Platypus (video game)
Platypus is a horizontal scrolling shooter game created, designed and programmed by Anthony Flack, produced by George Bray, with additional programming by Michael W. Boeh. The objective is to guide an antique spacecraft by utilizing the mouse in order to avoid and attempt to shoot enemies.
Gameplay
The player flies an antiquated spacecraft and attempts to defend the peaceful country of Mungola from neighboring Colossatropolis, which has become so overcrowded that its inhabitants are taking over Mungola for space and resources. The game consists of four levels, with five areas per level and a strong boss enemy that must be defeated at the end of the fifth area. The player can collect power-ups that affect the type and firing rate of the ship's weapons, equip auxiliary cannons, or double the point values of all enemies and items.Points are scored for destroying enemies and collecting bonus coins and fruits. In addition, at the end of each area, the player receives bonus points depending on the percentage of primary targets and enemy craft destroyed. One life is lost whenever the player's ship collides with a target or is hit by enemy fire.
At the beginning of the game, the player is given a set number of credits that can be used to continue play if all lives are lost. One bonus credit is awarded for completing each of the first three levels; after the fourth is completed, the player receives a large bonus depending on the number of unused credits.
Production
All the artwork for the game was created using a process called claymation. Flack has stated that due to limited availability of plasticine in his local area, he re-used the same lump of grey clay to create all the models, photographed them with a digital camera, and coloured the images in Adobe Photoshop. The music in Platypus on all platforms consists of various remixes of Commodore 64 game tunes by various composers, and created by several artists. They originally appeared on CDs from the C64Audio.com label, and were licensed to Idigicon Ltd. by High Technology Publishing Ltd., the current publishers for all composers whose music appeared in the game except Jonathan Dunn who is represented by Bucks Music Publishing Ltd. and who at the time was unpublished. Where possible, full credits appeared in the distributions, albeit in text file form.As of 2019, Anthony and Claymatic Games bought the license for Platypus, including its sequel.