PaperKlay

PaperKlay is a short 3D platformer developed by solo developer Kevin Anderson under his Sweden-based studio, WhyKev. He has spent the last 3+ years crafting a four- to five-hour experience based in a paper craft world.

At the start we are introduced to Chick and his pal Nugget (yes, that got a little smile from me too), who are chilling and enjoying the view from the brow of a hill. Chick mentions how boring it is and is craving an adventure of their own and just as he finishes his sentence, a huge pirate ship-shaped shadow casts itself across the area. We soon come to learn that the dastardly Nox has stolen a ton of eggs and is doing a runner. Chick decides it’s up to him and Nugget to save the eggs and return them to their proper place. So the guys set off on their mission to journey through four hub worlds which contain five stages each to recapture the stolen eggs and defeat the nasty fox Nox.

PaperKlay follows the rule book of late 1990s 3D platformers to the letter. Explore the hub, complete the stages and obtain a certain amount of eggs before you’re allowed to move on to the next area. Each hub world has its own theme, including sandy beaches, a snowy winter world and a grassy, forestry area, which are all set to some lovely detailed visuals of the game’s paper crafting theme. Each stage is presented by books littered in random places, with a set amount of orbs needed to be able to open them.

Hubs also contain a ton of buttons to collect (this game’s version of coins) and hidden eggs and secrets to find; they also contain a certain number of NPCs that need help. A mother frog has lost her children and needs Chick to find them, or someone has lost their guitar, which you’ll need to find and return. Upon completion of these tasks, you will be rewarded with the much-needed orbs. The NPC designs are some of my favourite parts of the game; from sock puppets to plushies, there were plenty of variations, with much detail included. I could clearly see the patterns of the material they were made from and all would be comfortable in a kids’ book.

The stages themselves all have an egg to collect and a set amount of buttons and orbs to find. You’re encouraged to find them all to properly complete the stage, with a breakdown of how many of each you’ve found shown by the entrance to each one. The stages themselves are all linear, with basic puzzles, combat or dangerous obstacles out to try and stop you. It’s all pretty standard stuff and experienced players will not have much trouble getting through to the end. I will say that I only managed to collect all the buttons once, as Kevin has done an excellent job in implementing hidden areas, and each stage will need to be played a few times to find them all. The same goes for the orbs, as there were quite a few I never saw and a few that had me scratching my head on how to reach.

Each hub world also contains a Nugget stage, which, if anyone has played Captain Toad, will instantly be at home with. This stage is made from a cube and you will swivel it to different sides as you work out how to get to the egg. It’s a lovely addition and a needed break from the main gameplay and Kevin has implemented some clever ideas and designs, mostly through sliding blocks that move as you swivel the cube in certain directions. Apart from these stages, Nugget doesn’t really have anything else to do. I would have loved to have been able to combine him and Chick together for a specific attack or move, but unfortunately Nugget is just on the sidelines for the most part, though he did contribute to some of the better dialogue of the game, especially through his fear of heights (I’m right there with you, Nugget!). 

Right at the start of Chick and Nuggets’ adventure, Chick is gifted with a few moves that will be pivotal to your success in stopping Nox. Yet again, experienced players will have seen these before with a jump, jump stomp, a swivel attack and a glider ready to go. The buttons you collect can be used to buy upgrades like extra health, a magnet to collect buttons more easily and a mid-air attack, just to name a few. Unless I missed something, this is never pointed out to you, and I only discovered these upgrades while casually looking through the game’s options, so I was slightly taken aback when I stumbled onto them.

Combat in the game is a non plus, really. Every enemy is down with one touch and none really tests your skills. There are a few enemy variations, with monster books, kamikaze brick trains and flying scissors after you and although the designs are fun and movements are good, it all felt rather flat. It didn’t feel satisfying to defeat them and there wasn’t much feedback when attacking. There are a couple of bigger fights which were enjoyable but, yet again, rather simple to figure out. You do have a health bar, Super Mario 64 style, and I think I lost it all on a couple of occasions down to me not looking where I was going more than anything else.

When it comes to the visuals, PaperKlay shines the most. Everything is lovingly created in the game’s crafting theme. From corrugated cardboard, paper trees and toilet rolls, it all portrays these items expertly. Same for the environments and backdrops with bright, colourful scenes, showing hand-painted, overlapping cardboard beautifully. Chick and Nugget interestingly seem to be created from what looks like a mix of clay and paper, and the finished look is very pleasing to the eye, fitting in nicely with this mixed crafting world.

With all this said, world-building is where the game really lacks for me. I never knew who all these eggs belonged to. I never saw a village or met its occupants and the game does suffer from that. It seems to be in such a rush to get going that it doesn’t give the player a chance to form a connection to the peril at hand and it would have benefitted from even just a cut scene showing us the consequences of Nox’s actions to give some context and make me feel the importance of the quest at hand.

Another issue that arose came from PaperKlay’s roots in its 90s-platformer theme, as it stunted the game’s innovation. There is a hook to the gameplay in switches and bolts that you can twist, which will affect the landscape and give you a way to continue your journey. In some instances, you can twist an area of the stage 360 degrees for you to figure out the best side to platform on. This is an interesting mechanic and it worked flawlessly but, for me, it didn’t innovate enough to make PaperKlay’s gameplay shine as bright as it has the potential to do so.

With this in mind I do want to stress that this is still a well-made game. Even through the few small glitches I came across, it plays extremely well. The controls felt good and the camera worked well. And although the gameplay was simple, it was still satisfying, especially when I did manage to find all the buttons in a stage. Later hubs did pique my interest, and I ended up trying to finish all the tasks before moving on. I loved the voice acting and music, with some catchy tunes by Nathan Ross and a great title theme by Grant Kirkhope. Level design was also good for the most part, with some fun secrets to find and enjoyable platforming.