Ninja Bee Studios, probably best known for their previous Xbox Live Arcade effort, Outpost Kaloki X, have recently seen Cloning Clyde made available on the Xbox Live Marketplace too. At 800 Microsoft Points, it isn't the cheapest arcade title, but it also isn't the most expensive. In fact, Ninja Bee have managed to put together a very entertaining and also refreshing side scrolling platformer for the Xbox 360.
Aside from being a platformer, the game also offers a significant puzzle element, as you attempt to break the idiotic Clyde, and numerous clones of himself, out of a scientific experiment gone bad. Throughout each level you will need to solve puzzles and also switch between the various clones, in order to progress. For example, you may need to position clones on different platforms before a trapdoor will open. There are also bad guys which need to be taken care off, and other pickups and items that can be used to aid Clyde on his mission to break out.
To kick things off the game has a very well designed training level. It takes 5-10 minutes to go through the first time, and will tell you absolutely everything you need to know about the game, along with all its controls and functions. Most of this is done by numerous popup tips scattered throughout the level, and it was nice to see that Ninja Bee opted to put some humour into them also - it's always good to get a few more laughs out of game. The training level will also introduce you to some of the puzzles that you will encounter on your adventure, and gives you great guidance in the possible ways of overcoming them.
As mentioned earlier, you might need to position Clyde in a certain way to open a door, but there are numerous other ways to get through. For instance, Clyde has the ability to throw chickens and goats around to overcome obstacles, and then there are other objects and animals such as rocks and goats. Probably the two coolest things though, are the genetic transformation machine, and the rockets that are found in various places on some levels.
What the genetic machine does is change Clyde into any number of different creatures such as a monkey or a frog. Clyde then takes on certain abilities from the creature, and these can be used to overcome obstacles by climbing, swimming, and the like. The rockets are great fun and basically carry Clyde through what would otherwise be impassable parts of the level.
However, things aren't quite so easy as simply finding the exit to the level and jumping through. Along the way Clyde will need to take care of security robots and other bad guys if the exit door is to appear. Also if you want any bonus points, then picking up action figures and rescuing as many clones as you can is also a must.
Cloning Clyde has a rather expansive multiplayer mode that can be run either through Xbox Live or offline. Players can choose to help each other get through levels, or they can battle each other. The co-op mode is definitely recommended with a bunch of mates, as each person must carry out specific tasks in order to ensure that your group will pass the level. Lag was evident at times, but nothing major, and certainly less than I have seen with other titles.
In terms of visuals and sound, Cloning Clyde is definitely not lacking by any means. While one must remember that this is a $10 Xbox Live Arcade title, Ninja Bee certainly put some effort into providing us with some decent looking cartoony visuals, and quirky sounds to go along with them. So nothing to complain about at all in this department.
Final Word
If you are looking for something new, and want a refreshingly funny and entertaining platformer to take up some time, then this is definitely the game for you. The replay value is good with the multiplayer game modes, and if you get really bored you can spice things up with some cheat options. By all means download the demo version and try the game out first, but I think you will soon find yourself upgrading to the full version, especially if you want something new to play.
