If the title Chip ‘N Clawz vs. The Brainioids doesn’t already have you furrowing your brow in curious amusement, then the game’s delightfully chaotic combination of action-strategy surely will. From the moment you dive into this rollicking co-op Real-Time Strategy game, you’re greeted with a vivid and frenetic experience akin to a Saturday morning cartoon fueled by a sugar rush. Aided by the creative genius of XCOM creator Julian Gollop, it impressively marries whimsical, kid-friendly aesthetics with formidable strategic depth.
Thrown straight into its bizarre premise without a safety net, you team up with a reckless human named Chip and his endearing robot kitten sidekick, Clawz, in a battle against Brainioids—aliens with jars for brains. Much like taking a colorful stroll through a storybook, the game deploys slapstick humor, garish visuals, and a hyperactive personality to create an atmosphere ripe for absurd adventures. However, this seemingly inviting journey quickly shifts gears, using its vibrant facade to conceal a strategic challenge not to be underestimated.
The mission at hand is straightforward: bulldoze through waves of alien opposition and dismantle their mothership, using an army of automated minions at your disposal. The deceptive simplicity of the task echoes that of the Overcooked series. As the frenetic pace ramps up, the true complexity of Chip ‘N Clawz begins to unravel. Amidst the on-screen chaos, you’re tasked with gathering Brainium to construct essential facilities and arm your squad, decisions that require nervous deliberation as the clock ticks angrily forward.
What starts as manageable pandemonium quickly morphs into a test of wits and cooperation. Each increasingly challenging level adds new layers of strategy: Should you speed up your resource-gathering units or bolster your own combat abilities? Will your hard-earned Brainium fund a long-range weaponry station, or is it better spent fortifying positions with automatic turrets? As frantic decision-making and multitasking take center stage, the game’s strategic elements demand your full attention, unpredictably shifting between straightforward melee combat and intricate operational planning.
As Chip ‘N Clawz layers on more tactical depth with successive encounters, you find yourself facing increasingly serpentine battle scenarios—even trickier in cooperative play. Whether you’re constructing vital vehicles under duress or rallying your forces to fend off multidirectional enemy advances, every success feels earned against a backdrop of playful irreverence.
Echoing the Overcooked playbook of friendship-testing mania, Chip ‘N Clawz conceals its advanced strategy beneath a mirthful veneer. It artfully lures you into thinking the battle will be simple with its engaging third-person mechanics, only to tighten its strategic grip as you sink deeper into the game. This emerging RTS not only tests your tactical mettle but also promises hours of deliberative enjoyment wrapped in gleefully chaotic packaging. If the content experienced in this hands-on preview is anything to go by, the full release could redefine the co-op RTS landscape with its harmonious blend of zany fun and real strategic bite.
