Platypus

Price: £2.99

• CONCEPT: 7/10
• GRAPHICS: 9/10
• SOUND: 10/10
• CONTROLS: 6/10
• LASTING APPEAL: 7/10

I’ve never experienced anything quite like Platypus, much like a certain mammal of the same name, it’s a bit of an odd duck. One day Miss. Claymates and Mr. Galaga got together and gave birth to a weird child, ironically this family of freaks produced something beautiful! … nice one science! And for a double dose of irony it feels oddly nostalgic.

For a start I feel I should point out that everything in Platypus has been beautifully crafted with modelling clay … seriously it looks bloody gorgeous! Gameplay being your basic side scrolling (spaceship) shooter.

Platypus plays out over four areas each with five sub-sections, as you can imagine enemy ships play sky chicken with you as you make you way from one side of the world to the other, “what is at the other side of this world” you might ask but bugger me if I know, probably a pond or something but that’s not our concern. You are rewarded for destruction with points, which often take the form of fruit, and power-ups in the form of a star – shoot it to rotate through the power-ups, along with this you get balloon-supported crates containing an extra set of guns thus doubling your fire-power, if you manage to combine this with a power-up against a boss you may begin to feel god-like and sometimes (unfortunately) grossly overpowered.

Platypus confronts you with loads of enemies ranging from grunts (there just to absorb your shots) to huge vehicles moving slowly across the screen (and often spanning more than 5) taking the form of a boss fight, watch out for the bosses who move in the background of each areas penultimate section.

Unfortunately the controls are too often the reason for your destruction. Platypus is setup to be controlled using the iPhone’s accelerometer, tilt right to go right etc, this works well to a degree but I was left wanting a d-pad (not a virtual one). This isn’t a deal breaker however and there is another customizable control option - follow my finger (touch), I found this more successful but I’ve never been a fan of obstructing the view of potential catastrophe.

The thing to remember is that this problem isn’t specific to Platypus, it just happens to be a genre that just doesn’t currently control great on the iPhone but it’s worth putting up with for everything Platypus does right.

In summation Platypus’s only let downs come from the devices limitations, gameplay is addictive and only elevated by the music which is truly evocative of each ‘area’ offering an honestly stunning experience. If you’re up for something a bit more challenging look not further! Oh and get some proper earphones!

Jon