Clid the Snail - Hands-On Impressions

You may not be familiar with the name Clid the Snail, and that's because this indie game, developed by a young, talented set of individuals from Spain, began as a student project. The game was entered into a tournament in 2019, an event packed with indie talent and hosted by none other than PlayStation, where Clid ended up not only taking the Best Game award, but also the Best Art award. From this success, the developers, Weird Beluga Studio, received funding and support to bring their unusual creation to life as a fully-fledged product that is even receiving PS4 exclusivity this Summer, before making it onto PC later this year.

While we still don't have an exact release date yet, I've had the chance to play the first 20-or-so minutes of Clid the Snail to see how this indie title is faring ahead of its upcoming launch.

Clid the Snail is a twin-stick shooter unlike many others, as it follows a completely linear storyline, and plays at a much slower pace than say a Diablo game or Flying Wild Hogs latest sci-fi shooter Space Punks. This design style means that the game isn't inherently fast paced and doesn't involve a ton of action - instead you get an atmospheric storyline where you become more engaged with Clid and his motives, which are primarily getting back into the good books of the snails, who have exiled Clid, for well... being a dick.

Clid's personality is a driving force of this game. He is a sarcastic, irritable snail, which is the opposite of his kind, who are usually known for being learned and wise. Due to his behaviour, the snails have booted Clid out of his own home, and now, he finds himself braving the wilds, which are populated by all manner of dangerous creatures who have used the collapsed civilisation of humanity to thrive. Armed with a plethora of weapons, including a blaster (with an incredibly pleasing sound effect), a shotgun, a poisonous bomb launcher, and a few other tools, Clid has to eliminate any foes that step in his path, whether it be the armies of the Slug Kingdom who are staging an assault on all other living creatures, or even a powerful ex-member of the group of animal outcasts known as Alastor, who Clid finds a new family among.

The preview build I got to test took me up to when Clid meets the members of Alastor, shortly after defeating the aforementioned ex-member, an arsonist rat called Ska. The approximate 20 minutes that led up to this included a variety of objectives and activities, be it simply slaughtering slugs that try to chop Clid up into tiny pieces, or rather solving small environmental puzzles to grab collectibles and upgrades, i.e. Ralar seeds, which increase Clid's maximum health.

The gameplay itself isn't complex, and leans on its gorgeous and interesting world as a highlight. In fact, the mechanics and combat aren't bad in any sense, but at the same time, I had very few chances to really explore them - bar facing Ska, who wasn't all that much of a challenge, thanks to the multiple extra weapons available at this stage of the game, due to it being a preview build.

But, I will say that I was thoroughly enjoying my time with Clid the Snail, before the preview came to its short and abrupt end. The game encourages you to explore wherever you can to find some hidden goodies, and the miniature, gloomy world, is a sight to behold. Whether Clid is wandering through drain pipes, or passing the remnants of a human skull, there's always something that will catch your attention, and for that reason I'm excited to see what else Weird Beluga has up its sleeves when Clid the Snail releases later this Summer.

In general, this about sums up my thoughts about Clid the Snail so far. I haven't really had that much of a chance to play a great deal to see what the future holds for this title, but from what I have seen, I'm fairly confident in saying Weird Beluga is set to deliver an engaging and interesting twin-stick shooter for PlayStation, and later PC players alike. With the storyline expected to be around ten hours in length, as the developer told us, this game seems to be on track for being a capable adventure that doesn't overshoot or overcomplicate itself.