Snapshot Games and Arc Games bring us Chip ‘n Clawz vs. The Brainioids, a hybrid action-strategy title from X-COM creator Julian Gollop. It’s a game that proudly wears its comic-book inspirations on its sleeve, mixing tongue-in-cheek humor with large-scale alien skirmishes. At its best, it feels like a refreshing throwback to an era when games were unafraid to mash genres together. At its weakest, it shows the strain of juggling so many systems at once.
The premise is delightfully absurd: Chip, a plucky inventor, and Clawz, his robo-feline sidekick, take on an alien race obsessed with harvesting “Brainium” crystals. That setup could have easily slipped into parody, but the game leans into the silliness without losing focus. The Saturday-morning-cartoon energy is consistent throughout, with cutscenes and dialogue embracing humor and self-awareness. Not every joke lands, but the playful tone does a good job of making sure even a failed attempt doesn’t detract from the overall charm.
Where the game really tries to stand out is in its gameplay loop, which fuses third-person action with real-time strategy. You’re not only blasting away enemies directly but also stepping back into a Command View to oversee bases, deploy units, and direct your army. When the rhythm clicks, it feels empowering – leading troops from above before diving back into the chaos yourself. It’s a blend that’s surprisingly accessible for newcomers, while still leaving room for mastery through unit composition and tactical positioning. That said, the constant switching between perspectives can be jarring, and in longer sessions the pacing sometimes feels uneven, as though the game can’t quite decide if it wants to be a strategy title or an action brawler.
Boss encounters are a highlight, throwing inventive scenarios at the player that test both reflexes and resource management. However, the difficulty curve can be erratic, with sudden spikes that may frustrate players who were otherwise breezing through missions. Similarly, while co-op helps smooth out these rough edges, solo players might find some missions feel designed with teamwork in mind.
Visually, Chip ‘n Clawz is striking in its comic-book style. The bold outlines, exaggerated animations, and colorful environments give the whole game a pulpy Saturday morning vibe. It’s a welcome departure from the gritty realism that dominates much of today’s strategy and action landscape. On the downside, the art direction sometimes struggles with readability in hectic battles – units and effects can blur together when the screen gets crowded, making it harder to parse what’s happening. The soundtrack matches the tone nicely, with upbeat, sci-fi-tinged tracks that keep energy levels high, though voice delivery can occasionally veer into grating territory when jokes are overplayed.
The PS5 version runs smoothly for the most part, with short load times and responsive controls. The DualSense implementation adds some tactile feedback to shooting and unit deployment, which is a nice touch. Still, the control scheme takes getting used to, especially when bouncing between on-the-ground action and overhead strategy menus. It’s functional, but not always as intuitive as it could be.
Chip ‘n Clawz vs. The Brainioids is a quirky, ambitious title that thrives on its willingness to do something different. It’s not without flaws – the hybrid gameplay sometimes overreaches, and presentation quirks can pull you out of the experience – but its charm, humor, and bold genre fusion make it a standout curiosity. For players who enjoy a mix of tactics and silliness, this comic-book battle for Earth’s brains is well worth cracking open.
Score: 7.5/10
Press Play Media 