Lair of The ClockWork God – Review

Introduction

What could you possibly want from a game? Intense action-packed platforming? Interesting and mind-bending puzzles? Yeah, you know where I’m going with this. Developed and published by Size Five Games, Lair of The ClockWork God is exactly what my snarky introduction implies: A fast-paced platformer combined with a point and click puzzle system. 

The symbiosis between these two aspects isn’t the only thing that stands out from the game, though. It’s surrounded by amazing visuals, joyfully well-crafted gameplay, memorable music, and what really ties everything together: sarcastic, fourth-wall-breaking, satirizing humor that had me laughing consistently throughout the entire game. It’s the third installment in the Time Gentlemen series, which had its previous game released back in 2009.

Gameplay

The main premise of Lair of the Clockwork God is combining two distinct types of game genres: platformers and point-and-click adventures represented in the form of two characters: 

Dan 

-Energetic, sparky and lover of things that go “ding” when you touch them;

-Can jump, run, push, and pull things.

Ben 

-Calm, serene and also a complete maniac because he enjoys pissing on graves and the like;

-His abilities include interacting with people and objects around him and keeping an inventory with items for later use in puzzles.

These two archetypes not only generate hilarious interactions between the characters but an excellent gameplay dynamic that has just the right amount of each aspect. Every character has different challenges to overcome, and getting around each level is based on the mutual dependency between the two. For instance, if Ben, who can’t jump, wants to go over a gap, Dan might need to push a box into it, so he can walk over it. If there’s a blocked path in Dan’s way, Ben can try to use his abilities and items to find a way to progress through the section. 

Every level is structured around these challenges, often introducing new temporary mechanics. Progressing through the game feels incredibly satisfying since every new section means not only new interesting gameplay possibilities but also a new batch of jokes and sarcastic comments to compliment the experience. 

Alongside the clever puzzles and well-crafted solutions, we have compelling platforming sections that progressively include different unique elements to keep the experience fresh, just like the body in my trunk. The mechanics are very accessible and easy to understand, so it doesn’t end up overwhelming the player, though I have my complaints with the confusing movement changes when in different gravities. That said, I understand that there might not be any other good way to adapt them.

Narrative

In all honesty, even though nearly everything in this game is top-notch, the narrative is certainly what stands out the most. It doesn’t take itself very seriously, allowing very dynamic jokes and scenarios, but still manages to keep the player interested with its rather interesting mysteries. 

Dan and Ben, after arriving from an adventure, find themselves in a suddenly apocalyptic world. Seeking protection from the dangers outside, they enter a wrecked shed that is revealed to be an entrance to a secret abandoned underground system. Inside, they find an ancient sentient computer that reveals that it can stop the apocalypse, but since its memory was lost, it can’t comprehend exactly why it should help humanity, as it can’t relate to them. Because of that, the computer creates different levels to simulate human feelings so it can understand them better which needs to be completed by the player. Since the tone and themes of the levels can vary a lot according to the sentiment it’s trying to convey, there’s always new comedic takes to joke about. A lot of fourth-wall breaking and gaming clichés satirizing is involved. 

From pointing out overused tropes and gimmicks to questioning the absurd logic behind gameplay systems in games, it’s hard to find something that isn’t covered by Lair of the Clockwork God in a sarcastically fashioned way. That said, there are also absurdly stupid jokes only a total doofus would laugh at… that total doofus is me, I find them hilarious. They provide a great contrast after a big brain 100 IQ hot take on whatever the developers are trying to slag off and it’s just amazing seeing how they can pull off a fart joke in the middle of a serious stage about grief, loss, and coping with cancer.

The game doesn’t stop being incredibly original in its jokes, though. All of this creativity is often put in puzzles. They mostly consist of ye old regular interact-craft-speak sections (which are still great, don’t get me wrong), but they really shine their brightest when going out of their way to break the fourth wall. Some of the puzzle answers are so mind-blowingly unexpected and out of this world, you can’t help but just laugh at how absurdly well the game played you (pun intended). 

Graphics and Sound

The soundtrack and visuals are a great way to communicate each section’s intensity and emotion besides dialogue and level design. Starting the first level and being immediately struck by amazing calming tunes, impressive visuals, and witty dialogue were enough to know an incredible experience awaited me. People are right when they say the first impression is what counts! 

The art style is certainly very satisfying to look at, with its pixel art graphics, aesthetic color choices to reflect each emotion and minimalistic interface. Sadly, I can’t properly review the soundtrack, since I haven’t found any source or playlist with only the songs, but what I experienced playing the game is enough to call it pretty much flawless.

Verdict

In conclusion, Lair of The Clockwork God is different from anything I have ever played, certainly the type of comedy we need in these difficult times. It is obvious that a great amount of passion and energy went into this project and it’s almost a relief to finally see something that can be both a satire of video games in recent times, but also a great game by itself. Lair of the Clockwork God is bold and ambitious with its themes but has the right to do so, because good, innovative and original indie games are always welcome in the sea of low-quality, passionless, money-grabbing projects that fill up the modern shelves of game stores.

LAIR OF THE CLOCKWORK GOD IS RECOMMENDED

Lair of the Clockwork God can be purchased digitally for PC on Steam.

If you enjoy games that will make you laugh, why not check out our comedy section? We have a great selection of indie game reviews too.

Many thanks to Size Five Games for the review copy.