Clutch

Clutch is a 2009 Windows action racing game developed by Russian studio Targem Games and published by 1C Company internationally. It was also marketed under title Gear Grinder in some territories, reflecting its emphasis on heavily armed vehicle combat gameplay. Clutch is the protagonist, a professional driver whose survival depends on mastering a modified combat vehicle in the devastated landscape. The campaign combines point-to-point races with missions that require destroying enemies, collecting resources, and reaching designated locations under constant pressure. Rather than presenting a conventional circuit racer, the game places driving inside a hostile open environment filled with hazards everywhere. Players steer through ruins and rough terrain while using mounted guns to fight rival vehicles and mutated creatures directly nearby. Vehicle damage is central to play because collisions, gunfire, and poor driving can cripple the machine before a race ends. The vehicle can be upgraded with improved armor, weapons, and performance parts, allowing players to tailor it for different challenges. Mission design alternates between speed-focused objectives and combat-heavy encounters, so success depends on both route choice and accurate shooting timing. The setting draws on post-apocalyptic imagery rather than realistic motorsport presentation and frames each race as a dangerous expedition outside. Targem Games had already worked on the Ex Machina series before releasing Clutch, which shares that interest in vehicular combat. Its visual identity comes from rusted industrial structures, abandoned roads, dust, and aggressive machines rather than polished racing venues alone. On Windows, players can approach objectives with different levels of aggression because routes often leave room for evasion or attack. This freedom makes the steering model important even when the quickest route is not the safest one available to Clutch. Mounted weapons give the car an offensive role, but ammunition and positioning matter when several enemies surround the player vehicle. Exploration and racing are therefore connected: moving efficiently opens opportunities, while fighting poorly can turn a short trip fatal. Clutch remains notable for merging arcade-style driving with a campaign built around a single named driver rather than anonymous competitors. Its identity is especially tied to Targem Games and the post-apocalyptic Ex Machina tradition that shaped the studio's vehicular games. For players interested in unusual racing games, Clutch offers a historical snapshot of late-2000s PC design where driving and combat coexist.