Use the discount code CHEAPYPUS to get 20% off the product in the TamsShop! This discount code is also valid for the PPC and Palm OS versions of the game!
AstraWare’s Palm OS side-scroller Zap2000 remains one of the most popular handheld action games ever – it was bundled with some versions of the Treo 600 and is included into the ROM of a lot of GSPDA phones. The title’s age has provoked a few new launches including the excellent – now, AstraWare tries to reclaim the crown..
The game is organized into levels; each of these contains a few areas:
Each area contains primary and secondary targets – while secondary targets can usually be taken apart with a single shot, primary targets can take quite a beating(and have cool damage textures):
There is a huge variety of primary and secondary targets – players will definitely not get bored with this game:
At the end of each area, a ‘tally’ is made and bonus points are awarded:
Platypus’s power-up system unfortunately isn’t based on money – instead, special waves of enemies drop colored stars that provide approximately 30secs worth of one of four advanced weapons. Unfortunately, the timer starts to tick immediately after the object is picked up and keeps running even when you shoot – not exactly amusing for a shooter pro:
Some bonuses can be shot. Weapon stars sometimes change their color under fire; bonus fruits break up to provide more points(but are more difficult to catch):
The graphics are comic-like, but provide an amazing amount of details in some scenarios. Volcanoes in the background erupt, ships fly along…someone spent a lot of time tinkering with this:
This review looked at version of Platypus on a QTek 8500. The game was exceptionally stable in the reviewing period. Platypus needs 4693KB of RAM, but can be run off an external memory card.
Unfortunately, the game can only be run in “landscape” mode – this is extremely annoying at first, but becomes somewhat acceptable after some time. Nevertheless, I would have preferred AstraWare to implement some sort of Portrait support(maybe restricting the game to a 240×240 window)…
In the end, Platypus definitely isn’t an epochal work that changes the face of the shooter genre forever. However, it nevertheless is an excellent game that will surely make all shooter freaks very happy. Some tactical subtleties like bonuses that transform when shot add tactical depth – as for the comic graphics…these are a love-or-hate thing. If you love sidescrollers, definitely get this 20$ game in the TamsShop!
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