Clid the Snail Critic Reviews

In the end, I am a fan of where Weird Beluga aimed but not as much as where they landed. While the world that Clid resides in is full and realized, its characters unique, its level design excellent, and its overall tone unexpectedly great, the gameplay itself, not plague fuelled slugs, seems to be the biggest deterrent Clid needs to overcome. No matter how Weird Beluga wants to tackle this, whether it be leave it as it is or patch it, they still stand as very innovative and exciting developers. As for the gamer, if you think I’m just weak and you can do better managing the punishing level of gameplay, you should definitely pick this up. Otherwise, maybe see what they do moving forward before you dive into this strange and unique foray into gaming.

At the end of the day, Clid the Snail is a fun but flawed first effort for Weird Beluga. I enjoyed the game’s more deliberate approach to its gunplay, and the weapon variety and shell customization options kept the action feeling fresh. Add to that some excellent puzzles and fantastic worldbuilding, and there’s no denying that there’s a lot to love here. That’s why it’s such a shame that things become so frustrating due to the developer’s artistic choices. After all, it’s hard to focus on a firefight when it looks like half of the screen has been slathered in vaseline. Perhaps the developer will add a patch down the road to remedy the muddy visuals. And if they do, Clid the Snail will be a much more playable experience. As for me, I’d probably wait and see if they clean things up before taking the plunge. However, if those issues aren’t enough to dissuade you, escargot ahead and give Clid a shot.

Clid the Snail is a beautiful game with tons of personality and a world that begs to be explored, but the combat and gameplay is so frustrating that it makes doing so a huge a chore. The good news is that it only takes a patch or two to fix the weapon damage and rolling issues if they're viewed by many as a source of frustration rather than challenging, fair combat. While it's not the best experience right now, players should absolutely follow its post-launch development, because Clid the Snail oozes, like so many of its menagerie, with the kind of potential that could make it an excellent entry into its genre with some meaningful tweaks.

There’s a lot to like about Clid the Snail. To say this is from a small team, the worldbuilding and ingenuity is second to none. But while ‘unforgiving’ may have been the developer’s intention, the game’s boss encounters are far too frustrating to be enjoyable. With a bit more balancing to Clid and his armoury, this will be a must-play twin-stick shooter. Until then, only those with patience as hard as Clid’s shell will be able to truly enjoy what’s on offer here.

Clid The Snail is a charming indie game with characters that you can easily grow to love just by spending time with them, and a narrative that is entertaining and consistent all the way through till the end. However, its gameplay issues and the clash of two very different vibes pull you out of those fun moments constantly, and you're left reminded of all the game's shortcomings all over again.

A running and gunning snail is an unusual premise for an action-puzzle game, but it’s not as silly as it sounds. There are some moments of brilliance that raise it above your standard indie twin-stick shooter and it’s easy to get lost in the miniature world. The difficulty can be punishing, though, and without much by way of guidance, frustration sets in as the adventure often crawls to… a snail’s pace.

Quotation forthcoming.

Showing promise in the early stages, Clid the Snail is both a charming shooter filled with a ton of character and visually interesting themes. However, the slow pace, cluttered worlds and repetitive gameplay fail to elevate the game to true greatness.

There's potential in Clid the Snail. The postapocalyptic setting feels fresher thanks to the new perspective, and the characters are charming, even if they fit expected tropes from stories about a ragtag bunch being forced to come together. A fascinating setting cannot overcome gameplay that feels repetitive due to unexciting shooting mechanics and enemies that fail to become intelligent until you reach a boss fight. It can be fun if you temper your expectations significantly, but for most people, Clid the Snail won't do it for them.

Some technical difficulties on PlayStation 4 and huge difficulty spikes hinders a game with some good ideas and a wonderful setting.

After some digging, I found that the indie developers at Weird Beluga focused on three design pillars for Clid the Snail “methodical and challenging combat, exploration and puzzles, and an emphasis on narrative.” The team found success with two of these three pillars, the exploration in Clid is quite enjoyable. Made even more so by the absence of a radar like system, I rather enjoyed the very old school approach. Even the story in Clid the Snail hit all the notes of comedy, tragedy and action on queue. But that combat… they absolutely NAILED the challenging part. It’s just a shame that it isn’t much fun and instead just feels like an exercise in futility at parts.

A forgettable shooter.