Clutch
- July 20, 2009
- Targem Games
- 1h median play time
Despite a few niggles, Armageddon Riders provides hours of entertainment whether you are playing alone or with a friend.
Get on Steam"Clutch" is an arcade racing game set in a post-catastrophic city filled with zombies, following a survivor's quest to restore humanity using armored vehicles. Experience 8 game modes, advanced physics, and diverse artifacts. Explore the LHC campus, drive various vehicles, and engage in combat to uncover the truth.
PC
Windows
PlayStation
Playstation 3
Reviews
- The game features a fun mix of racing and zombie-slaying mechanics, providing an entertaining experience for fans of the genre.
- The soundtrack is praised for its originality and quality, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
- The game offers a variety of racing modes and upgrades, allowing players to customize their vehicles and enjoy different challenges.
- The gameplay can become repetitive quickly, with many missions feeling similar and lacking depth.
- Graphics and overall presentation feel dated, which may detract from the experience for modern gamers.
- The absence of multiplayer options and a more engaging storyline limits the game's replayability and overall appeal.
- story42 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The story in "Clutch" is widely criticized for being nonsensical, bland, and poorly executed, often feeling like an afterthought with minimal engagement. Players note that the narrative is presented through simplistic text load screens and lacks coherence, making it difficult to invest in the missions. While some find a certain charm in its absurdity, the overall consensus is that the story fails to elevate the gameplay experience, leading to a repetitive and uninspired progression.
“Interesting and creepy story, awesome music, zombies, other drivers, bunch of different missions, about 8 cars to unlock, only three can be upgraded.”
“Gone is the cliched smart-aleck teenage driver, who is trying to find/avenge his family/girlfriend/teddy bear; instead, you play as a hunter who will take on various missions, thus earning upgrades, etc.”
“Although it's simplistic in nature - you race around collecting colored upgrades for money, nitro, and even weapons, smash and drive through a plethora of brainless zombies and finish pretty simple racing missions - it can't offer much more.”
“The story is boring and makes no sense.”
“The best part about this game is how it tries to shove its awful story directly down your throat; presented before each challenge in stylish dialogue boxes made up of terrible writing that sounds like some drunken Russian wrote it.”
“All in all the game itself had potential, and it could have used some major developing before being turned loose, but the mediocre customization, confusing as hell story, and difficulty of getting something better than that clunker you get at the start almost make this game dead in the water.”
- music23 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its originality and suitability for the gameplay, particularly highlighting its rock and surfer rock influences that enhance the arcade racing experience. Others, however, found the soundtrack lacking or even trashy, suggesting that while it fits the chaotic theme, it doesn't always deliver quality. Overall, the music is seen as a significant aspect that can elevate the fun of the game, even if opinions on its quality vary.
“But this game introduced new amazing music you never heard of.”
“Pretty fun game lol pick a cool car smash zombies and other racers earn money get better cars repeat is a fun arcade game to relax a bit the music is pretty lit.”
“Game-appropriate music that goes well with munching zombies at high speed and wrecking opponents.”
“Beneath a nonsensical plot involving the large hadron collider, radiation, stalker-esque physical anomalies, zombies, artifact hunters, doomsday cultists and scientists, and a rather awful soundtrack, Clutch is a combat racing game curiously devoid of projectile weaponry but with tight controls and a forgiving physics model.”
“The music is another subject I want to point out: it's trash.”
“As for the graphics and music, both are worth mentioning for both good and the bad.”
- graphics23 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players noting that they feel dated and reminiscent of early 2000s titles, while others appreciate the decent quality and slick design. Overall, the visuals are considered a step up from earlier games in the genre, but still fall short of modern standards, leading to a consensus that they are adequate yet unremarkable.
“The graphics are awesome and slick, and to be honest, I like this; the challenges, the driving aspect, and the graphics are really good.”
“Good graphics quality.”
“The graphics do look convincing.”
“Graphics feel dated and washed out.”
“Graphically, the game is about 2003 level (the game was released in 2009), so nothing really to write home about.”
“Not fun to play, bad graphics (even for its time) and kinda sucky controls.”
- gameplay19 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its nostalgic charm and engaging mechanics, while others criticize its lack of depth and repetitive nature. Although it features smooth handling and some interesting elements like earning nitro from hitting zombies, many feel it falls short compared to similar titles, offering a standard driving experience with limited variety. Overall, it is seen as a fun, albeit shallow, option for casual play, especially for those who enjoy retro-style games.
“The gameplay is really good, like an old school Carmageddon (without pedestrians ... sad haha) but the game has a specific post-apocalyptic ambiance and it's fun!”
“The handling is pretty smooth and there's a clever mechanic whereby hitting zombies gives you nitro, meaning that swerving into as many zombies as possible is often the fastest way to get around.”
“The gameplay is well done and keeps you engaged.”
“This is one of my childhood games I really loved the idea of the game as a kid and still love it till now, but the main problem with this game is you can't drift at all. I was hoping to replay the game, but I'm not going to ruin my childhood memory and torture myself to replay it, especially with one of the most important driving game mechanics being missing.”
“The gameplay got extremely repetitive fast.”
“The races take place in the main map, so there is not too much variety to the gameplay.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with side missions lacking enjoyment and often being overly challenging. The slow progression and reliance on headlights in dark environments further contribute to a frustrating experience, making the grind feel more burdensome compared to other racing games.
“Feels grindy and repetitive too fast.”
“Side missions are grindy, no fun, and quite hard.”
“Slow grinding progression.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by unpredictable and absurd moments during races, often eliciting laughter, such as the comical animations of zombies clinging to cars. Players find these situations so entertaining that they enjoy replaying them in slow motion or frame by frame.
“Sometimes during the race, some crazy random stuff happens, a situation that is either so hilarious or so awesome that you would want to watch it again in slow motion or frame by frame.”
“The animation when you run a zombie over is really funny as they cling onto the car.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game "Clutch" is noted for its stability, functioning smoothly without glitches or graphical errors, which contributes to an entertaining gameplay experience, despite its somewhat simplistic design.
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviewers note that the game's optimization presents a challenge in gameplay, as opponents have identical performance to the player, making it difficult to chase them down. The boost feature offers only a minimal speed increase, which is often not enough to create a significant advantage.
“The opponent's car performance is identical to yours, making it a challenge to chase down enemies since the boost only provides a small speed increase that is barely noticeable.”
“The game's optimization allows for smooth gameplay even on lower-end devices, ensuring that everyone can enjoy the experience without lag.”
“I appreciate how the developers have fine-tuned the mechanics, making every upgrade feel impactful and enhancing the overall performance of my vehicle.”
“The opponent car performance is identical to yours, making it challenging to chase down enemies since the boost only provides a small speed increase that is barely noticeable.”
“The game suffers from poor optimization, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during intense moments.”
“I often experience long loading times and lag, which significantly detracts from the overall gameplay experience.”
