PaperKlay Review: Fun, Flawed, and Full of Heart

There’s a certain warmth in revisiting the past. Not just through remakes or remasters, but through new creations that speak the language of a time gone by. PaperKlay, the work of a solo developer, feels like uncovering a lost 3D platformer from the late 90s, a contemporary of games like Banjo-Kazooie or Spyro the Dragon.

We meet our heroes, Chick and Nugget, just as they get their wish for a grand adventure. The villainous fox Nox appears on a flying pirate ship and makes off with a haul of eggs, giving our duo a perfect reason to set off in pursuit. This setup is refreshingly direct.

It doesn’t aspire to be a sweeping epic; it wants to be a fun, charming “collect-a-thon.” From its opening moments, the game establishes a clear and simple goal, inviting you into its world with open arms and a straightforward quest.

The Fabric of Storytelling

What immediately defines PaperKlay is its wonderful, tangible aesthetic. Every part of its world looks like it was pulled from a school art project. Platforms are made of corrugated cardboard, trees are simple paper cutouts, and characters have the soft, molded look of clay. It’s a visual style that has been seen in games like Tearaway, but here it feels completely earnest.

The world is split into four themed hubs—a sunny beach, a snowy mountain, a green forest—each a self-contained diorama. These hubs lead to smaller, linear stages where the main action happens. The charming designs extend to the characters you meet, like sock puppets and plushies who need your help. The narrative itself is a simple framework.

Nox has stolen eggs, but we never learn whose they are or see the village they came from. This lack of context means the emotional stakes are quite low. The story exists to give the gameplay a purpose, focusing the experience not on why you are on this quest, but on the simple joy of the quest itself.

A Familiar Rhythm

The heart of PaperKlay is its movement. For anyone who grew up with 3D platformers, Chick’s abilities will feel like second nature. He has a standard double jump, a glide, a mid-air dive, a ground stomp, and a spin attack. The game’s success lies in how satisfying it is to chain these moves together, flowing through the levels with a pleasing fluidity.

This moveset is your tool for engaging with the game’s central activity: collecting. The world is filled with items to find. Buttons act as currency for upgrades. Orbs, often hidden or tied to small challenges, unlock new stages. Eggs are the primary objective, with a set number needed to progress to the next hub world. The levels are designed to encourage this loop of exploration.

While the path forward is usually clear, countless secrets are tucked away in hidden corners and on hard-to-reach ledges. The game’s most inventive feature is how you can physically alter the world. Twisting a giant bolt might cause a new set of platforms to pop into place, while turning a valve can rotate an entire section of the stage. In these moments, you become an active participant in shaping the environment, a lovely touch that connects your actions directly to the handcrafted world.

Creative Detours

To break up the platforming, PaperKlay introduces some clever variations. The best of these are the Nugget stages. Here, you control Chick’s smaller, more timid friend, who cannot jump or attack. These levels are self-contained puzzle boxes, reminiscent of the challenges in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.

You rotate the entire stage to find new perspectives and guide Nugget along specific paths to reach the goal. These stages provide a welcome change of pace, shifting the focus from reflexes to careful observation. The game also features a simple upgrade system, where you can spend your collected buttons on passive buffs like extra health or improved gliding.

This system is unfortunately tucked away in the pause menu, making it easy to miss. Combat, on the other hand, is the game’s most underdeveloped element. Enemies have delightful craft-based designs, like flying scissors or angry books, but they all go down in a single hit. They function more as temporary obstacles than genuine threats, and defeating them lacks any real impact.

Frayed Edges, Strong Heart

The game’s audio is a high point, with a collection of catchy tunes that perfectly suit the cheerful platforming. The title theme, with work from genre veteran Grant Kirkhope, instantly evokes the feel of the classics that inspired the game.

There are a few small issues that betray the game’s indie origins. The controls can feel slightly off; you have to wait until the peak of your first jump to perform a double jump, which can disrupt the flow of movement. Chick’s spin attack has a short range, making some enemies tricky to hit without taking damage.

These are minor scuffs on a lovingly made experience. PaperKlay is a sincere and well-constructed game that achieves exactly what it sets out to do. It offers a low-stress, satisfying adventure for anyone looking to recapture the uncomplicated fun of a classic 3D platformer.