Clan O’Conall and the Crown of the Stagwas released in 2021 for PC platforms. The game can best be described as an action platformer with a few puzzle elements. Players can take control of one of three siblings in a level with either Haggish, Kilcannon, or Clakshot. They all play differently from one another as is the hope for any game with multiple protagonists.
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Clan O’Conall and the Crown of the Stagis level-based, meaning that this is nota Metroidvania-like open-worldscenario. It’s a simple game but complex as well. For those new toClan O’Conall, these tips for the Switch port should make the early hours more eventful.
7Three Difficulties To Rule Them All
Players can swap between all three difficulty settings at any time. Don’t worry about choosing the right one at the start ofClan O’Conall, although “Normal” is the best one to pick at first.
If that proves to be too hard then go to the easiest setting. If the middle option is too unchallenging then bump it up. It’s as simple as that. Knowing that some sort ofadjustable optionis present in a game can help players out before they jump into a new experience.
6The Right O’Conall For The Job
Clan O’Conall’sstory follows the three siblings of Haggish, Kilcannon, and Clakshot. They are tasked with rescuing their father from an evil wizard. Each character has their particular uses in the game and can beswapped out on the fly. Haggish, for example, is slow but has a lot of health and is strong.
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Kilcannon is like the middle-of-the-road hero who is both agile and strong defensively. His counterattack can deflect projectiles back at enemies. Clakshot has a bow, giving her a ranged advantage at the cost of having low health. She should be used as the main character during the game’s exploration sections. Whenever a battle breaks out, switch out to either brother. That’s only one example of the strategies players should remember regarding these three siblings.
5Learn Character Positions
It’s also important for players to remember the position of characters in the roster. Hitting the left or right trigger onthe controllershould summon one of the three siblings. As the roster is always rotating, the order will get mixed up frequently.
Clan O’Conallis not a game made for speed-running by any stretch, however, there are times when players will have to expertly platform between many obstacles while getting chased down. There is a level wherein a giant boar is chasing the siblings, for example. If players swap to the wrong character, that could spell doom. So, again, get used to the character order and how it rotates.
4Health Pickups Effect Everyone
The nicest thing about getting to use three characters is that it gives players three separate health bars. The trouble with that is running low on health with a favorite character. For example, Clakshot is a good option because of her flexibility, so using her should make it easier to perform inthis platformer.
Unfortunately, her health is low, so players may wind up switching her out often if her screen starts to flash. Thankfully, health pickups will heal all characters in the party. Players won’t have to worry about whom to pick and choose to keep alive when a health drop pops up.
3What The Collectables Do
Clan O’Conall’s first two stages are oddly paced as they don’t clue players into what their motivation is. There are no context clues either aside from some tutorials. The strangest thing is that there are collectibles, like the fireflies, that get tallied up after each mission.
The first two times this happens, there will be no difference in the gameplay. However, after a quick boss encounter,the RPG-like upgradesystem will unlock. Players can level up the three characters with these bugs to increase stats, like health, and gain new abilities too. At this point, stages can be replayed as well.
2Who To Level Up First
Is there a right order to level up the three siblings? The simple answer is yes. There is a good order to help make the most out of the experience. However, doing it out of order is not going to put players at any huge disadvantages inClan O’Conall.
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The first character that should be upgraded is Clakshot. Her health is at three until she gets leveled up, so players should unlock her bomb roll ability first as it will also increase her HP to four. Next, give Haggish the extra jump spin attack. Finally, Kilcannon should unlock his physical counterattack. From there, players should rotate leveling up. Thisis RPGs 101. No one character should ever be hugely ahead of anyone else.
1No Deaths On Pits
This is not so much a tip as it is a clarification. One of the most despised things in a platformer is instant death traps. TheMariogames, for example, will kill characters if they fall in a pit or land on a set of spikes.
Thankfully,Clan O’Conalldoes not punish players in this way even on the hardest difficulty. Characters will lose some health but get warped back to the last piece of solid ground they were on before jumping. Players won’t have to fear pits or other traps as much with this knowledge in mind.
Clan O’Conall and the Crown of the Stagwas released on June 30, 2025 for Switch. It is also available on PC.
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