Umbraclaw Reviews
Umbraclaw's unconventional nature will surely perplex many gamers but once you get it, it's hard to stop playing with this cat.
The idea of an under-equipped cat roaming the underworld in search for her owner is a great one, but it never makes the transition from page to screen. Because everything is designed around the abilities of a simple house cat, stage designs are far too simple and boss battles are disappointingly monotonous.
Umbraclaw manages to convey pretty well its concept of a spirit plane that corrupts individuals and the efforts of a cat to come back to the living world. With its difficulty modes and a combat system in which death is a way to get stronger, what we have here is a bold action platformer with very high quality, easily recommended for all sorts of players.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The idea behind Umbraclaw and its character designs is amazing, but know going in it can be challenging and demand perfection.
Umbraclaw is a 2D platform adventure that stands out for its originality and emotional depth. Assorted skill mechanics and immersive storytelling create a unique experience that challenges the player at every turn. Kuon's journey, with its multiple outcomes, encourages replayability and offers different ways to overcome challenges, from the most fragile feline form to more powerful and complex forms.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
While Umbraclaw has an interesting core mechanic revolving around the nine lives of a cat, it's lacking in execution with bland level design and lackluster combat.
Still, Umbraclaw is a gorgeous experience that’s great to control, but not one you’re going to figure out without a lot of patience and repetitive playthroughs, and a game that really should have just been allowed to be a short fun game without needing to force artificial padding with repeat plays.
As far as platformers go though, Umbraclaw is pretty unique. Give it a go if you feel like you had your fill with overpowered-at-the-end main characters in their 2D platformer games, and opt to rely on skill using a cat and its shadowdash.
Umbraclaw is perhaps the artsiest game Inti Creates has ever made. From its great art direction to its fantastic voice acting, it genuinely caught me off guard with how much was put into the simple look and feel of the game. Better still is that this is all in service of a genuinely great story with a lot to say. It’s to a point that this is one of the rare platformers where story explicitly and strongly informs the gameplay. Gameplay winds up being where the game falls somewhat short, as it is simply undercooked, if still perfectly serviceable. Honestly, though, I’m fine with that. Through whatever issues it may have, Umbraclaw proves that a game can truly be more than the sum of its parts.