We were expecting this game for a long time after seeing it in a sizzle real for a console and starting following the developer. The game came out this past week and the code was sent to us since we expressed interest in playing it. I personally love platforming games, they’re one of the most comfortable games for me to play when I need to relax. So let’s see how PaperKlay stacks up!
Description:
PaperKlay is a 3D platformer collect-a-thon where you open, unfold and rotate your way through a world made out of cardboard, paper, clay and other handcrafted materials.
Join the duo Chick & Nugget on a creative adventure as they journey across a paper and cardboard filled world that will rotate and unfold your reality in order to save all of the lost eggs! Explore great vistas and meet interesting characters, ranging from unstable sock puppets to an entire village created out of pinecones.
Features:
PaperKlay promises an adventure filled with creativity and charm at your own pace.
Master a variety of moves to explore the world! Double-jump, dash and soar through the sky using your glider to reach new heights.
Discover diverse worlds filled with calm hub areas for you to explore. Assist whimsical characters, engage in playful activities and uncover secrets before entering linear levels packed with platforming challenges.
Music is created by Nathan Ross while the main theme is a collaboration between Grant Kirkhope (who famously created the music for Banjo-Kazooie, Goldeneye, Mario + Rabbids and much more) and Steve Melin.
Trailer:
Pros:
- First off, this was developed by just one single developer. I mentioned at the top that I started following him after seeing a sizzle reel with the game featured in it. The developer, Kevin Andersson (aka WhyKev), showcases simply impressive craftsmanship. So let’s hope he reads this review and likes what he sees and can fix the minor issues I have with it.
- PaperKlay feels really good. It is very responsive and fluid. The moveset is pretty much what you’d expect with a title that evokes Mario 64. We’re talking double jump, glide, dive, spin attack, and ground pounding. They only teach you the mechanics as needed, but you can use them before the game tells you about them. Also, the double jump feels something more akin to a triple jump. Because you can press the button to jump once and then jump again and push a direction in which you want to jump. Or you can hold down on the jump button to glide. Yes, I know it is two different mechanics, but since it’s so smooth and it increases your air time at the top of your double jump, it feels like 3. Attacking is fine, but it’s a little too simplistic, as are the enemies.
- Nugget’s (the small guy) got some unique levels. They are basically rotating puzzle-like environments. They’re using red paths, adding variety to gameplay, separately to Chick’s adventure. And if it wasn’t obvious already, yes, they’re named Chick and Nugget or chicken nugget if you say it fast. Cute little touch.
- One of the biggest sighs of relief for me was the inclusion of checkpoints. They’re not sparsely put about, they’re actually quite often. Now, if you fall off a ledge and there’s no bottom, then you’ll simply restart from nearby. Having these checkpoint abilities, you’ll never feel like you have to regrind a level and collect items again or re-kill enemies. In fact, if you get hurt, you have a health meter. Whenever a piece goes away, you’ll earn it back after 60 seconds of no damage incurred. If you’re missing 2 of 3 health pieces, then that will take a total of 2 minutes to heal.
- There are only a few item types that are collectible in this game. I loathe collectathon games where there are no less than 5 different types and those things are spread about and one is always impossible to find…I digress. This one you just have the three and they all seem to serve a purpose. Whether it’s eggs that let you complete a level or it’s glowing orbs that let you unlock a level or buttons that give you ability upgrades. It’s simple, and best of all, it makes the game fun and not aggravating.
- There is a bit of replayability in this game, to stretch your $15 even further. The game does remix levels which increases difficulty. This is not something I’m particularly the demographic of, but it is likely rewarding for those who love to 100% games before moving onto the next game. Speaking of completing games, there are achievements. They requiring completion of the aforementioned remix levels, but they also remix the goals of those levels. Sometimes not even collecting items when going through a level is considered an achievement. As I said, I’m no completionist, so I don’t care about achievements personally, but if you do, you’ll be happy. Just a standard playthrough for me took 6-7 hours.
- This title includes four large, distinct crafty worlds. The crafts I refer to are like diorama style, but made of clay, paper, ribbons, buttons, fabric, felt, googly eyes and cardboard. You’ll go through a forest world first and that world alone is huge with multiple levels for exploration (including water that you can walk on!). There are so many unique environmental mechanics that literally unfold in front of you if you interact with the correct “switch”. There’s bolts for spinning and bumpy buttons for ground pounding, etc. It’s great and there’s even eventually day and night as an atmospheric element later in the game!
- The designs of the characters are all varied since they’re made out of different materials. Some may be origami style, some may be plushie, some may be clay, you just never know. The funniest thing to me is that there is a character that is a tool that you use to make crafts. It’s a pair of scissors and I find that funny, but I’m also confused in a couple of aspects. #1, how does it fly? #2, if this world is finalized crafts, why is there a crafting tool (scissors) there?
- Finally, we can talk about the sounds this game gives you. As mentioned up in the features, there is an overall song by Grant Kirkhope. I do like it and it’s fun because it transforms as you continue through the game. It’s supposed to give you the feeling of some of those old N64 platformers. There are other songs in the soundtrack to match up with environments that you’re in and they too evolve and change in a world. As far as sound effects go, everything has a satisfactory sound for me. Everything seemed to sound the way my brain expected it to, so no issues there. The voice acting is fun because it sounds like they gave the various actors a chance to do whatever fun voice that the developer liked. These voices sound fun and goofy like the old days of voice overs in games. Nothing too serious or over acted. It’s fun to come up to a character and anticipate whatever accent the next character is going to have.
Cons:
- I mentioned the simplistic attacking earlier. I also wanted to add that there is wonky hit detection when attacking enemies. Same for interactive elements and characters. It’s not hugely distracting since the game is so forgiving. One large example would be the baby sea turtles. The sister you can walk up to and even climb on top of her shell. You can jump on her and even ground pound and it’s all how it should be for elements in the world. But her brother, you can jump right inside of his body. He doesn’t notice and if you ground pound the ground inside of his shell he does a little wiggle animation. All in all, this is likely to get tightened up in a patch, I’m sure.
- When you come out of a book back into the overworld, you’ll see that it shows you how many collectibles you got from the level inside the book. I think that when we reach the egg at the end of the level, it should congratulate us and then see if we want to go back to the beginning or leave. It should give us the choice because it’s a bummer to get the egg and then come out of the book and then tell the game that we want to go back into the book. Look, I know that’s how other/old games are, but we can have small QOL improvements here in the future :).
Final Thoughts:
This game is not perfect, for sure, but man, what a blast. I have nothing but respect for people who can make a game and polish it as much as possible and only charge only $15. When you’re in the game and you’re playing it and the music hits you, all of the little blemishes just fall by the way side. The game truly hits a soft spot for me and I’m glad it came in this time when we all need something fun, upbeat, and hopeful. Thanks to the WhyKev team for sending this over!