Nowadays, you can’t go two seconds without seeing an indie game try to take a crack at the Metroidvania genre. There are some success stories, like Silksong and Ori and the Blind Forest, but a studio really has to make its title stand out among the crowd to get some recognition. Enter GNAW from developer Redstart Interactive. All I needed to see was a red dinosaur in a trenchcoat and fedora to know I needed to try the demo at PAX East 2026.
GNAW stars Mack Ripley. As a resident of New Dino City, he’s worried about a meteor that has caused animals to mutate into horrifying creatures. Mack must battle his way through various areas, exploring every nook and cranny, and earn unique power-ups to save his town from extinction.
Right out the gate, what struck me about GNAW was its art style. According to the devs, it’s inspired by Hellboy, with Batman acting as a reference for the mood of the game. It really looks like a comic book come to life, and all the movement and attacks are animated beautifully. The combat also impressed me. Not only is there a parry, but there’s a cool dodge, too. I loved figuring out an enemy’s attack timing and pulling off a last-second dodge, which causes slowdown like the Bayonetta series. It feels great to pull off. Bosses are a similar delight, incorporating multiple phases and really testing your skills. I fought two squirrels at once and barely made it out alive, but I felt exhilarated afterwards. You also gain power-ups that will expand your moveset by devouring these bosses, just like Mega Man.
I got to learn more about GNAW by speaking to one of the devs after my session. The game will feature many abilities, such as a down slam, a grenade-like projectile, and a boomerang you can keep in the air by gnawing at it with your teeth. Items are hidden behind walls, which I experienced firsthand at the start by running left into a wall and finding a trenchcoat. There are challenge rooms that test your mettle. Completing them will allow you to research more serums to build up your healing potions. Equipment changes your attributes, building up your power, but there is a limit to how much you can wear. Some bosses are optional, and there is even one that runs away after defeat, forcing you to find it later to settle the score. The game’s map is informative, showing you where locked doors and areas of interest are, and you’ll even be able to use pins to mark things yourself.
After my time with it, I think I can safely say GNAW is a title to watch. It has a distinctive style, it’s tough but fair, and it has an adorable red dinosaur wearing clothes like a human. The completion time is 20 hours if you are trying to do 100%, 10 hours for the main quest. A demo may come out before launch, and it will feature a different region than the one shown at PAX East 2026. The launch date is sometime late in 2027, and the game will release on Steam, Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
