Gripper
- August 6, 2020
- Gripper
Gripper is a fun, engaging, gritty little game that’ll have you wishing you could Akira slide in real life. While the game will come and go fast, you’ll appreciate the experience for what it is, and it certainly won’t overstay its welcome.
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Gripper: Prologue" is an action RPG where you use a car with a hook to tear the hearts of relatives and bosses in a world where androids burn men literally. After your farm is burned down, you must learn to kill with your car to avenge your loss. The game features 4 bizarre biomes, 2 colossal bosses, and a nightmarish tunnel with incredible music, offering a personal story of loss and closure.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- Gripper features an exhilarating combination of fast-paced motorcycle action and unique boss fights, providing a thrilling gameplay experience.
- The game's visual style and soundtrack are highly praised, creating an engaging atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
- The mechanics of using a hook to interact with the environment and enemies add a fresh twist to the gameplay, making it enjoyable for players who appreciate innovative mechanics.
- The game is criticized for its short length, with many players finishing the main story in under three hours, leading to concerns about replayability.
- Frustrating gameplay elements, such as inconsistent hitboxes and poorly designed tunnel sequences, detract from the overall enjoyment and can lead to a sense of trial and error rather than skill-based progression.
- The narrative and character development are considered weak, with a bare-bones story that fails to engage players, making the experience feel less rewarding.
- gameplay37 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Gripper is characterized by its unique motorcycle action and hook mechanic set in a post-apocalyptic world, offering an addictive and thrilling experience. However, players have noted inconsistencies in controls and mechanics, leading to frustrating moments, particularly during challenging boss battles and arena segments. While the game presents an exciting concept with fast-paced sequences and creative visuals, it struggles with a lack of variation and can feel overly difficult at times, requiring patience rather than skill.
“The motorcycle action, hook mechanic, and post-apocalyptic setting make it an addictive and thrilling experience.”
“On paper, the gameplay has everything it needs to be good; high-speed action sequences where you blast through tunnels, the ability to akira-bike-slide on command, and top-down battles against massive bosses.”
“I liked the idea of ripping enemies apart with the hook attached to your bike, and the game is not very long, so don't worry about getting bored with this mechanic.”
“The best way to describe the controls is that they feel inconsistent, particularly the range of the grabbing arm, the direction and utility of the drift/sliding mechanic, and the damage attacks against bosses.”
“There's a lot going for it—the concept is cool, using a bike to rip hearts out is awesome, and there's creativity and beautiful visuals in abundance—but the game fails to tie that up with gameplay that isn't frustrating.”
“The main gripping mechanic fails to work far too often with so much happening on screen, leading to a difficulty level that requires grudging patience rather than player skill.”
- story22 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The story has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its engaging plot, symbolism, and psychological themes, while others criticize it for being underdeveloped and lacking depth, describing characters as one-dimensional and the writing as confusing. The main narrative is short, completed in under three hours, and offers limited replayability through repetitive optional missions. Overall, the story's execution seems to vary significantly among players, with some finding it compelling and others feeling it was an afterthought.
“It has great visuals, great music, and I was hooked by the plot - I liked its symbolism and the psychological topics Gripper talks about.”
“I can recommend Gripper to players who need a great story, arcade sections, and retrowave vibes.”
“Glad to be present in this story and action.”
“The story is bare bones, the characters are one-dimensional, and honestly it felt like it was added as an afterthought.”
“I beat the main story in under 3 hours.”
“The writing is confusing at times and feels like half of the plot was cut out.”
- graphics22 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their impressive visuals and unique art style, particularly within the cyberpunk aesthetic. Reviewers highlight the creativity and beauty of the visuals, complemented by effective sound design and engaging cut scenes. However, some players feel that while the graphics are a standout feature, they do not fully compensate for frustrating gameplay mechanics.
“The graphics are impressive and the controls are simple, but at times the complexity can be frustrating.”
“Graphically it looks good, like any other cyberpunk styled game, especially the effects and world development.”
“That being said, I think the art design is really great, the sound design is fantastic, and the cut scenes with the split perspective and art style are really interesting.”
“🔲 graphics don't matter in this game”
“It had a really cool idea of doing Furi's concept but with a bike and hyper-stylized art style that I was ready to love.”
“It looked like it had some concepts that I loved; fast-paced gameplay, sci-fi apocalyptic aesthetic, battles with titanic bosses... so I tried the game.”
- music17 mentions
- 76 % positive mentions
- 24 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, particularly during boss fights, with many comparing it favorably to the soundtrack of "Furi." Reviewers note that the soundtrack adds an adrenaline rush and complements the game's visuals and plot effectively, although some feel it may not encourage replayability after multiple attempts.
“Great music, cool vibe of challenge.”
“Boss fights and an amazing soundtrack is all you need.”
“Also the music adds to the adrenaline, so it’s a really good fit.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Replayability is limited primarily to optional missions that require players to repeatedly battle the same bosses, albeit with varying conditions. This repetitive nature may not provide enough incentive for players seeking diverse experiences.
“The only replayability comes from doing optional missions which involve fighting the same bosses over and over again, but with added conditions.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is marred by frustration, as players express feelings of unfairness due to enemies being able to hit them without direct contact, leading to a sense of helplessness. This mechanic detracts from the overall emotional engagement, as it can create a disconnect between player actions and in-game consequences.
- character development2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers appreciate the character design for its creativity and expressiveness, noting that the ability to change facial expressions adds a unique and unsettling charm to the characters. The initial impression of a simple design evolves into a more complex and engaging experience, enhancing the overall appeal.
“The character design is incredibly unique; at first, I thought it was just a hand, reminiscent of the Master Hand from Smash Bros, but the ability to change the face and expressions was really cool and delightfully creepy.”
“The character development is impressive, allowing for a wide range of expressions and customization that adds depth to the gameplay experience.”
“I love how the character design evolves throughout the game, making each interaction feel fresh and engaging.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is criticized for poor control during isometric fight sections and numerous bugs, leading to a frustrating experience for players.
“The isometric fight sections feel terrible to control, and the game is a buggy mess.”
Critic Reviews
Gripper Review (PC)
Gripper is a fairly fun and unique game, however, my main drawback is its price.
64%Gripper Review
With a slick aesthetic, some great synthwave tunes, and intense cybercycling through dilapidated space tubes, Gripper gets a lot right and we enjoyed those parts of it. We can forgive repetitive voice acting, but the other half of the game — the arena boss battles — is egregiously frustrating. The main gripping mechanic fails to work far too often with so much happening on screen, leading to a difficulty level that requires grudging patience rather than player skill. Thus, by the end of the game, our patience for this sci-fi mashup of genres had run out.
50%Gripper Review
Gripper on paper sounds like a great time, but the way it is carried out just doesn’t work. The game design itself just leads to frustration, instead of a fun experience.
45%
