The open world platformer strikes back

A reader recommends a new indie open 3D platformer, that has an uncanny resemblance to Ratchet & Clank…

With the return of PaRappa The Rapper, and the resurgence of the once-forgotten open world 3D platformer genre, 2017 is already shaping up to be a special year indeed for people yearning for the good old days of yesteryear.

Due to the renaissance of 3D platforming/collectathon games, it’s no surprise a small, indie development team known as Right Nice Games decided to jump on the bandwagon. May I introduce you to an upcoming indie 3D platformer called Skylar & Plux: Adventure On Clover Island developed by Right Nice Games, published by Grip Digital, and powered by Unreal Engine 4. Just think Ratchet & Clank meets Jak And Daxter.



One day, the main heroine, Skylar Lynxe, finds herself kidnapped by the evil robotic overlord, CRT, and his mechanised henchmen. They brought her to their lair to rebuild her and refit her into a suit of cybernetic armour to their liking. As they are reconstructing her CRT launches himself into a monologue, explaining that he reassembled her as a living weapon as a means to converting Clover Island into ‘something more productive’. That is, until his right-hand robot, Bob, alerted his employer that their experimental weapon escaped.


After she escaped the space station using a spaceship, she crash-landed on Clover Island, where she meets and befriends Plux Owlsley, who serves as her trusty sidekick and guide. Together as one, they team up and set out to prevent CRT and his mechanical army from conquering their island home and reducing it to a wasteland.

During the duration of the adventure, Skylar and Plux travel around Clover Island, which is split into various places such as Sunny Smile Isles, Siphon Valley, Clover Mountain, Forlorn Desert, and CRT’s Citadel. And they uncover gadgets such as the freedom-boosting jetpack, the mysterious time orb, and the table-turning magnetic glove; whilst collecting gems along the way.

Bot-busting combat, old-school, addictive gameplay, perplexing puzzles, gem gathering, discovering secrets and Easter Eggs, and the meat of the game – precise platforming – are the things you come to expect from a traditional platformer and this game is no different.

Skylar & Plux: Adventure On Clover Island is the first in gaming history to feature a main female protagonist in any double act. This is something Spyro The Dragon, Ratchet & Clank, Jak And Daxter, Crash Bandicoot, Super Mario Sunshine, etc. didn’t have. [Kazooie from Banjo-Kazooie is a girl – GC]

Skylar & Plux: Adventure On Clover Island is scheduled to launch this month for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Steam. Unfortunately, there isn’t an official, specific release date (at the time of writing) yet, as Right Nice Games still are waiting for Sony and Microsoft to greenlight the game.

In this day and age where 3D platformers are going the way of the lynxes, we can’t afford to judge a game before its release date. Just because this game has the same similarities as an existing franchise doesn’t mean we should criticise it unfairly or dismiss it without a second thought. All I ask of you is give it a chance.

A prime example of a naysayer providing unjustified criticism to Skylar & Plux: Adventure On Clover Island

Despite a lot of people’s constant negativity towards this game, it’s a hidden gem and it’s worth putting on your radar. If you want to keep up to date with this game, the links to its Twitter, Facebook and YouTube pages are on its official website.



By reader Fiona Li (xFlowerstarx)

The reader’s feature does not necessary represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

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