Claw (computer game)
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Claw, by Monolith Productions, is a classic-type platform video game that features a two-dimensional platform world featuring a main character at its focus and enemies roaming around. There are traps, secret areas and treasure.
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[edit] Story
The story is similar to many pirate films, games and other sources: a famous pirate, Captain Nathaniel Joseph Claw was imprisoned by the Cocker-Spaniards (a dog species, a pun on Cocker Spaniel). In the prison he learns about the Amulet of Nine Lives - a mystical artifact that grants its wearer near-immortality. Breaking out of his cell, Claw sets out to collect all 9 gems of the amulet and retrieve it for himself. The game begins with Claw outside his cell.
[edit] Claw Levels
The adventure takes place as the player passes through various locations. There are 14 levels in the game, each in a different area:
- Level 1 - La Roca: The jail where Claw was imprisoned. Contains guards and spiked areas.
- Level 2 - The Battlements: The walls of the prison. Contains tar pits, cannons, and guards. The first boss, Le Rauxe is at the level's end. He wields a sword, and has the first gem.
- Level 3 - The Footpath: A path through mountains and woods. Also includes underground mines, filled with traps. This area contains thieves and robbers.
- Level 4 - Dark Woods: A forest, containing swamps and spike traps. Thieves guard the important areas. The second boss (with the second gem) is here - Katherine.
- Level 5 - The Township: An urban level with churches, houses and police.
- Level 6 - El Puerto del Lobos: A large town on the coast. Most of the level is underground, in the city sewers. The third boss (and gem) Wolvington is here, who utilizes magic techniques.
- Level 7 - The Docks: A nocturnal level at the docks of El Puerto del Lobos and the coast. Sailors and crabs are enemies in this area.
- Level 8 - Shipyards: A level that contains ships and platforms. Sailors and pitfalls inhabit the area. The fourth boss - Gabriel, holds another gem.
- Level 9 - Pirates' Cove: The pirates' lair. Filled with traps and pirates.
- Level 10 - The Cliffs: Cliffs, caverns and chasms appear in this level, as well as more pirates. The fifth boss - Marrow, the pirates' master, holds the fifth gem.
- Level 11 - The Caverns: Caverns filled with crystals and minerals. Many traps appear and there are areas with the moving platforms. The enemies in the Caverns are mercats and sirens.
- Level 12 - Undersea Caves: A set of caves underwater. Filled with amphibians and earthquakes. Sixth boss - Aquatis, holds the sixth gem.
- Level 13 - Tiger Island: An island filled with sailors once again. Contains treasure, traps, and the seventh boss, Red Tail, who has the seventh and eighth gems.
- Level 14 - The Temple: A temple filled with lava, fire traps and obstacles. The inhabitants of the temple, monks, serve as the enemies. The last boss is here - the high priest, Omar, who uses powerful magic and guards the last gem.
[edit] Villains
Villains will appear on every even level and level 13. They will give you the gems, and you'll need to show speed, wits and skill to beat them. Here's some help on each: Le Rauxe is the first real boss you encounter, so he won’t be too serious. There’s a good strategy that will help you against all such enemies: jump, land close to the enemy and quickly hit. Then jump again and repeat. This takes a lot of patience, but you’re unlikely to be very hurt this way. After you score a hit, you can keep hitting very quickly and Le Rauxe won’t retaliate. If you fail the rhythm he’ll hit back and you’ll have to do the attack pattern again. Jump away when Le Rauxe comes close to a wall and you should never have him jump over you. If he blocks your attack, jump back and repeat the pattern – there’s nothing more to it. After you beat the captain, you can take his gem. Gems: 1. Damage: 10% on any contact. Extra health in the area: 0%.
Katherine is a trickier boss. She has a knife and a whip. The whip will get Claw anywhere on the ground and it’s lightning fast. You’ll be jumped over frequently, whenever you get a good series of hits. Jump close, hit, then again, then back. Be careful, and once you get the idea, you should be able to predict the attacks and treat them as necessary. There is some health on the crumbling pads: be sure to take it when needed. It also gives you a surprise attack. Gems: 1. Damage: 10% on any contact. Extra health in the area: 20%.
Wolvington is surprisingly tough for the third boss. He has a wonderful magical attack, just like Claw’s. And he can run under you and make you touch him any time you jump. The best idea is to come close, punch and crouch to avoid a blow back. Repeat this until Wolvington moves away, then jump far back, dodge the magic and do the pattern over. You can shoot Wolvington with your pistol to interrupt his endless volley of magic if it's too hard to dodge. Otherwise you’ll find yourself quickly pulverized. Gems: 1. Damage: 15% for the magical attack, 30% on any contact. Extra health in the area: 0%.
Gabriel is on the platform, you’re below. Every second Claw can take a cannonball, a Red Tail Pirate to fight, or a hand-bomb. You should notice the vanishing platforms, successfully make it to the third one, then hit the flashing button in a good jump. Then hide under the platform to provoke Gabriel to fire the cannon… and get hurt. Then you must repeat the cycle. There’s another interesting way. If you get a catnip at the end of the level and run as fast as possible to the duel symbol, you might have a few seconds left after you can move. Jump to Gabriel’s platform and lift your enemy, then drop it to your level, come down, lift again and drop into the water to the left, which means instant death for anything, but the gem goes to you. Or you can head to the right of Gabriel and drop there. Gems: 1. Damage: 15% for a hand-bomb, 10% for any contact with Gabriel or a Red Tail Pirate or a cannonball. Extra health in the area: 0%.
