Platypus Review
Have fun piloting your F-27 Platypus ship in the squishiest side scroller game in the app store!
Platypus has to be one of the most interesting games I’ve seen in the app store. The thing that makes it really stand out from everything else in the app store is the following: all of the graphics are handmade 
from clay! Yes, that’s right, every single ship, bullet, words, number, and explosion were hand made by the developer. You really can’t appreciate just how great the clay effect is until you actually play the game.
After my initial rambling to myself over how cool the graphics were, I then got down to business and started to really play. The first thing I noticed (apart from the graphics) was that the accelerometer controls actually worked pretty well (Unlike many other games). The ship automatically fires, so when using the tilt controls there is never a need to touch the screen unless you are pausing the game. This also makes the game feel professional and well fitted to the iPhone’s interface.
For review purposes, I also tried the touch controls. You can both offset the touch controls, and choose how far you want to offset them. I thought that this was a nice addition to the game. While these controls work fine, I still use the tit controls because there is no need to obstruct your view (I suppose touch controls would be better if you are playing while laying down). The tilt controls’ sensitivity can be adjusted; and you can also set the angle you’d like to have your device at whilst playing the game (calibration).
The enemies in the game come from both the front and back, which adds a nice twist to the usual side scroller game. Things like blimps will come from the back, and other ships will come from the front. Watching both the right and left sides of the screen can become tricky, which makes the game a lot of fun.
Some enemies, when killed, will leave things behind, such as stars and fruit. The fruit can be collected as a point bonus, and the stars can be collected for use as weapons upgrades. The stars are a little more complex than just collecting them though. When you shoot the stars, they wil change color, which will determine the type of weapon upgrade you will get. Each of the colors is associated with one of the following power-ups: shoot twice as fast, shoot a shockwave, shoot missiles, and shoot four bullets at once.
The music in the game is really well done. It is made up of a bunch of techno-ish sounds, so it makes the game fee much like an old game port from some old video game system. The sound effects also sound very retro and well done, which makes the game’s sounds as a whole package feel very professional and arcade-like.
Overall, Platypus is a wonderfully crafted and well designed game. The developers of this game have done a wonderful job with the overall package, and should be proud of themselves. Anyone interested in a side scrolling shoot ‘em up should take a look at Platypus; and take advantage of its current limited time only $2.99 sale price (usual price is $4.99).
The Good
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- Very well done clay graphics
- Fun gameplay, lots of ships and power-ups
- Great audio tracks
The Bad
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- No online high scores
- No ship upgrades, only one type of ship
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Category: Games
I used to play this game on the computer alot. The graphics are beautiful. This is definitely one of the best looking apps on the app store.
Congrats to prestobots the winner of the free app!
wow…they probably put in some work on that clay animation. Great idea too. Looks like a great game.
Clay shooting freedom…freedom to shoot all clay objects in the sky..woohoo
great review, i cant believe all the graphics are stop motion clay
looks good graphically and looks really fun.
looks good. Love this kind of game.
there are a lot of games like this jut this one is the one that looks the most fun, colorful, and unique
I’ve also been thinking about getting this. The only reason I haven’t is because of all the other games I’ve barely played yet but this so seems worth the money.
I have this game and it rocks! I just love the clay! Watch out for the enemies from behind!
the graphics of this game look really cool. Plus i love shooters.
I’ve been thinking about getting this. The graphics and gameplay look great. I hope I win.
yes! taken back to the good ole days of claymation!! looks pretty cool
the clay idea/concept looks fantastic
idk if i really like the tilt controls as much as i would use the touch controls but it would be something interesting to get used to.
great idea, i would love to see characters though to feel like the gamer actually connects to the game, rather than just beat this level, this level, this level, this boss.
great review
I’m totally a fan of the claymation (being someone who has done it) and I’ve been on the fence for this game for a long time. It looks great. I also wish there was a lite version
just like a retro game with cool new graphics!
nice idea because those old games make a lot of fun
This definitely is the game to have on ipod touch/iphone. I fell in love with the game music. It keeps my adrenaline pumping when I ‘m going play this game!
I already bought this game and I agree with you Glenn, the graphics rock, go claymation! Btw all the games made by handmark, Inc. Is on sale for 2.99$ not just platypus(westward,hellfire…)
Platypus, game on my appsniper list.
This has had unique enough graphics to keep me watching it. I may have to pick this up at sale price.
This game is surely unlike the other games. Superb! I like the way the review highlights the unique aspects about the game.
This is a wonderful game. having played the game on a pc, i can confirm the review’s final results. maybe we’ll see the developers upcoming game, cletus clay, for the iphone, too
Don’t know how addictive this game might be, but it certainly makes me reminiscent of the games I played as a kid. I definitely wouldn’t mind checking this game out.
This game looks absolutely beautiful. The graphics alone make this one of the most interesting games in the app store right now.
I’d love to try this game out. Wish there was a lite version…or an extra code…..