The most accurate and fastest way to describe Dungeons of Clay is to call it Spelunky but bad. It basically follows the same ruleset and overall gameplay as this fan favorite action-based rogue platformer except there is no polish, lacks accuracy, the visuals are much lower quality, and there really isn’t much fun. This is a rogue, so when you die you start with nothing, but having the will to try again is the hardest part.
Even the name Dungeons of Clay doesn’t make much sense since nothing looks like clay. The generic character literally uses finger guns to shoot too. Although this is sort of comical, I am sure it was used so weapon assets didn’t need to be created. Controlling these finger guns is also aimed with the right analog stick, making this a twin-stick shooter. Unfortunately, the loose control and floaty jumps makes the whole presentation and fun factor suffer as there is no accuracy in any movement. In time, the player can eventually unlock a perk but these helpful perks are not enough to save the game from the drab presentation and tasteless design.
There are other oddities too. Like, why does the main menu screen bounce as if being hit with a mild earthquake? Loading screens are strange, frequently, and seemingly appear for no reason. Why is clay mentioned in the title when there isn’t any? Nothing about this makes sense. Just go play Spelunky instead.
SCORE: 3.5/10
Not As Good As: Most other indie roguelikes
Play It Instead: Mana Spark
Wait For It: the upcoming TMNT brawler
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Twitter: @ZackGaz
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