Platypus starts you out in a crisp-looking world with just a few targets to take out. However; this handful of enemies is busy offscreen breeding like rabbits, as they start to come at you in packs. You'll get used to the standard UFOs and spaceship enemies that go down in one hit, but in no time you'll find cargo ships rudely entering from behind.

This isn't such a bad thing since the joystick allows for a high level of maneuverability within the level. No, the trouble comes when parts of the game boil down to less shooting and more dodging. There is no way to shoot behind yourself and nothing to drop on the ground-welling enemies such as a train or factories. Also, say goodbye to your old friend "Bomb" -- he won't be clearing the screen of any enemies here.

Usually when it comes to a 2D shooter dodging plays an important role, but in Platypus there will be times where you're not sure what to do after missing that last power-up. Flying your ship is fast and maneuverable but it's suffering from controls that are almost too sensitive. Not to mention the hit box for your craft is practically surrounding it. This puts the gameplay in an awkward situation; yes it's easy to fly but it's going to give you a headache trying to fit between everything onscreen. Sometimes I ended up kamikaze bombing enemy ships without realizing how close I was.

There are still the usual elements of a shooter here. Lots of enemies, lots of firing, and some power-ups to join in. The first time you encounter one you'll see a helpful arrow directing you to the star detailing "COLLECT THESE." Stars change your firepower to a spray of bullets, rapid fire, rockets, etc. This is useful, but each power-up is limited to only 20 seconds of use. You can, however, decide which you get by shooting the stars until you find the color coordinating to your desired weapon. Other collectables are fruit pieces from cargo ships and larger enemies, but only for more points.

It's nice to see another shooter where shooters are not, but Platypus only incorporates bare-bones play which can't figure out if it wants to be hard or easy. The levels are sharp but some colors can be confusing, such as enemy fire appearing to be a harmless fruit. They aren't exactly varied in gameplay, either. With 30 levels of Platypus madness and multiplayer options to boot, there's life in Platypus but it's a rental for all it's worth. But a number of levels and creative art design aren’t everything, and without a little more refinement -- modes, weapons, or whatever else you like in a shooter -- Platypus comes up short.