Platypus

It's a side-scrolling shooter with claymation graphics and a title that doesn't, as far as I can tell, refer to anything actually in the game. I was expecting something rather more quirky than Platypus actually turned out to be, but I still spent a fair bit of time playing it.

The first thing one probably notices about this game is the style of the graphics. Just about everything in the game, except for a few glowy bullets, looks like it was sculpted of plasticine. Platypus is not the first game ever to use claymation, but it's not exactly a common strategy. Especially these days, when publishers (though not necessarily gamers) want their games to look as slick and realistic as possible (or else blatantly old-school).

I suppose the claymation style is a gimmick, but it sure is an appealing one. When first beginning the games, watching the clay splat explosions is as much fun as playing the game, and getting blown up isn't quite so frustrating somehow. It's kind of cute. Of course, the novelty goes away eventually, and the graphics become just something nice to look at while shooting at enemies. Which is to say that they're not too distracting once they cease to be fun.

I had a similar reaction to the sounds and music. The music is upbeat and fun, though it eventually gets repetitive (to be fair, there aren't too many games out there where the music doesn't eventually get repetitive). The important thins is that it's not distracting.

The sound effects are lively and reminiscent of old arcade games (if not as grating). They're not cutting edge sound effects any more than the graphics are cutting edge, but that's okay. They work, I like them, they're not distracting.

MumboJumbo is probably best known for publishing casual games for PC, so it's no surprise that the gameplay of Platypus is super simple and perfect for pick-up-and-play gaming. Anyone can figure out the controls and start playing right away (even if, like me, they pretty much suck).

Players can use either the D-pad or the analog nub to move their ship. The option is a nice addition, as some gamers are more comfortable with one or the other. Movement is fairly limited in that the scenery scrolls by at a constant rate, but the player can more the ship up and down and back and forth within the confines of the screen (in other words, you can't speed up or slow down the side-scrolling by moving forward or back).

At times it is extremely difficult to spot the bullets flying at your ship, and you'll spend as much or more time avoiding getting hit as you will hitting the enemy. And you'll likely get taken out by a bullet you didn't see, or by getting to close to another object on the screen and exploding in a splay of reddish plasticine.

Firing is as simple as pressing the X button. In fact, since you don't run out of ammo and power-ups last for a specified time rather than number of shots, you can just hold the X button and not worry about it.

And that's pretty much all you need to know. There's a little strategy involved, as some power-ups work better in some areas, but basically you just steer with one hand and shoot with the other.

The power-ups are achieved by shooting specific formations of enemies and then catching the colored star they leave behind. Some stars can have their color changed by shooting them before you catch them, which is where the strategy comes in. You want to get whichever power-up is going to work best in the area you're in.

There are a few power-ups that are contained in crates that parachute from destroyed ships -- you have to shoot the crates and then catch the power-up. With all the shooting and bullet-avoiding and power-up collecting the tiny PSP screen can become a confusing and hectic place.

If it all becomes too much for you, you can always play with a friend. In the multiplayer (or rather, two-player) mode, two players each have a ship onscreen. You can then play through the "story mode" cooperatively, helping each other out by shooting the enemies as a team. of course, it also means one more item on the screen to keep track of and not run into. And unlike the enemy ships, your buddy won't be moving in predictable patterns.

Even though I really rather suck at Platypus -- shooter, side-scrolling or otherwise, isn't usually my first choice of game genre -- I kept finding myself pressing "Retry Level" every time I ran out of lives and my ship exploded in an animated splat of clay. I kept dying, and I kept playing. I don't know if that says more about my stubbornness (it's a trait that runs in the female line) or the addictive quality of the game, but it had me hooked. Due to the game's simplicity and shortness (there are only six levels, though each have several "areas"), Platypus might be a better rental than a title to own, but you'll have to decide that for yourself.