Clive 'N' Wrench

released on Feb 24, 2023

Clive 'N' Wrench is a 3D platformer that takes inspiration from the collect-a-thon games of the 90's, but with an added time traveling element.


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Clive ‘n’ Wrench é uma verdadeira carta de amor aos grandes games de plataforma dos anos 90, misturando tudo que havia de melhor neles. Simples, cativante, extremamente divertido e com uma trilha sonora viciante, ele acaba sendo um prato cheio para os fãs do gênero. Apesar de não escapar de problemas, Clive ‘n’ Wrench consegue mostrar muito potencial e, acima de tudo, nos transporta de volta para a era de ouro do gênero.

Review completa em: https://psxbrasil.com.br/analise/clive-n-wrench-review/

While it's less "retro-feeling 3D platformer on a similar level as Banjo-Kazooie" and more "retro-feeling 3D platformer that evokes the same feelings as those random N64 games you'd pick up at Blockbuster like Gex 64 or A Bug's Life", I'm man enough to admit that this is 100% My Jam. I know when I'm being catered to, especially now that the game's hovering around the 10-20 dollar mark.

Clive 'N' Wrench is the latest of passion project collectathon 3D platformers starring a wacky little critter made by people who grew up in the 90's to appeal to other people who grew up in the 90's. While most of these 3D platformers borrow influence from the N64 greats, what sets this particular game apart is that it feels more PSX-influenced in its mechanics. Rob is a huge Muppet Monster Adventure, Spyro, and MediEvil fan, and it definitely shows up in the DNA of the game.

But is it a "good" game? Well...probably not. But my feelings are complicated.

As stated in a previous review, I have a bit of a soft spot for janky platformers as long as they aren't boring or feel like they're intentionally wasting my time (looking at YOU, Balan Wonderworld). Clive 'N' Wrench passes my Game Feel test, even if the whole game experience feels a little undercooked. Ironically, the lack of polish, ugly graphics/textures, and general jank feel to it makes it feel more like a PS1/N64 platformer than Yooka-Laylee ever did. Damning the game with faint praise, I know, but it's hard to describe this perfect blend of Odd Choices That Should've Been Ironed Out More beyond "yeah, this is what gaming in the Clinton Years felt like". Some levels just have 1000 of a single collectible for no reason at all but damnit if it isn't making me smile.

I think what Rob nailed was the movement tech in this game. I like that Clive just has a ridiculously high jump with a hover reminiscent of Spyro's glide in that you could just traverse through an entire stage provided you gave yourself enough height at the start of the glide. It makes the game rather easy, but I like turning each play area into a jungle gym. Sadly, the movement tech didn't translate into Clive-Wrench's attack moveset, leaving them with only a wimpy little spin attack that I could never quite feel out the hitbox for, meaning that I usually took damage whenever I attacked an enemy. But, as I said, this game IS pretty easy so deaths were more of a temporary annoyance than a setback.

My one major complaint (beyond "yeah fine I guess the game could've used a bigger budget/team to make a much better product") is that none of the characters feel all that interesting. I like how you see the bosses' influence within the worlds as a result of their partnership with the main villain - and I think the character design, concept and names are all fun - but then it's missing that extra Sly Cooper-y spice of them having some witty banter with our heroes. I can't believe this game manages to fumble a goofy mad scientist, a bayou witch frog that runs a casino, and a vampire named "Vlad the Impala" this badly by having them all be completely silent. Doesn't help that the boss battles range from completely terrible (Baroness Samedice) to It's Okay But Could've Been Longer (Vlad) and the boss levels range from That's Fine (The Unitaur) to The Actual Worst Thing In This Entire Game (Captain Bluebeard).

In the end, it's rough around the edges and wasn't worth its original asking price of 40 dollars, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't having fun with this goofy little game. Even if the models are kinda scary-looking.

Also what a massive power move to just include Kensington and the Museum from MediEvil 2 in your video game. The events of MediEvil are canon to Clive 'N' Wrench and I think that's beautiful.

I had to give up on this for now. Maybe it'll be better in the future with some patches and changes, but it doesn't feel good to play

