Clawpunk is a cat-centric roguelike where everything comes in nines

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In a city overrun by ruffians and thugs, only a band of courageous felines has the potential to combat these antagonists. Notably, these heroes are not ordinary cats but rather those from the studio Kittens in Timespace. Megabit Games, a publisher, has been seeking fresh titles for publication and stumbled upon Clawpunk, a 2D action roguelite developed by this team. Recently, Shacknews visited this year’s Game Developers Conference to explore it further.

In Clawpunk, while it’s jam-packed with intense action and a rockin’ 80s/90s heavy metal soundtrack, Kittens in Timespace reminds us that this game is all about our feline friends first and foremost. The number nine plays a significant role here. Players control nine different heroes throughout their journey, each able to withstand nine hits before they are ‘kitten-ted out’. This means every life totals up to nine lives. Furthermore, there are nine stages for each of the game’s zones, and while the first four can be tackled in any order, the remaining five bring the total number of playable zones to, you guessed it, nine.

In this initial demonstration, several characters from Clawpunk were accessible, providing a glimpse into what lay ahead. Among them was a nimble cat wielding a katana, a tough female character armed with a chain, and a robust feline swinging a sledgehammer – these are just a few of the characters you’ll encounter. Their weapons are effective against a range of animal adversaries, primarily mice and rats, but the real focus is on obliterating the game’s destructible environments. As each stage requires players to battle enemies from top to bottom, they’ll find themselves eagerly seeking shortcuts to rapidly descend. Kittens in Timespace intentionally designs its levels to inspire speedrunning, urging players to complete the game as swiftly as possible. Although the stages are randomly generated, the objective of tearing through the environment remains consistent.

In addition to the atmosphere displayed by Clawpunk’s protagonists, Kittens in Timespace also infuses a foreboding tone into its antagonists. Several of these villains are colossal brutes that overshadow the main characters considerably. One such adversary I faced during my brief playtime was a towering female rat from the 1980s wrestling realm. Although her wrestling gimmick was entertaining, she soon demonstrated that she wasn’t someone to underestimate. Her attacks swiftly decimated my team of heroes.

In my experience with Clawpunk, the playtime was limited, thus I didn’t get a chance to explore its roguelike aspects deeply. However, it’s confirmed that there will be an extensive upgrade system and customization options for tailoring weapons suited for each character in the game. Additionally, it’s anticipated that a card system will be integrated during later stages of development, though specifics on this feature remain undisclosed.

In a similar vein to the frenetic action and witty one-liners of Broforce, Clawpunk shares an electrifying energy akin to another 2D action game. Kittens in Timespace openly admires Free Lives’ iconic 2D run-and-gunner, incorporating aspects of its gameplay design while adding a unique twist of its own. Unfortunately, a release date for Clawpunk has yet to be announced; however, the publisher Megabit anticipates revealing more details about it soon. Keep an eye out for Clawpunk, as it’s heading to PC platforms in the near future.

This sneak peek was experienced using a beta key for Steam, demonstrated at an exclusive event during the 2025 Game Developers Conference. Please note that the final version may undergo changes.

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2025-03-25 19:27