We’ve been following the development of Platypus Reclayed with great excitement. The Claymatic Games developed remake of one of the original indie smash hits is finally out, and we’ve been blasting through to see if it lives up to the original. Platypus Reclayed is out now on Steam, reviewed here, as well as PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X|S, and Switch. It will also be coming to Epic and Humble Bundle game stores soon.
Some games just seem to surpass our wildest imaginations and dreams to reach new heights in both artistic entertainment and solid performance. Platypus Reclayed is one of these that just bursts out of the boundaries as to what a gamer would expect from a typical arcade shooter. Not all shmups are made equal, and this one raises its game beyond its quirky indie game status. We don’t wish to oversell the brilliance of this one too much, but even the most casual of scrolling shooter fans will see why this is so good after a few minutes of playing.
From the get-go, players are thrown into a shooter world filled with crazy weapons, ingenious waves of enemies, and wondrous bosses. Platypus Reclayed plays like many other games in this genre, flying along, shooting things, collecting points, and trying to survive before your credits run out. That said, anyone who has experience with shmups will know that certain elements, if correctly aligned, can elevate the standard arcade gameplay and provide a true classic game.
Platypus Reclayed doesn’t just provide a tight arcade gaming experience, it adds in unique and brilliant art, solid mechanics that keep the blasting interesting, and most importantly, has personality that these kinds of games often lack. Before diving into the shooter tropes that veterans will be interested in, we’d like to just acknowledge the fabulous artwork that makes up the levels, enemies, bosses, and effects. It’s all made from plastercene, and the painstaking detail that has gone into bringing this already classic to modern resolutions and vibrancy is truly something to celebrate.
It isn’t every day that a video game pops up that is genuinely unique and trying something so far out of the box it could be in a different building altogether. The level of detail that has gone into this is, at times, overwhelming. This is true video game art, and it’s backed up with a great soundtrack, fantastic animation, and solid gameplay. We could wax lyrical about how gorgeous this game looks, but suffice to say, it’s still one of the best-looking video games, just as it was when first released.
All that praise for the aesthetics and overall presentation aside, Platypus Reclayed is still a scrolling shooter, and it’s important we look at the actual mechanics. Firstly, this one is a horizontal shooter that is broken down into areas, which are further broken down into short sections. Each area ends with a traditional screen-filling boss before moving on to the next set of sections. As you would expect, each area has a theme, from rolling countryside, cityscapes, and battles across the oceans, to name a few.
The life system is also interesting as you gain more of them by filling a meter from downed enemies. Each time the meter fills, a life is added. The meter fills quicker by performing better, so skilled players will be aiming to max out the life count. The scoring system is also excellent, with extra points for destroying a higher percentage of enemies in each section. This is also further broken down into small and large enemies, and 1cc and completionists will have a field day in trying to 100% Platypus Reclayed.
As with all great shooters, a solid weapon system also needs to be implemented to keep the gameplay fresh and interesting. Platypus Reclayed doesn’t disappoint and has a great mechanic that means each power weapon you obtain only lasts for a set time, but can be replenished by finding another power-up of the same kind. Picking up something different altogether will switch out for the previous, and the counter starts again. This adds lots of variety to the tactics players can employ when tackling each wave. It’s also just very fun seeing everything on offer, especially the comedy wepaons such as doughnut bombs or Acme cartoon-style boxing gloves on spring.
This one has great controls and mechanics overall, and veterans will appreciate the accuracy, while genre newcomers won’t feel overwhelmed or as if the toughness is unfair. On that note, the easy difficulty shouldn’t pose too much of a challenge for those learning the ropes, as you can restart from the last level on game over. And arcade veterans will just love trying to 1cc this on the harder modes, it’s really hard and will need hours of practice.
The combination of an excellent gameplay system with mesmerizing presentation, plus the fact that there are splatters of humor and real personality, makes Platypus Reclayed a winner. The only criticism may be that at times, when you respawn from a death, you may be trapped in the middle of a cloud of enemies and take an unexpected hit, but this is a real minor issue in the big picture. Overall, Platypus Reclayed is a high-quality shooter that has all the right tropes nailed down fast, while also injecting enough fresh ideas to keep you playing. Thoroughly recommended.