This review contains spoilers

I'm very torn on my feelings with this game. First off, it was made over the span of 12 years by essentially one guy and his dream to make a game by the 3D platformers like Spyro the Dragon, Muppet Monster Adventure, and of course, Banjo-Kazooie, and while I respect that he never gave up and eventually got this game finished and released, it's still incredibly disappointing, but not without its fair share of positives still. Let's get all the bad out of the way to start. Clive N Wrench themselves are boring characters that carry no personality to them whatsoever. They are silent protagonists through the whole game, and while that isn't always a bad thing, there's rarely ever a chance for them to show off who they are and what their personality is. Most cutscenes just involve them meeting the boss of the world and not really reacting much. There's a bit of work in the last 3 worlds of the game where Wrench exhibits more mischievous behavior in boss cutscenes, but it's very sudden and then the game ends. They also try giving more dialogue during the battles, perhaps as a way to try and continue to flesh him out, but it just doesn't work as it comes off as him just exposition dumping than any meaningful dialogue. Meanwhile Clive on the other hand never gets anything. You don't know who he is, what his personality is, or why I should like or invest myself into him as a character at all. The most fully fleshed out character in the game is actually Clive's Sister Nancy. Not only is she set up as a tech genius that makes the duo the tech they use in their adventure, but Wrench is actually HER pet and assistant not Clive's. This just further calls into question of why Clive is even a character in this game when Nancy could have easily been a much more interesting and better playable character hand down. Not only that, but NANCY IS THE ONE THAT DEFEATS THE VILLAIN DR. DAUCUS AT THE END OF THE GAME. The whole final boss fight is you having to wait 4 minutes for Nancy to hack into Daucus's machinery to make it malfunction. There is unfortunately never a scene where Clive proves his worth as a character that needs to exist and it's honestly incredibly sad. This in return really makes the story suffer as it just isn't that interesting at all. The second biggest problem with this game are the hit boxes. Oh boy the hit boxes. There is just a 50/50 chance that an enemy will hit you, even if you attack them correctly. At this time there is no rhyme or reason to why it happens. It just happens. Normally it wouldn't be that bad or irritating of a thing since there are plenty of health pickups, but the fact that this game has several trophies and achievements that require you to beat some of the bosses without taking a single hit is simply not fair when the game won't cooperate with you 50% of the time. In this case you just need to cross your fingers and hope you get lucky enough that the game decides to work in that case. Simply put, it's the least fun thing about the game gameplay wise. The game also incorporates Banjo-Kazooie style mumble speak, which is a fun enough tribute, but more often than not the games poor audio mixing made it very difficult for me to hear it, which is a shame. There's also the fact that the first world of the game leaves a pretty bad impression. It's the smallest of all the worlds and over cluttered with way too many objects and tutorial stations despite the fact that there is a small tutorial level already accessible from the main game hub. The game also suffers from some really bad pop in from time to time, and makes a really weird choice for all of the dialogue from characters to come from a particularly small box in the bottom left hand corner of the screen with about size 8 text that can be very difficult to see a lot of the time. There's no reason why the text can't be bigger and the box moved to the center of the screen like how the Banjo and Yooka games do. These however are smaller things that I feel could easily be fixed via a patch. Even the hit box problems could potentially be solved with a meaty update that addresses these concerns. Yooka Laylee pulled it off, so I can't see why Clive N Wrench can't do the same. Alright, that's it for all the negativity I can muster right now. Let's jump into the positives. Some of the biggest criticisms towards this game that I've read started that the game has a very inconsistent framerate coupled with numerous performance issues. I can't confirm this at all because the game ran just fine for me. Not a single framerate or performance dip was experienced during my playthrough at all. Many have also taken the game to task for what people say are "unforgivable bad controls", but I strongly disagree. They can maybe feel a little floaty and fast sometimes, but it's nowhere near awful or broken at all. Controls never felt unbearable to me ever during the game. The soundtrack for is also well done and evokes some cozy vibes throughout the game. Also, with the exception of the first world, I found most of the worlds really fun and varied. While the amount of worlds on the hub seems a little intimidating at first, all levels adhere to the design philosophy of Spyro and Muppet Monster Adventure where each level only has 2 big areas with a handful of connecting parts that end up usually looping you back around the map. I especially really loved the last 3 worlds where it feels like the game really starts feeling more confident in itself and starts having even more fun with its premise. My personal favorite was the prehistoric world where everything had frozen over and had a Christmas/Holiday flare to it. I also loved the dark dungeons and beautiful forests of The Middle Ages world. I hope that if we get a sequel to this game, they can definitely do more mixing and matching with the worlds just like the prehistoric level here. This is what really makes the game stand out from the other 3D platformers out there. I also loved that the game gives you a button that you can use to nab any pocket watches you may be missing. These are the games equivalent to Gems from Spyro, or the Dark Magic from Muppet Monster Adventure, and in those games, moreso Spyro, boy oh boy can it be super annoying to spend over an hour or two searching for a missing gem that you need to 100% complete a level, so this was another great addition that made it stand out from the others. Hopefully a sequel can also introduce new gadgets made by Nancy that can be used in the worlds. I also enjoyed the boss characters in the game. For all of the games struggles with trying to characterize Clive and Wrench, the game does a wonderful job putting so much effort and personality into the bosses introduction that you immediately understand who and what this character is. The boss battles themselves are also incredibly varied and not always a straightforward find the weak spot 3 times fight. Sometimes it's that, but other times you can find yourself running away from them Crash Bandicoot style as a natural disaster that you're desperately trying to run away from, or the race to the front of a runaway train that's about to careen off a cliff making it so that you have to stop it from a grisly fate. Not all of the boss battles land. The final 3 boss fights in the final world all in a row are very underwhelming. Already having mentioned the final fight against Daucus and the pitch perfect trophy for defeating the dragon without getting hit, there's a middle section where you take down Daucus's second in command in a Crash 3 style dogfight that is just plain not fun to control and has way too much pop in and hard to find enemies to shoot down making it a very frustrating experience. The boss of the Chinese New Year world is also nothing but a gag that I feel could have been better with just a bit more interaction instead of an immediate cutscene where you win. Aside from those though, I generally enjoyed the boss fights of the game. The game also has a very sweet secret world you can unlock that's incredibly endearing and you can feel how personal it was to the creator. All in all, Clive N Wrench is a game that has the potential to be great, but is kneecapped by so many factors. I understand making a game is hard, especially if you spent over a decade working and reworking it, but I can only give the benefit of the doubt so many times when there are still massive problems facing the game. The good news out of all of this though is that it can all be improved in patches for the game and a sequel if the creator chooses to pursue one. If you want to try the game out, I recommend waiting for a price drop around $15. With the current state of the game I simply can't recommend it for the $30 digital $40 physical it's asking for. I wish only the best for Dinosaur Byte and hope they can take the criticisms of this game to turn their next one into something super stellar. It's got all the right ingredients, now it just needs to use them properly.