PAX East never ceases to impress me with the sheer amount of indie titles on the show floor, and one of those that caught my attention was a dinosaur-themed Metroidvania called GNAW from Redstart Interactive. I was fortunate enough to play the demo for a half hour and talk with the developers about what compelled them to create this prehistoric adventure, and in the process, I was quickly taught how rusty I am with the genre.
What first got me interested with GNAW is the art style. The world really came alive in the demo I played, with all the colors popping out while still keeping that post-apocalyptic atmosphere. I greatly enjoyed jumping around the abandoned city just to appreciate the background art and enemy designs. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but the cityscape and cartoonish style reminded me of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and I mean that in the best way.
Exploring was also fun in its own way, but I did periodically encounter a bug where opening menus to explore the map or change costumes froze the entire game, so it was difficult to keep track of where I had been before and where I needed to go. That said, this game launches next year, so I am sure this will be fixed by then.
Exclusive to the demo were some new boss fights, and those were fun to go through, even if one tripped me up until the end of my session. In true Metroidvania fashion, the bosses can be a bit challenging if you go in guns blazing, but are not too bad if you’re a little patient. I thought the boss fights were fun, and their designs were pretty neat.
One of the core mechanics in GNAW comes from eating enemies that you kill. Doing so allows you to fill your stomach to heal yourself, although I’m curious what other abilities we may come across in the full game. The demo was light on abilities to get the hang of, but I do think it gave me a reasonable window into what the full game will play like. After spending a half hour playing the demo, I think it’s safe to say I’ll be looking to sink my teeth in GNAW when it comes out in 2027.
PAX East never ceases to impress me with the sheer amount of indie titles on the show floor, and one of those that caught my attention was a dinosaur-themed Metroidvania called GNAW from Redstart Interactive. I was fortunate enough to play the demo for a half hour and talk with the developers about what compelled them to create this prehistoric adventure, and in the process, I was quickly taught how rusty I am with the genre.
PAX East never ceases to impress me with the sheer amount of indie titles on the show floor, and one of those that caught my attention was a dinosaur-themed Metroidvania called GNAW from Redstart Interactive. I was fortunate enough to play the demo for a half hour and talk with the developers about what compelled them to create this prehistoric adventure, and in the process, I was quickly taught how rusty I am with the genre.
What first got me interested with GNAW is the art style. The world really came alive in the demo I played, with all the colors popping out while still keeping that post-apocalyptic atmosphere. I greatly enjoyed jumping around the abandoned city just to appreciate the background art and enemy designs. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but the cityscape and cartoonish style reminded me of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and I mean that in the best way.
Exploring was also fun in its own way, but I did periodically encounter a bug where opening menus to explore the map or change costumes froze the entire game, so it was difficult to keep track of where I had been before and where I needed to go. That said, this game launches next year, so I am sure this will be fixed by then.
Exclusive to the demo were some new boss fights, and those were fun to go through, even if one tripped me up until the end of my session. In true Metroidvania fashion, the bosses can be a bit challenging if you go in guns blazing, but are not too bad if you’re a little patient. I thought the boss fights were fun, and their designs were pretty neat.
One of the core mechanics in GNAW comes from eating enemies that you kill. Doing so allows you to fill your stomach to heal yourself, although I’m curious what other abilities we may come across in the full game. The demo was light on abilities to get the hang of, but I do think it gave me a reasonable window into what the full game will play like. After spending a half hour playing the demo, I think it’s safe to say I’ll be looking to sink my teeth in GNAW when it comes out in 2027.
by Michael Fertitta
