Knuckle Creek Review: Claymation Chaos Meets Smash Bros. Nostalgia
Sometimes an indie game comes out of nowhere and is so unexpectedly fun, you have to tell people about it. I guess it's not fair to judge a book by its cover–or a game by its key art–but something about Knuckle Creek made it look like it would be disappointing. I was so, so wrong. And when I look back on it, of course I was: this game is lovingly made with claymation animation, and obviously had a lot of heart put into it by developer Claymatic Games.
Knuckle Creek is a party brawler that is part Smash Bros. and part Gang Beasts. It immediately reminded me of retro fighter ClayFighter with a more limited array of character types–mostly redneck themed fighters here. But if you smash Gang Beasts' goofy physics and Smash Bros' structure into the literal clay molds of ClayFighter, you get Knuckle Creek.
While Knuckle Creek looks a lot like Smash Bros., it uses a more traditional health system based on how many times you're knocked down or out of the arena. Which can happen easily when there's an arena full of fighters and the chaos that introduces. Especially when weapons are being used, which will happen in generous amounts. It's not uncommon to have multiple rockets, trash can lids, and other projectiles flying across the screen. If you die early you can rain down explosives to knock out those who are still playing.
While Knuckle Creek is more fun with friends, if you don't have friends you can play solo. There are bots that will give you a run for your money even on easy mode. There are also single player challenges to get through–three maps of them–if you want to unlock new costumes and accessories. Instead of unlocking a set number of base characters, you build your own custom roster. There are literally hundreds of cosmetic items and flags, plus over a dozen voice options, and emotes to taunt your friends mid battle.
There's lots of variety to be had, since there are multiple game modes and lots of customization on how those modes are played, if you choose. There are 24 maps and multiple different game modes: free for all, team matches, last man standing. There are adjustable match settings for health, fatal falls, weapons available, time of day, map voting, etc. Empty slots can also be filled with bots if you can't get a full match and want the chaos a full 8 player session can bring.
While chaotic, it's very fun. Knuckle Creek most likely won't get into any esports scene, but it's a great time to play with friends. I love the claymation look, and while I wish there were more variety of characters than redneck adjacent people wearing costumes, there's still enough cosmetic variety to make a character your own. I definitely recommend this party brawler.
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