Chip ‘n Clawz vs. The Brainoids: Meet Playable Character Clawz

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In my gaming world, I’m pumped for the impending battle against the Brainioids! It’s a unique mix of real-time strategy (RTS) and third-person action, with the mastermind behind X-COM at the helm. Gearing up to join forces with Chip ‘n Clawz duo, I can’t wait to put a stop to this alien invasion!

Originating from the same mind behind X-COM, the upcoming RTS title Chip ‘n Chawz allows players to lead their troops in combat, with control shifting between the young inventor Chip and his mechanized feline companion Chawz. Offering both single-player and cooperative play, this dynamic duo is assigned the mission of thwarting the Brainioids, extraterrestrial intruders who have made off with Earth’s valuable Brainium Crystals. Game Rant recently interviewed some Snapshot Games personnel, including Julian Gollop (game director) and Nikola Petrov (game designer), who shared additional details about the game’s characters, specifically the unusual robot cat Chawz.

Chip ‘n Clawz: Clawz Explained

Clawz’ Role And Design History

The pair of Chip and Clawz share a resemblance with well-known duos from video games such as Ratchet and Clank or Banjo and Kazooie at first glance. These two characters will be controllable throughout the game’s journey, whether you’re playing alone or cooperatively. In this adventure, Chip and Clawz can explore the various levels of the game and engage in battles with the Brainioid armies. However, introducing a real-time strategy (RTS) element, they will also be tasked with rallying opposing forces to combat the overwhelming Brainioid horde.

Regarding the specific details of Clawz, Petrov delved deeper into the character’s evolution. He elaborated on how the combination of her mechanical traits and animalistic qualities were crafted, thereby creating a robust design reminiscent of legendary duos found in video games.

The creation of Clawz was an ongoing, refined process. Our goal was to make her appear both stunningly unique and highlight her robotic aspects, which might seem incongruous at first. From the initial concept art itself, she already looked fantastic. Then, the animators imbued her with elegance and a touch of whimsy in her movements. A subtle yet powerful detail that made a significant difference was giving her rotating ears, mimicking a real cat’s behavior.

Designing characters that embody personality within the constraints of mechanical bodies, while maintaining an endearing and attractive aesthetic, presents an engaging challenge in creation – a challenge encountered by characters such as R2-D2 and WALL-E. Likewise, Clawz will have an added dimension with a voice attached to it. Gollop further comments that through their dialogue, you’ll get to know Chip and Clawz quite intimately.

Development History

In the concept art for Chip ‘n Clawz, it is clear that Clawz was originally designed as a dog in early versions of the game. When questioned about this, Petrov disclosed that these canine designs were remnants from an earlier version of the game. Gollop further explained that within the development team, the feline characters were preferred over the canine ones, hinting at possible aesthetic alterations. However, the true nature of Clawz’s characteristics will only be revealed upon the game’s release.

An intriguing aspect to note is that Clawz, which now primarily supports co-operative play, actually originated as a multiplayer title. Petrov discussed the game’s roots in multiplayer and how it transitioned into offering both solo and cooperative modes for its final release version.

The original concept for the game was to make it a multiplayer-exclusive battle arena. However, during the development process, we realized the potential of adding a narrative campaign. This eventually transformed into a cooperative design where two players could work together. Although playing alone has always been an important aspect, the entire game is designed so that it can be enjoyed solo. Playing with a friend opens up new possibilities, strategies, and enhances the overall fun factor, but it’s not necessary. Every story mission can be completed either alone or with a partner, providing players with a flexible gaming experience.

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2025-08-19 20:10