Release Date: March 29th, 2023
Developer: Heart Core
Publisher: Heart Core
Platform: PC(reviewed), Switch Price: $19.99

As we have seen before, Heart Core, the developer of Gripper seems to have had a solid game idea and needed a story to explain what was going on. The issue is that the story feels like it was thrown together at a Bulgarian Gentlemen’s club after many glasses of rakia.

Heres what I mean, In Gripper, your POV character is the creatively named None, an angry, angsty, emo biker who returns home years after running away, to find that after he left, his parents replaced him with an AI named Zero, who, of course, is just as angry and angsty as None is. In true rogue AI fashion, Zero imprisons None’s parents and begins tearing apart the very fabric of reality, presumably because it’s so angsty and angry.

Your only ally is Cat-Kit! A gruff, wrench-wielding stuffed cat toy that looks like it was a background extra in a Pokémon cartoon. Cat-Kit! is a toy from None’s childhood turned into a robot because someone thought the player needed a sidekick. Anyway, Cat-Kit! comes out of nowhere to save your life by wiring your heart to your bike and from here on out, the motorcycle, predictability called The Gripper, might as well be the main character.

Excuse me sir, have you seen my parents?

Okay, still with me? You and Cat-Kit! will spend the next few hours trying to liberate your parents in order to redeem your past mistakes. But first you must fight your way through a series of mini-bosses, each linked to an emotion of Zero’s that was installed by your parents in an attempt to replace you after you ran away from home. ((rubs forehead)) I expect Thanksgiving at the None household is going to be awkward for years…..

Now that we have an excuse to make a game lets see what we have. I’ll tell you right now the game is a lot more serviceable than the backstory. You can play using a mouse/keyboard combo or a gamepad. If you have a gamepad, use it, the keyboard mouse combo isn’t great and some of the moves are a lot easier to execute on a controller.

As the Gripper, you have various maneuvers and a badass grappling hook. This is quite creative and leads to some interesting moments. I love slinging explosives at the various enemies. As you progress, you will fight your way past a series of mini-bosses. Each one defeated gives you new abilities and points to use for upgrades. For example, explosive mines are an early upgrade and throwing them accurately is a challenge. Pro-tip: drive it like you stole it, speed is life.

As previously stated, Zero is tearing reality apart, so you will travel between fragments of reality through continuously collapsing tunnels. Of course, these are full of obstacles, refer to my previous statement about speed. Anyway you can only take four hits before getting knocked back. There are also no checkpoint between bosses, so getting to the next reality is a bit of an accomplishment. After defeating a boss, you get the choice to go back to a previously defeated boss. Since None is now slightly stronger, why not pick up some more upgrade points before moving on?

Visually speaking, the colors are bright, and even the darker colors look good. The art design is reminiscent of 90s cartoons. Between levels, much of the story is told via hand-drawn 2D images. These are excellent, and the artist should really be doing graphic novels. The music is also well done, with a techno vibe that adds to the cyberpunk feel of the action.

Bottom line, aside from the rather, um, unique premise, it's well executed and replayable. The story is clinically insane but honestly easy to follow, and the controls are straightforward. Once again, I recommend a gamepad because Mavis Beacon herself couldn’t keep up using the keyboard.

The Good

Good General Concept
Good execution
Good Art and music

The Bad

Goofy Backstory
Clunky Keyboard Controls

Gripper Review (PC)