XBOX REVIEW | CLAWPUNK

Welcome to Feral City, where claws clash and chaos reign. CLAWPUNK is a feral-fuelled, pixel-pounding 2D action roguelite that threw me straight into the paws of nine brilliantly designed cat heroes. Each one has their own weapons, stats, and special attacks, and whether I was slicing with twin blades, blasting with explosive claws, or pulsing psychic energy, every feline felt distinct and chaotic in the best way.

Developed by Kittens in Timespace, this arcade-style brawler blends destructible cyberpunk environments with relentless melee combat. It rewards aggression and precision equally, and I quickly found myself hooked on its rhythm. Set against a synth-soaked ’80s dystopia, I clawed through five semi-nonlinear zones, junkyards, sewers, and more, each packed with traps, explosives, and gangs that don’t mess around. Just when I thought I’d cleared the last corridor, CLAWPUNK threw down a brutal boss fight. These screen-filling beasts tested my reflexes, combos, and courage, and I had to learn each cat’s strengths fast to survive.

Backing the chaos is a blistering hard metal soundtrack laced with synth stabs and neon grit. It drives the action with relentless energy, making every slash seismic and every dodge defiant. With unlockable cards that mutate your abilities and a combo-fuelled anarchy meter that powers up your attacks, CLAWPUNK demands boldness, adaptability, and a flair for feline mayhem. I had to stay sharp, experiment often, and embrace the chaos.

So pick your cat, sharpen your claws, and dive in. In CLAWPUNK, the only rule is: scratch first, ask never.

Things I liked!

• Gameplay | Each run in CLAWPUNK starts with a single playable cat, but you’ll unlock up to nine as you progress. Every feline has unique weapons, stats, and special attacks, offering varied playstyles from nimble slashers to heavy bruisers. Combat is fast and tactile, built around close-range strikes, ranged specials, and a combo-driven anarchy meter that rewards stylish aggression. You can charge in claws-first or take a slower, tactical approach, especially in the early zones, where pacing is yours to control. Four zones are open from the start and can be tackled in any order. Each one features distinct hazards, enemy types, and destructible environments. Clear all four, and you’ll unlock the fifth and final zone: a brutal endgame gauntlet capped with a climactic boss fight. Every zone ends with a boss, oversized, overpowered, and built to test your reflexes.
  
  Each level within a zone features a shop, letting you spend gold, the main currency, on fish (which restores three health bars) and a rotating selection of guns. Chaos coins, a slightly rarer currency than gold, are used at the airfield to unlock new cats or try your luck on a slot machine for weapons and bonus coins. As you play, you’ll unlock perk cards, which can only be equipped at the airfield before each new run. These tweak abilities with elemental effects, movement quirks, and combo bonuses. You can slot up to three cards per character, and none can be shared across cats. One of my favourites let me shoot through walls, incredibly handy. Every run feels different depending on your starting cat and chosen cards.
  
  Backing it all is a hard metal soundtrack laced with synth grit, driving the action with retro‑futurist swagger.

• Visuals | CLAWPUNK leans hard into its retro roots, with chunky pixel art, neon grit, and synth-soaked backdrops that evoke a feral ‘80s dystopia. Zones are visually distinct, scrapyards, sewers, and neon alleys all bursting with destructible detail and chaotic energy. Despite the old-school look, everything runs at a blistering pace. Combat animations are snappy, effects are bold, and the screen fills with explosions, combos, and enemy swarms without ever dropping a frame. The performance is rock solid throughout, even when the action hits peak chaos. After all, CLAWPUNK doesn’t do calm. It’s a visual style that feels nostalgic but never sluggish: fast, fluid, and ferociously alive.
  
