Clunky Hero takes a jab at the typical hero story and does it with charm and a whole lot of silliness but can feel somewhat juvenile.
We all know the classic hero tale: a hero has their beloved snatched away by a cruel, evil-doer and must take up arms to save their beloved; well, take up your broom in the case of Clunky Hero. The game is a side-scrolling Metroid-style beat ’em up developed and published by Chaosmonger Studio.
The tale of Clunky Hero is as old as time. Your beloved wife, Brunilde, has been snatched away by The Evil One, and it is up to our great peasant hero, Rufus, to rescue her from being turned into a duck-faced pouting girl with a bucket and da usty broom. That’s about it. After the intro, the world is your oyster, and you choose where your journey starts.
Across your journey in Clunky Hero, you will meet a wide range of characters, all with their ails. Once you assist the troubled folk, you may be rewarded with special skills and epic weapons to aid you in your journey, but most of the time, you’ll get some consumables and a few coins because, after all, they too are just peasants.
Be wary, for Rufus will encounter many dangerous foes, such as goblins, ogres, and of course, the dreaded, hipster with an axe. Once you’ve slain the self-proclaimed coffee connoisseurs, you earn gold, which can be used to purchase better equipment and consumable items that can either restore your health or have other beneficial effects, such as momentary invulnerability or faster movement speed.
Do not worry if you fall in combat because Rufus will be transported to the last save checkpoint when you die. Keep in mind that when you respawn, so do all the enemies in the area.
As for combat, the combat in Clunky Hero is snappy and highly responsive. As mentioned earlier, you unlock special combat techniques by helping those in need; these techniques make combat easier and add a bit more flair and style to combat. However, the combat might be too responsive as even with your most basic attacks, most enemies are easy to cut down, and you don’t get much of a chance to try out those cool new abilities except when Rufus has to face off against a boss, which comes with their own issues.
You see, Clunky Hero lives up to its name, particularly with the clunky part. The hitboxes for both the Rufus and the enemies are way off, to the point where most bosses can be defeated by finding a cozy perch just out of range of their attacks and swatting them when they get close. While yes, combat is snappy, and yes, bosses can give you an excellent challenge, this all falls apart when almost every boss can be defeated while taking little to no damage.
Though combat may not be up to scratch, the exploration is where the game really shines through. In Clunky Hero, you explore various locations that are all a connected series of zones; each zone has its unique layout and obstacles, much like Metroid and Castlevania. However, be careful because these zones are gorgeous to look at, and you may find yourself lost, not just in the details. Though have no fear, as when exploring, you will find maps, and these maps can help you explore each zone and even unlock hidden areas.
Okay, so we have standard Metroidvania-style exploration, pretty basic snappy combat, and a pretty basic story. So, what makes Clunky Hero so special? Well, you see, that’s the point. The game is a parody of your typical fantasy hero story. The game even points out many of the overused tropes found in these types of stories. A good example of this is the naming conventions of enemies, which follow the “adjective + noun” formula. Instead of “Killer Bees,” we have “Drunk Bees.” Instead of “Giant Bear,” we have “High Bear” and so on.
The game is also very self-aware, and characters regularly point that out. Why can’t you buy bread and other food from the baker? Because her shop wasn’t programmed in. Rufus will also regularly point out lazy writing or where things someone says just don’t make sense.
While the humor is funny, and you will most likely get a laugh out of it, that is only 60% of the time. The rest of the time, the game’s humor is filled with fart and sex jokes, which can get you to chuckle once in a while, but in Clunky Hero’s case, it comes across as juvenile and unfunny.
What about sound design? Clunky Hero seems to be a silly game, so surely the game features some goofy sound effects? No, it does not, but that’s not entirely a bad thing. While yes, the music doesn’t match the tone of the game, it does, however, work with the atmosphere of each zone. The music in the Pretty Forest gives the entire area a mysterious atmosphere that works incredibly well until the enemy sound effects ruin it.
The enemy sound effects can be described simply as incredibly obnoxious; for some reason, they are abnormally loud and just ruin any atmosphere in the zone. Even when you die, the game straight up just mocks you like it’s a snotty little brat, which is incredibly infuriating and just makes you not want to continue.
Clunky Hero is a fun little Metroidvania that is packed full of charm and humor, but the game sadly needs a bit more spit and polish in terms of its combat. While yes, the game features a wonderful soundtrack that works wonderfully with its beautiful environments that are packed with detail, this is ruined by its obnoxious sound effects that ruin the experience. This, paired with its juvenile humor, means that Clunky Hero is a game that isn’t for everybody.
