Developed by Escapist Games
Released for XBLIG (11/2009)
Also on PC/PSP/iOS/Windows Mobile/BlackBerry
Platypus is a horizontal shmup that originally came out for the PC back in 2005 and later received a port for the PlayStation Portable in 2006. Platypus is a very good-looking game, using clay models to render all of its graphics with a look similar to the Clay Fighter games. The backgrounds have multiple layers of parallax-scrolling and look wonderful, however its in the gameplay department where Platypus takes a bit of a slide. Your default shot is puny and you don't get to keep your powered-up shots when you grab them as they all have a timer, which upon expiration you go back to your default weapon. There will be stretches in the game where you won't have a power-up drop and your default weapon can take forever to chip away at some of the larger enemies. Platypus could have definitely benefited from a more traditional power-up scheme for your ship. The next issue is the enemy placement, which definitely could have been amped up. It seems like there are typically no more than just a few ships on the screen at once, many of them simply just passing through without even really attacking the player. The gamplay in Platypus is quite average, which is a real shame because it's a very pretty game to look at. At the $4.99 asking price, I can't recommend Platypus as there are many far superior shmups on the console. I would have purchased it without a second thought had it retailed for $1 though!
Final Verdict: Platypus is a great-looking horizontal shmup that unfortunately doesn't have the gameplay to match the visuals. There are many far better shooters on XBLIG worth your time.
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