Marrow was Claw’s friend once… but not now. He has got a nasty parrot, and actually, he’s on the other side of a chasm. He can hurt you with his pistol, you can do nothing until you reach him. Dodge the bullets and wait until the parrot speeds up to you. You must hit him, otherwise he hits you. Score three hits and the bridge will appear. Run over and hit Marrow five times. It should be very easy. Marrow will call the parrot and they’ll get on the other side. You should repeat to get your bridge back. If you run over the bridge to the other side before Marrow goes there, he’ll stay on his side. Sometimes Marrow “forgets” to shoot you; don’t distract him by your fire or something else. Gems: 1. Damage: 10% on any contact with the parrot, 20% for each Marrow’s touch or hit (bullets included). Extra health in the area: 0%.
Aquatis seems a tough enemy, but it’s even easier then Le Rauxe. Fire a Magic Claw into the tentacles and take the power-up. Come close, but don’t get onto the platform: you’ll never need it. Hold your projectile key until Claw throws the bundle himself. If everything starts shaking, run to the left side and wait until everything’s fine. Step a bit to the right and some health will drain from the bar. That’s the stalactite that fell onto Aquatis. Go back left and wait until the tentacles stabilize. Then repeat the process. Damage: “drain” for a tentacle’s strangle, 10% for a tentacle hit, 15% for any contact with Aquatis. Extra health in the area: 0%.
Red Tail is a test. Amongst other attacks, he will summon gusts of wind to push you into the spikes on your left, or the water opposite. Quickly jump away from your start position to avoid the spikes, and continue to avoid this area along with the water's edge. Red Tail will jump between the ground and the platform, attacking intermittently. If you stay on the same level with Red Tail he’ll blast Claw with his pistol; if you are on a different level, he'll use throwing knives. Red Tail will take damage on two hits, then jump away on the third. If you get under a knife attack, be sure to jump and avoid all the knives; crouch to avoid the pistol. There’s a secret platform with some handy stuff in the water, which requires a running start to make the jump. It's best not to try for it until you beat Red Tail to have a better chance. Gems: 2. Damage: 20% for the spikes, 10% for any contact with Red Tail or knives, 15% for a pistol hit.
Omar is the last and the strongest boss. You see him wearing a fire shield. Head to the ladders and drop down to avoid the flames. Use the chain and beat the pattern of the blocks to get a sword (ice sword, because the shield is fire). Head back and try to shoot a blast through Omar’s shield hole. Dodge all attacks from the lava. If the sword expires, come back and fetch another one. Once you score hit, Omar will go to the left pad and he’ll change the shield. Now go to the other ladder and get a fire sword. If you use the wrong sword (ice sword on an ice shield), Omar will get the health back. Once you make it, come back and hop onto the elevator. Heal up and make a good, strong jump to Omar’s platform. If his attack or the lava stream gets you in midair, you’re out and it’s all over from the beginning. Keep jumping and hitting Omar until he gives up the last stone. Gems: 1. Damage: 5% for each flame hit, 15% for each lava ball hit, 15% for each Omar’s ball hit. Extra health in the area: 50%. It’s worth noticing that some custom levels provide modifications of the boss fights, which may include artificial methods of harming the player or adding regular/affected enemies to battle. These additions can be very advanced, moving the player to new locations and providing additional obstacles and hazards. A very good idea was to make numerous bosses in the main level, especially those which can be treated as very strong and very skilled regular enemies.
[edit] Weapons and items
The game has 4 weapons:
[edit] Melee
[edit] Claw's fist/kick/sabre
Basic hack-and-slash. As resources for special abilities and ranged attacks are limited, melee is the most commonly utilized form of combat in the game. Nathaniel's sword has longer range, but his kicks and punches are faster and cannot be blocked as easily. Each attack does equal damage, except for the crouch-attack, which is weaker. Besides defending himself, Nathaniel can use his blade to break open containers, boxes, and other vessels.
Several "powerups" exist for Nathaniel's blade. Their availability can vary, but usually take effort to acquire. All power-ups grant both a ranged attack and incredible power, but only for an allotted time (typically about thirty seconds). There are three types: Frost, Fire, and Lightning; the first freezes enemies on contact, the latter two both burn enemies (on with heat and one with electricity). The Elemental Swords typically have no effect on bosses, though there is one special case where they are needed. There are other powerups that may help Nathaniel through the game: Invulnerability - a glowing book. Usually lasts 30 seconds and makes every hazard go through you. Invisibility - a white helmet. Everything hits you - but only if you're clumsy. Has no effect on seagulls. Catnip - a strong attack, a good jump, a good speed. It has got a secret connected with it somewhere in a level.
[edit] Ranged
| Weapon | Annotations |
|---|---|
| Pistol | basic ranged weapon with limited ammo |
| Magic claw | magic missile, very powerful |
| Dynamite | high damage, difficult to target certain areas |
[edit] Throwing
It is worth noting that the Captain is able to pick up and throw a large number of materials.
Gunpower kegs can be lifted and thrown as an alternative to a risky melee or ranged combat. They can also be detonated by the pistol or dynamite bundles. In this case they should get rid of any enemies nearby. Caution must be exercised, though. If thrown kegs land short or are dropped (which can happen if Claw takes damage while he walks with the kegs), they can cause serious damage to Claw.
Several enemies can be lifted and thrown into abysmal "death" pools, pit traps, or even into each other. The former two can be costly, as treasure or other valuable goodies can be eliminated along with the enemies.
As with most things, there are exceptions. This notably includes small enemies such as the Rats, Chameleons, and Birds. With others, such as Sirens and Mercats, it is unwise to fight using this method at all. Some enemies are simply difficult to catch and lift, which makes this method even less wise.
[edit] Treasure
Treasure is scattered through all levels, consisting of coins, gold bars, gold chalices, sceptres, crowns and other items. Points are awarded for collecting these items.
