Clawz, ancient depictions of the Brainioids are being examined and pointed towards by the invading aliens. Given these ancient ruins and the involvement of Brainioids, it's likely that the fall of Chip's ancestors had something to do with a prior attack by the same alien faction. Though comparisons by Gollop of the game's visuals and tone to Tim Burton's Mars Attacks! Sets the game up to be more of a fun romp, Chip has the potential to have some real depth thanks to this passed-down burden of finally beating the Brainioid menace.
Game director and X-COM creator Julian Gollop also had more to say about how well the player will get to know Chip and his co-star, saying, "You will certainly get to know Chip and Clawz quite well, often revealed by their banter." It'll be interesting to see just how much story and character content there'll be in Chip 'n Clawz, and how well the game will take advantage of Chip's backstory elements and inventing talent.
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Violence
- Developer(s)
- Snapshot Games
- Publisher(s)
- Arc Games
- Multiplayer
- Local Co-Op, Local Multiplayer, Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
