Quirky, fun and a reminder of gaming days gone by. Cloning Clyde is an entertaining if short lived platformer.
In Cloning Clyde you take control of Clyde as he finds himself trapped in some bizarre cloning facility and it will take all your puzzle solving skills and some basic platforming abilities to escape!
Gameplay
This is really where the game shines. In each level of Cloning Clyde you begin with a single "Clyde" and must simply locate the levels exit. However, on the way through the level many puzzles await you and you must use clones of yourself (found in crates or created in cloning machines) to progress. These puzzles are fairly simple but oddly compelling as you use the clones to stand on switches to open doors for other clones and the like. Things get more complicated though by the addition of animal and object clones, by combining Clyde's DNA with one of the animals or objects found throughout the levels (these include monkeys, sheep, explosive barrels) you get hybrid versions of Clydes needed to solve more complex puzzles. Finding the exit is not your soul objective in the games levels either, the game also asks for you to optionally hunt for action figures hidden through the levels, rescue every single clone in the level and complete the levels under a certain time limit. These extra optional tasks can make the levels more challenging as well as prolonging the games lifespan however on medium difficulty at least the game remains easy yet highly compelling. It's been a long time since I played a 2D platform game, and Clyde provides a highly polished return to the games of old. On top of the single player experience there is also a multiplayer option spanning several modes and allowing for up to 4 players to play together. I haven't played the multiplayer a huge amount but what I have has delivered more of the same quirky gameplay.
Graphics
The graphics for the game are surprisingly good, with a nice cartoony look that suits the games quirky humour well. It's certainly one of the best 2D platformers I have seen visually and the graphics did indeed add to my enjoyment with how nice and stylised they were.
Sound
As always I find it hard to review sound as I barely pay any attention to it. The sound in Cloning Clyde is mostly just sound effects, which again suit the games style. The music isn't ear bleedingly bad either.
Value
Three difficulties, achievements, multiplayer, normal levels and "challenge levels" all add to the games lifeline. I can see myself coming back to replay this even when I've done every single thing too. Good value for your Microsoft points.
Overall
Cloning Clyde is well worth looking into if you just want to enjoy yourself. It's fairly easy going, fun to look at, fun to play and just something I can recommend for everybody.