I got the tip from a friend of mine to play Platypus. He knows I love these old school games. He was quite right – I do love it. The game is beautifully crafted. And crafted is undoubtedly the right word because the whole world in Platypus is made from modelling clay. You can see by the art work that these guys loved what they did.

It not only is very nice looking, but has excellent game play too. You can choose from two different controls.

1. The touch control, where you steer your ship by holding and moving your finger on the touch screen. You can define an offset between the ship and your steering finger.
2. Accelerometer control, where you steer Platypus by tilting your iPhone in the direction you want to fly. You can adjust the angle and the sensitivity in the settings. I prefer this control as it is very well suited for this kind of game.

The sound track is a good fit for the game and, it reminds me of the good old Amiga games. When you are in the middle of a gaming session you can quit playing and pick up the game in a later session exactly where you left.

Here is what the makers of Platypus have to say:

Based on the cult Mac classic from Idigicon, Platypus is a fast, fun side-scrolling arcade shooter with a unique difference – every tree, cloud, ship, and enemy was created from modelling clay – so explosions don’t bang, they splat!

Defend peaceful Mungola from the invading Collosatropolans using only your trusty F-27 Platypus fighter plane. Shoot down the enemy ships, and collect fruit bonuses and a range of weapon power-ups to aid you in your quest!

Choose to control your Platypus using accelerometer-based tilt, or guide your ship with your finger across 4 massive clay areas each with several challenging levels.

And here is the video they made to promote their game. Though I think you might end up with the wrong impression looking at the video, the game looks much better when you see it on your device.

Since I generally write only about apps I like, I do not give ratings or stars. But, if I did, Platypus definitely would deserve a full five star rating. Well, I rate it with five stars in the App Store.

Total cuteness alert!

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Footnote: I know, I know, funnest is not a valid word; but it’s funny.

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