  
• Sound | CLAWPUNK roars with a hard metal soundtrack laced with synth grit, every slash, dodge, and explosion driven by relentless energy. Tracks shift with the action, dialling up the chaos during boss fights and keeping the pace fierce throughout. Sound effects are bold and satisfying: crunchy hits, screeching specials, and ambient zone noise all add texture without overwhelming the mix. One thing that really stood out for me was the voice work, alongside the game’s narrator, each cat has a unique voice. They’re used sparingly, mostly at the end of levels or during random moments, but they’re always funny and cheerful, reminding me of the voices in Worms. Whether you’re slashing through scrapyards or gambling at the airfield, the audio keeps the claws sharp and the momentum high.
  
  
• Story | CLAWPUNK doesn’t lean too heavily on lore, but what’s there adds just enough flavour to keep things interesting. You play as a genetically modified cat warrior, launched from a scrapyard airfield into a world overrun by machines and mutants. Your job? Tear through five hostile zones, defeat their overlords, and claw back control for feline-kind. Most of the storytelling comes from the narrator, dry, dramatic, and occasionally unhinged, and from short voice lines delivered by your chosen cat. I really liked how each character had their own voice. They’re used sparingly, usually at the end of a level or during random moments, but they’re always cheerful and funny, reminding me of the voices in Worms. It’s a small touch, but it adds a lot of charm.
  
  The airfield acts as your base between runs, where you unlock new cats, gamble chaos coins, and prepare for the next assault. It’s not deep lore, but it gives the chaos a bit of structure, and a place to catch your breath before diving back in.
  
  
• Controls | CLAWPUNK feels great to play. Movement is responsive, attacks are snappy, and switching between melee and ranged weapons is smooth. Menus are simple, and swapping gear or cards mid‑run is quick and intuitive. Accessibility options are limited, just volume sliders and eight text languages, but there’s a damage tolerance setting (from none to high) that helps new players ease in, which I was pleased to see. The main menu also includes a Clawdex, breaking down each character, zone, and some handy tutorial basics. Whether you’re clawing through chaos or lining up a wall‑piercing shot, the controls never get in the way.

Mixed & disliked!

• Difficulty | CLAWPUNK thrives on challenge, and for the most part, it’s satisfying. But some difficulty spikes feel uneven. The early hours are especially tough, enemies swarm, hazards pile up, and bosses hit hard. Progress only started flowing once I’d unlocked extra cats, each acting as an extra life. The Construction Zone stands out: a relentless helicopter fires lock-on missiles while you scramble for cover. Without the right movement cards, it’s more frustrating than fun. Every fourth level also ends with a mini-boss guarding the exit. Depending on your cat, these can be brutal, some carry shields that force you to attack from behind, but they turn fast, and I often burned through three or four cats just trying to land a hit.
  
  You can build up to a five-star wanted level mid-run, triggering a giant holographic cat that hunts you down. It’s intense, and while killable, they’re no joke. Each level awards a rank, and chasing top scores adds replay value, but when the balance tips too far, it can feel punishing. Beating all zones on normal unlocks Hardcore mode, which I found seriously tough. I managed a few levels, and if you complete it, you unlock Iron Cat mode.

• Lightly Repetitive in Long Sessions | While the cats and mutation cards offer variety, CLAWPUNK can start to feel a touch repetitive during extended play. Enemy types and zone layouts stay mostly consistent, so without fresh unlocks or new loadouts, the roguelite loop occasionally loses momentum. It’s a minor issue, and one that won’t bother most players in short bursts, but a few mid-run surprises could’ve helped keep things feeling fresh.

How long did I play the review before publishing? 10 Hours
How long to beat the story? 6 Hours
How many Achievements did I earn before publishing? 12/31 OR 435/1000G
How long to achieve 1000G | 15+ Hours
You’ll love this game if you like these | Neon Abyss and UnderMine

CONCLUSION

Score: 88/100

CLAWPUNK is chaos with claws, fast, feral, and gloriously off the rails.

A chaotic, claw-swinging riot that thrives on style, speed, and feline fury, CLAWPUNK delivers pixel grit, punchy combat, and synth-soaked swagger in every run. It’s not the deepest roguelite out there, but it’s a neon brawl worth scratching through. If you’re up for a fight and down for some fur-fuelled mayhem, sharpen those claws, this city won’t clean itself.