Platypus Reclayed review for PS5, Xbox Series X, Switch, PC

I’ve always liked Claymation. If you’ve never heard of that before, it’s a type of stop motion animation done with different types of clay. It always has looked cool to me, but never really had a presence in videogames outside of games like Clay Fighter and The Neverhood. but there was one game that I played a while back called Platypus, a very well done shooter that had fantastic Claymation graphics and was a blast to play. Now this fun game is making a comeback on modern consoles with Platypus Reclayed. It’s not just a remaster as the team at Claymatic Games completely reprogrammed and reworked the original game and added a slew of new content along side a beautiful looking 4K upgrade.

The story of the game is you control the Platypus F-27 Plane and you are the last line of defense against the city of Colossatropolis. The city has overgrown itself and is looking to expand into the area called Mungola. You cannot let that happen as it will destroy your peaceful world. You must take to the skies and beat back the Army of Colossatropolis and stop them from expanding. It’s a very bare bones story, but the premise is the same as many other shooters. Just shoot everything that moves and don’t get hit by the enemy.

As mentioned, the entire game is made out of clay, with the exception of SOME of the projectiles on screen. The backgrounds, foregrounds, enemies and even your score are all made from clay. It actually looks amazing and animates really well. Gameplay is simple, just fight your way through each level, shooting down many enemies who are all trying to destroy you. Make it to the end of an area and you’ll encounter the boss, and once you destroy it, you move on to the next area for more. There are 5 stages in total, each with 5 areas to blast through. It seems rather short, but trust me, it’s not as easy as it looks. As you progress, the enemies get stronger, and also more difficult to shoot. It really tests your abilities no matter how good you think you are at horizontal shooters.

You can upgrade your weapons throughout each stage and while this helps out for the most part, some of the weapons you can grab can hinder you. Some of the weapons are on the odd side but are really funny, like wedges of cheese, Fish and a host of others. Grabbing the powerups and the enemy drops can be difficult with everything going on, so don’t be surprised if you get shot trying to grab an item. Also, one thing I do not like is the upgraded weapons don’t travel with you into the next area, so if you get a really cool weapon you like and manage to hold on to it, you will lose it after you complete an area. It’s a small nuisance, but not a game-ruiner.

The graphics are the real showstopper here. I absolutely love the Claymation style and it is done super well here. Everything looks fantastic, even passing clouds and buildings fall off in the background. The animations are also great, with enemy ships taking visible damage from your shots and pieces of ships and tanks falling off as you shoot them. Nothing slows down here as everything keeps moving fluid and never looks dull. The music is fantastic as well with some really rocking tracks on each stage that keep you playing longer.

Platypus Reclayed is a very stylized, but overall simple shooter that can leave an impression on you. Like I mentioned at the start of the review, I love this Claymation style of art so it was a treat to experience this game in 4K. If you want a fun, and quirky shooter that is not only fun to play but challenging, then you will love this. Very cool and highly recommended!

Note: Claymatic Games provided us with a Platypus Reclayed code for review purposes.