Have you ever experienced the heartbreak of losing your engagement ring in a claw machine? Probably not, but in Cupiclaw, a remarkable “roguelike deck-building claw machine game” crafted by the talented Julien Tran from France, you’ll find yourself taking on the role of Morris, a man who has tragically lost his engagement ring and must frantically play an incredibly expensive claw machine in a desperate bid to win it back.

Cupiclaw is not yet available in the market officially, but Tran has graciously made a demo available on Steam, where you can embark on a journey through five exciting levels. Essentially, the crux of Cupiclaw lies in the fact that you need to skillfully operate the claw machine and triumph in winning various prizes to accumulate the funds to move on to the next level of the claw machine. And then, you keep repeating this process until you are ultimately able to locate Morris’ precious ring. It sounds simple, doesn’t it? Well, hold on tight because Cupiclaw is actually quite a challenging endeavor. The rogue-like and deck-building aspects of the game introduce a wealth of strategy, both in the prizes you pursue and in the new choices you make between each round, which are then added to the claw machine. Each prize comes with its own unique characteristic that intricately influences the way you play. For instance, there’s a gem that you can add to the machine, which boosts the payout for all the teddy bears you collect. But if you fail to collect any teddy bears, you’re effectively sacrificing a significant amount of coins.

There are also dreaded bad prizes that you must avoid like the plague, such as an overwhelming number of soda cans that have somehow found their way into the machine. As you change claw machines, you’ll gradually lose an increasing amount of coins. Additionally, there are other items that can deduct points from you, so you have to carefully balance the strategy of gathering valuable items with the need to evade the less desirable ones. Sometimes, you might even have to sacrifice some points due to the rapid pace of the game.

At the end of each round, which typically takes just a few minutes, you’ll progress if you have accumulated enough money to afford the next button push. However, if you don’t meet this criterion, Morris will sadly drop to the ground in distress, and you’ll have to start all over again. Thanks to the rogue-like nature of the game, Cupiclaw offers the possibility of endless play, and each time it’s a unique experience. I’ve had an absolute blast trying out different combinations to amass the greatest amount of coins. And, so far, I haven’t even managed to reach Morris’ engagement ring or complete all five levels.

Tran has yet to disclose an exact release date for Cupiclaw, but the demo alone is a source of great fun for the time being.

There are also bad prizes to avoid, like a heck of a lot of soda cans that made it into the machine. You’ll lose an increasing amount of coins as you change claw machines. There are other items that take away points, too — so you need to balance the strategy of collecting good items with avoiding the bad ones, but sometimes you’ve got to sacrifice some points because of the speed of it all.

There are also bad prizes to avoid, like a heck of a lot of soda cans that made it into the machine. You’ll lose an increasing amount of coins as you change claw machines. There are other items that take away points, too — so you need to balance the strategy of collecting good items with avoiding the bad ones, but sometimes you’ve got to sacrifice some points because of the speed of it all.

At the end of a round, which takes mere minutes, you’ll move on if you’ve amassed enough money to pay for the next button push. Otherwise, Morris drops to the ground in distress, and you’ve got to start over. Because of the roguelike nature of it all, Cupiclaw can be played endlessly — and it’s always different. I’ve had a blast trying different combinations to amass the most amount of coins. And, so far, I’ve not yet reached Morris’ engagement ring — or the end of the five levels.

Tran hasn’t said when Cupiclaw will be released, but the demo itself is enough fun for a while.