Clunky Hero is an indie Metroidvania RPG with a unique take on the antihero stereotype, that finds a man named Rufus besting evil to get his precious wife back. As far as the story goes, it does everything it needs to do, andeven excels in portraying comedy. But it does have its fair share of problems when it comes to its gameplay and bugs.
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As it stands, Clunky Hero is a good game that is being held back by elements that typical indie games would have. However, many of the problems in Clunky Hero can be fixed with a few bug fixes or simply implementing small features to make the game more fun and accessible.
7Fixing The UI
The biggest issue plaguing Clunky Hero is the buggy and hard-to-useuser interface necessary when playing the game. Because it’s a Metroidvania, quickly using items in your inventory while in combat is a must-have skill. However, the UI prevents you from doing this, especially if you’re on a PC.
Depending on the level you’re on in each area of the game, there is a chance your cursor will completely disappear, making you revert to only using a keyboard. However, when you want to buy or sell items from shops, you need to use your mouse as using the keyboard doesn’t work. In addition, if you try to use your mouse to check the controls, they will all show up blank unless you use the keyboard, which makes some portions of the game incredibly hard to play.
6Removing Those Mines
Metroidvania games likeHollow Knight,Ori, andBloodstainedhave their fair share of environmental traps, like spikes, walls that crush you, and gas spewing from the ground. Clunky Hero is no exception to this trend. However, one environmental element makes the game frustrating enough to quit entirely.
Mines are placed everywhere throughout each level of the game, with the sole purpose of making sure you take at least some damage. They’re set in spots you either have to dash past or destroy to get through. If you dash, you’ll likely go straight into a monster waiting for you. If you strike one, you will take damage. The only way to pass safely is to use the Arm Shot in midair, which is sometimes impossible.
5Making Attack Skills More Viable
There are several ways to attack your enemies in Clunky Hero. However, the primary attacks you will use are the basic light attack and Arm Shot skill. There isn’t any need to use any other attacks, as most of them either use up too much mana or are direct paths to taking damage when you don’t need to.
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This is also a shame since you have Mighty Burp, a heavy attack skill similar to Unrelenting Force fromSkyrim, and Dive, which is great for attacking enemies from above. However, each skill means you’ll take multiple hits, as you’re mostly stuck in an animation.
4Consistent Water Damage
Water in Clunky Hero is very finicky, especially in the Foggy Lake area. There is either a chance that once you fall in, you’ll be teleported out and take minimal damage, or you’ll be stuck there until you die.
Unfortunately, water is placed everywhere in platforming sections, and it can be the last straw that ends your run before you reach a checkpoint. Most of the time, your character will be stuck in an endless loop of trying to jump out of the water, draining your health faster than a mine. But if every water section teleported you out of it once you fell in, it would make the game more enjoyable and less stressful.
3Fixing Bosses
There are nine bosses throughout the game, with one boss residing in each big area and the tower. And, out of every boss you fight, only two stand out as difficult or even mildly challenging. Not every game needs to have more difficult bosses, as these complaints usually come down to personal preference. However, Clunky Hero absolutely needs this change.
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The reason is that every boss can be easily defeated by standing in front of it and smacking them until they die, while occasionally dodging a minor attack. Or, if you feel like that’s too much interaction, you can always stand slightly left of the boss and spam the Arm Shot skill until they die. Either way, the bosses need to be more aggressive to act like they’re meant to be.
2Restock Shops
Your primary sources of healing and mana regeneration are shops in each central game area. Each shop has a limited number of items, with some even offering maps showing secret weapon locations. However, none of these shops will restock their items, meaning you will constantly earn money with no place to spend it. Plus, after enough time, you’ll have no way to gain health and mana reliably.
The best way to solve this problem is to have basic health and mana items like beer and wine occasionally restocked, while having high-quality items be limited to a high price. That way, shops become more than just areas you stop at once and never return to.
1Filling Out Maps
On each level of a dungeon, there will be a maphidden in a corner or behind a wallthat can be picked up and used to reveal the entire area. However, the only things shown on the map are checkpoints, healing stones, NPCs, and entrances. While this is enough to navigate through each level, it would be nice if it was updated with the information you find while exploring.
For example, if you find a secret area, the map should be updated to show what secret area you found. Or, if you find a wall that can only be broken by using skills such as Mighty Burp or Dive, then the map should be updated with that location. NPCs that are shown on the map could also display information like their name so you’re able to do quests properly.
