Imaginative clay world to explore with challenging puzzles to defeat. Mysterious plot-line that is revealed in the end.
PROs:
* An imaginative clay world to explore.
* Cute and funny animations.
* Cut scenes are all done in claymation.
* Challenging puzzles that are not always straightforward or that actually do require thinking.
* Mysterious character origins and plot-line that is revealed by the end of the game. (Anticipatory?)
* Good characters but basic motivations.
* I believe you can save at almost any point in the game.
* Great soundtrack.
* Silliness!
CONs:
* Challenging puzzles that are not always straightforward or that actually do require thinking.
* You don't really get a good in-depth look into the characters and their motivations, they just exist and do things.
* Without looking up the answers to the puzzles, this game can take quite a while to complete.
* Mysterious character origins and plot-line that is revealed by the end of the game. (Un-motivational?)
* There's a long hallway...a REALLY long hallway...a REALLY REALLY long hallway, that has something that you need at the end of it...and, yes, you have to walk ALL the way back.
* The background stories of the characters on the wall in that hallway are pretty cool to read, until you realize that there's no real reason why you should. No game-play perks or answers to the game gained from the newly acquired knowledge. A strange but noble attempt at putting back-story into the game.
During a first run-through, this game may take a while to complete. While some puzzles are simple, others are challenging and not always straightforward. But, I personally think that adds to the charm of the game. If the puzzles were so easy that a 5 year-old could complete them without assistance, this game would lose many people's interest...and fast. And, I'll admit, I had to look online for hints to certain puzzles, because, for the life of me, I couldn't figure some of them out.
It doesn't take long to get acquainted with your surroundings. You feel a sense of accomplishment when you finally figure out that one puzzle or get out of a difficult situation. Figuring out what you should/can do next is also part of the challenge.
This game is a point and click platform adventure sometimes, and a first-person perspective game at others. You start out the game as Klaymen, and you have no idea who you are or what you are supposed to be doing. But, fortunately, by collecting 'tapes' hidden all over the place and putting them in a television-like contraption (that you end up discovering) you get to slowly piece together what's been happening in the world and who you are. And, in the end, based on the information you just learned and the experiences you go through, it's up to you to decide: do you choose the path of good or evil?
At the time when I first played this, there was a website that you could order the soundtrack from. And, so I did! The soundtrack is credited to Terry S. Taylor and is just silly, fun and unusual, yet still professional. And it includes every song that is located somewhere in the game. Whenever I need a pick-me-up, I just put in that CD and smile.
Overall, I think this is a fantastic game that I still enjoy popping into my computer every now and then, even though it's already been about 13 years since I first played it. If you like unique animation, goofiness, slap-stick jokes, a little mystery and challenging puzzles, and if you can get your hands on this game, I would definitely recommend playing it!
While no game is perfect, the flaws in the one barely even scratch the surface of how much fun I had with it. And even though some parts of it where extremely frustrating, a little patience can go a long way.