Umbraclaw (2024)

A typical 2D side-scrolling action game, but the unique mechanism kicks in when you become tougher and stronger as you die during progression. You’re in an underworld full of dreamy color themes. You start off as an ordinary cat, dodging traps and enemies but if you accidentally lose a life, the cat will gradually get stronger with supernatural powers and be able to attack and play aggressively. From here the player has to weigh the balance between sacrificing life to gain powers or the ordeals of responsibility by getting resurrected each time you make a mistake. The entire playtime is quite short and the boss battles may feel repetitive, but it allows players to take a unique path on approaching every combat strategy differently based on your attained skill level as you proceed towards tougher boss fights.

Umbraclaw's unconventional nature will surely perplex many gamers but once you get it, it's hard to stop playing with this cat.

The idea of an under-equipped cat roaming the underworld in search for her owner is a great one, but it never makes the transition from page to screen. Because everything is designed around the abilities of a simple house cat, stage designs are far too simple and boss battles are disappointingly monotonous.

Umbraclaw is perhaps the artsiest game Inti Creates has ever made. From its great art direction to its fantastic voice acting, it genuinely caught me off guard with how much was put into the simple look and feel of the game. Better still is that this is all in service of a genuinely great story with a lot to say. It’s to a point that this is one of the rare platformers where story explicitly and strongly informs the gameplay. Gameplay winds up being where the game falls somewhat short, as it is simply undercooked, if still perfectly serviceable. Honestly, though, I’m fine with that. Through whatever issues it may have, Umbraclaw proves that a game can truly be more than the sum of its parts.

While Umbraclaw has an interesting core mechanic revolving around the nine lives of a cat, it's lacking in execution with bland level design and lackluster combat.