It’s no secret that I’ve been through something of a struggle recently when it comes to gaming, as evidenced by the lack of any new articles appearing on TNT in almost six months (has it really been that long?!). But I’m slowly finding my way back now, and I think we have Cupiclaw to thank for this personal gaming Renaissance.
Cupiclaw is a delightful little incremental roguelike claw grabber game by Typin that I’ve been waiting for since the demo (which I also replayed to death) was released in mid 2025. Like most games of the genre, things start off slow and only get better as you progress through runs. You grab prizes, earn coins, buy upgrades, and then dive back in to do the same thing all over again, as though you’ve never heard the definition of madness.
But what sets Cupiclaw apart is the masterclass it provides by making itself both infinitely replayable and ultimately addictive.
A masterclass in replayability
The main thing that makes Cupiclaw so replayable, in my mind, is the gradually introduced goals. At first, your only goal is to get to floor eight, but then once you do, you find out that there are different rings to collect that make the machine stronger during subsequent runs. But that’s not even the end of it, because there’s a whole story that only gets a conclusion after a bunch of replays, and what do you even mean I can unlock skins and accessories for my claw?
All of these different, gradually introduced elements are perfectly timed in their additions, leaving you always wanting to do one more run to either unlock something new or find out more of the story. Even when you get to the conclusion of the drama (and it is surprisingly dramatic!), you then unlock the ability to climb through the levels with no end point just to check your own skill and try your luck.
I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve completely lost track of time over the last week or so, with hours going by and me saying “just one more run” repeatedly because I’m convinced I can get further, do better, earn more coins. That addictive quality in something so unfathomably cute is rare, but I’m absolutely here for it. And if you get those OP items that make you unstopable (Card Pack, I’m looking at you!), the runs feel so satisfying that it’s hard to stop.
A story for the ages
While I won’t say too much to spoil the very end of Cupiclaw‘s story, because some things just need to be experienced firsthand, I will say that somehow a talking claw and its moody, overly dramatic owner are a perfect duo. Coupled with the ever-determined and somewhat overly attached Morris, the trio ends up being incredibly lovable and memorable.
As I said earlier, you could play through one run of eight levels and get a taste of what’s to come, but finding out the truth only comes after collecting all of the possible rings available on floor eight and making your claw the best version of itself.
Think about it, that’s 64 floors to play through, not including any failed runs that don’t see you reach that fabled eighth floor. That’s a lot of play time, which explains my 16 hours clocked in with more to come.
A completionist’s dream (or nightmare)
Depending on how you feel about unlockable collectibles, Cupiclaw could be a dream or a nightmare. This is especially true when it comes to skins and accessories for the claw.
I haven’t counted them (edit: oh look, that picture says 67. It was right there!), but you can unlock various head and body accessories, plus a bunch of different colored skins, that you can then use to customize your skin and make it your own. Most of these things are unlocked using tickets that appear at random in the machines, which keeps you coming back for more runs if you want to complete your collection.
There are a few that are unlocked by completing different goals within a run, like grabbing a capsule, a rare capsule, and a legendary capsule in one grab. From personal experience, this is a lot harder than it first seems, because it’s luck of the draw as to whether the three will even appear in the same machine, and then whether they land next to each other at any point.
I can stop any time I want
I’m not ashamed to admit that after a period of time when gaming was the last thing I wanted to do, and nothing grabbed my interest, Cupiclaw managed to break through and get me playing again. It has the perfect combination of cuteness and challenge, all while providing the ability to zone out in the best way possible.
It’s as heartwarming as it can be frustrating (and it really can be incredibly frustrating if you have an unlucky run), but it’s never infuriating enough to push you towards quitting in a rage.
Perhaps the most frustrating part comes from the penalty items that decrease the total you earn for completing a run. At best, they take away a certain number of coins. At worst, they can remove an entire item (and the gold it would have provided). This drove me to madness until I realized you could use your removal tokens to get rid of them entirely.
Cupiclaw was released on March 5, 2026, and is available through Steam right now. Go play, you won’t regret it.
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