Platypus Reclayed review

If you’ve been gaming for a couple of decades or so and you’re a fan of side-scrolling shoot ’em ups, there’s a chance you might be familiar with Platypus. It’s notable for its use of claymation to achieve a visual style all of its own. But thanks to its solid gameplay and sheer quirkiness, it’s achieved cult classic status. Now more players than ever before can enjoy it thanks to Platypus Reclayed.

Doing more than just cleaning up the original game’s visuals and making some gameplay tweaks, Platypus Reclayed straddles the line between a remaster and remake. You can play the original game in all its glory here if you wish, but you’ll more than likely want to stick to the new and enhanced version, if only for the improved looks. Thanks to all-new models, new photography and 4K presentation, Platypus Reclayed is a visual treat, with graphics that are crisp, clear and more colourful than ever.

Visuals don’t make a game, however, even though the appealing aesthetic of Platypus Reclayed does earn it some goodwill. Gameplay-wise, there’s nothing truly original here, but there’s plenty of solid side-scrolling shooter action. Multiple difficulty levels are available, with the lowest of them letting you blast through four of the game’s five levels, and the rest allowing you to access them all. Once you’ve reached a level on any particular difficulty, you can start from there in the future, too, so you don’t have to complete the game in one sitting.

With each level having multiple substantial areas for you to make your way through before you encounter a big bad boss, that’s something you’ll be rather glad for, as unfortunately making your way through all levels in sitting might eventually start to feel like a drag. Not necessarily because the gameplay of Platypus Reclayed is bad, but with limited enemy variety and a lack of unique features, beating what is essentially 25 stages or so in one go is quite gruelling.

What will really endear you to Platypus Reclayed, however, are the quirky weapons you can sometimes employ to overcome your enemies. As you blast away at enemy ships, you’ll sometimes be able to grab stars that provide power-ups. Most of these are fairly standard, such as spread shot and homing rockets, but every once in a while you’ll pick up something truly outrageous. How can it not be fun destroying enemies with a giant boxing glove, for example? Or how about some hotdogs, or even fish? This is a challenging game, like most shoot ’em ups are, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

If you do find a level giving you some trouble, there’s a practice mode which is very handy indeed, and if you want to prove your prowess there’s a score attack mode, too. Throw in local co-op and some nifty extras, including a gallery which gives you a behind-the-scenes look at what has gone into making the game, and Platypus Reclayed proves to be a decent package. It’s just a shame there are no online leaderboards to really ramp up the feeling of competition.

While Platypus Reclayed is one of the most visually striking shoot ’em ups available, then, it isn’t at all ambitious when it comes to gameplay. For most players, though, that won’t be much of an issue. What other game lets you shoot doughnuts at UFOs, after all? Those that are familiar with and have enjoyed Platypus in the past will get the most out of Platypus Reclayed perhaps, but even for newcomers, it’ll provide hours of clay-powered fun while listening to what is truly an enjoyably eclectic soundtrack.