Gameplay Today - Because You're Always Gaming

Way back in 2006, the developer NinjaBee released Cloning Clyde exclusively for the Xbox Live Arcade. This was before NinjaBee had struck gold with Kingdom of Keflings, and the team had previously only been responsible for the odd title Outpost Kaloki. Still, they were one of the few companies developing or porting games for the XBLA and have produced half a dozen games since that time. It seems very bizarre now that five years later, NinjaBee has ported Cloning Clyde to the PC via Steam.

Despite being a huge fan of XBLA games since the beginning, Cloning Clyde is actually one of the few games I do not own. Sure I tried the demo, but the graphics were enough to scare me off. I simply never cared for them, which is an issue I often have with NinjaBee. Their games are excelent gameplay wise but the visuals can give me a headache. In Cloning Clyde specifically, your character (Clyde) can run relatively fast across the screen. Given the cartoony graphics this can make me somewhat dizzy. In terms of the character designs, everything seems intentionally "simplistic" and even mutated on ocassions. Some gamers might love this wacky, distorted-sense of reality but I really can't stand it.

Luckily I love the gameplay. It's like a fun combination of Donkey Kong Country mixed with some easy puzzles. Like the name suggests, Clyde is able to clone himself. Not in a superhero styled way, but through the usage of machines found in many levels. You can also rescue fellow clones by breaking open certain wooden crates. In order to surpass certain obstacles you'll need to play as many different clones and pull levers, stand on platforms and hit switches to aid your fellow Clydes. Strange that a PC game involving up to dozens of characters features no online multiplayer, this was very dissapointing.

There are fourty levels to play, most of which can be beaten in a few short minutes. There's definitely plenty of content here, but I'm a little perplexed that the only addition to this steam version were new Achievements. It's no secret that I'm addicted to these, but really? Five years later you port a game over for the same price? Granted this isn't marketed as a "fancy new version," but it seems like the only reason this was dug up from the grave was to earn a quick buck. Five dollars isn't expensive, and the price is worth it to those who never played the XBLA title, but the thousands of people who already have will most likely just laugh at this offering.

All in all Cloning Clyde is a fun little title on it's own. But as a port this is as cut and dry as they come. It's good in the large scale that now this game is available to more people on two different platforms for the same price, but the five year gap in between is laughable. It's really hard to reccomend Cloning Clyde PC any more than I would reccomend Cloning Clyde on XBLA. They're the same game, and as a console gamer by nature it's obvious which version I'd prefer.