Claws of Furry
Side-scrolling beat 'em up with a roguelike permadeath mode.
Claws of Furry is a side-scrolling beat 'em up from Terahard Studios, where four anthropomorphic ninja cat warriors set out to save their sensei from their archnemesis. The game fuses classic beat 'em up action with platforming elements, all wrapped in a 90s-inspired comic book art style. It offers two main game modes: "Im-paw-ssible," a roguelike mode with permadeath that forces a restart from Level 1 upon death; "Pussycat," a standard linear adventure that lets players save after each level; and "Catrmageddon," an arena mode where players fight waves of enemies against a timer for high scores. Levels are short, with waves of enemies leading to a boss fight, and players earn a score and grade upon completion. Controls include light and heavy attacks, jumping, dodging, and a special ability that charges by defeating enemies. Unlockable costumes—ranging from ninja suits to superhero homages like Batman and Deadpool—grant unique powers such as freezing enemies or health regeneration, unlocked by meeting in-game requirements. The game supports up to four players locally or online, with tougher enemies and more health in multiplayer, and downed characters can be revived by teammates. Development began in January 2017 with five Terahard staff as a three-month productivity experiment. By summer 2017, a convincing design document and prototype led to the full team joining, and the total development lasted nine months. On Metacritic, the Switch version scored 52% based on four reviews, indicating mixed or average reception. Critics praised the art style but criticized the gameplay and difficulty. NintendoLife’s Dom Reseigh-Lincoln rated it 7/10, calling it demanding but rewarding solo or with up to three players. Nintendo World Report gave it 5/10, deeming it disappointing. The Xbox One version faced similar criticism: Simply Xbox scored it 6.7, citing fun but lack of originality, frustrating difficulty, and generic gameplay. The Xbox Tavern’s Jamie Collyer gave it a 3.6 “Lousy” score, calling it a poor trend-following attempt. The Xbox Hub’s Nick Burton awarded one star, warning against it due to slow dialogue, repetitive combat, glitches, and poor value.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Claws of Furry
- Producer
- Aris Tsevrenis
- Artist
- Christopher Stratos
- Developer
- Terahard Studios
- Designer
- Nicola Zamboni
- Programmer
- Harry Evans
- Genre
- Beat 'em up
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Platforms
- Windows · OS X · Xbox One · PlayStation 4 · Switch
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Claws of Furry is a side-scrolling beat-em-up fused with traditional action platforming elements, featuring a 90s-inspired comic book art style. The game offers two main game modes: 'Im-paw-ssible' mode, which borrows elements from roguelike video games by enforcing permadeath (if the player's character dies, they must start at the beginning of Level 1), and 'Pussycat' mode, which allows saving progress after each level for a classic linear adventure. Additionally, an 'Arena'-style mode called 'Catrmageddon' lets players fight waves of enemies in various stages within a time limit. Gameplay involves short levels with waves of enemies that must be defeated to progress to a boss fight. After each level, players receive a score and a grade. Controls include light and heavy attacks, jumping, dodging, and a special ability activated when a power metre is filled by defeating enemies.
Reader's Guide
Claws of Furry received 'mixed or average reviews' on Metacritic for the Switch version, with a 52% rating based on four critic reviews. Critics generally praised the art style and graphics but criticized the gameplay, particularly the difficulty. Dom Reseigh-Lincoln of NintendoLife gave it a 7 out of 10, noting that while not a perfect arcade brawler, it offers much to master and enjoy solo or with up to three players locally. Nintendo World Report gave it a 5 out of 10, calling it 'disappointing'. The Xbox One version faced similar criticism: Simply Xbox scored it 6.7, acknowledging fun but citing lack of originality, frustrating difficulty spikes, and generic gameplay. Jamie Collyer of the Xbox Tavern gave it a 'Lousy' 3.6, calling it 'a poor attempt at following a trend in gaming'. Nick Burton of The Xbox Hub gave it one star, criticizing slow dialogue, repetitive and stressful combat, enemy glitches, and insulting game length for the price, advising players to stay away. The game's significance lies in its attempt to fuse a traditional beat 'em up with roguelike permadeath, but its legacy is marred by mixed critical reception and complaints about difficulty and originality.
Did You Know?
- The roguelike mode is called 'Im-paw-ssible' mode.
- The game features unlockable costumes based on Batman and Deadpool.
- Development started in January 2017 with five people as a three-month experiment.
- The Switch version received a 52% Metacritic score based on four critic reviews.
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