If there’s one new title that I’m totally excited to see in its full, final form, it’s going to be Heart Core’s Gripper. An extremely stylistic and off-the-rails experience, this is sure to be one of 2023’s indie darling titles, thanks to the character it brings with an enigmatic world and a set of protagonists worth rooting for.
I had the pleasure to play about 30 minutes of Gripper, with a demo that perfectly separated the game into three distinct parts. This gave me as a player a chance to sample what the full game would offer without totally spoiling the dinner that is Gripper’s full release. But while I like its premise thus far, how does the game actually do in the long run? Let’s discuss it!
Gripper Preview Biggest Takeaways
- Gripper is most definitely a difficult title, with combat and traversal offering a learning curve.
- The obstacle course-type levels in Gripper are actually really intense and could be their own separate game entirely.
- Boss fights in Gripper are also relentless, though make sense once you get the hang of them.
- The upgrade system in Gripper is just enough without being something that’s overtly intrusive.
- Gripper has a fantastic aesthetic and seemingly has a dark story to offer players.
Related: Preview: Frozen Flame Caught Me Off Guard
Adrenaline-Inducing Obstacle Courses
The first, and quite possibly my favorite part of Gripper is its obstacle course sections. These take place on the back of a motorcycle and allow for a lot of experimentation in how to get through the hazards within your way. It’s each subsection within the track is capped with these small quick-time events that seemingly serve as hidden loading screens. They’re decent enough and add something new to look out for.
Though the star of the show is the actual dangers that pop out of nowhere such as spikes, blades, and shifting walls. It really makes for a fun time to be had and feels very similar to that of the Tron franchise’s Lightbike moments. The motorcycle also handles very well in these segments too. It’s very easy to maneuver it and move out of the way in a twitch. Though moving too faster or far can really make things more difficult. There’s a fine line with the touchiness of the motorcycle’s handling.
I’d really like to see a lot more of these sections too, as their difficulty is very intriguing. You have about three or four units of health, with each hit you take chipping away at it. If you die, you have to start the entire course from the beginning. It’s merciless, but I couldn’t stop coming back for more. There was only one course available in the demo, but I could’ve easily spent hours just going from track to track.
Upgrades Makes Things A Bit Easier
From there, the demo allows you to take a look under the hood in a sense, as you’re able to check out the stats, consumables, and customization options. There’s quite a bit to play around with in these categories, though they luckily don’t seem to get in the way. Personally, I don’t like upgrades and things of that nature being crammed in every single game these days, so I’m happy that these are seemingly sitting by the weigh side until we need to use them.
The in-game stats are your character’s direct abilities that can be upgraded over the course of the game. Right now, the only one we really know of is the Max Health upgrade which allows players to get more health bubbles as they play, making the game a bit more forgiving through the end game.
Next is the consumables. These are specified abilities that can be equipped or unequipped between levels, allowing players to build the hero they’d like to play as. Within the demo, I was able to use Health Pack which allowed me to heal my character, as well as Landmine which allows me to drop mines behind me as I drive so that enemies can run into them. You can equip two consumables at a time.
Last was the customization for the motorcycle. This was entirely cosmetic and there were only two skins available in the demo; a default skin and an unlockable one. It would be cool to see many more skins that are sure to make their appearance in the final product.
Boss Fights to Take You Down A Peg
Last but certainly not least were the bosses that the game offers players. The demo included two to take on, though the first one was a boss that you were specifically supposed to lose against. I hate this kind of boss fight as it’s really a waste of the player’s time overall. Luckily, the boss is really cool looking and is sure to turn up at the end for a butt-kicking.
The real boss that you get to fight, though being the first, is actually pretty difficult to get past. The fight is extremely satisfying though as you need to tear parts off of it with your gripping tool. Additionally, you can grip enemies and throw them at the boss, as well as environmental objects like rocks and explosive barrels.
I found these boss fights to be very similar to that of a Soulslike; you have a super dangerous enemy that’ll you’ll lose against many times, but eventually, have its pattern down so well that you’ll just need to weave out of its way and then parry an attack at it. The bosses also seem to have very dark, twisted tales behind them which also reminded me of Dark Souls.
Final Thoughts
So, that’s really everything there is so far on Gripper. It’s definitely a title I’m going to be excited to see in its final form, and the preview I got to play was definitely a time well spent. It’s really like two polished games welded together.
Gripper releases in 2023 for PC and Nintendo Switch. Though the game’s release date is to be determined, it’s marked to release in the first quarter of 2023 per Steam. A price for the game has yet to be set as well.
Well, those are our initial thoughts on Gripper so far, as it’s shaping up to be quite an interesting title. If you liked this, then be sure to check out some of our other most recent full reviews on the games releasing, such as “Review: Vengeful Guardian Moonrider is a Solid Throwback”. And like Gamer Journalist on Facebook in order to get our previews and reviews first.
