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There's something refreshing about a "lite" game every now and then. A straightforward piece of fluff that's fun to blow through, it should offer just enough challenge to feel like a game while not being so difficult that exasperation ever sets in. Cloning Clyde is a perfect example of this, and while the hardcore may scoff at its basic simplicity, it's still fun to kick back and put Clyde through his paces.
Clyde has been trapped in the lab, which is basically a cheap excuse to have a 2D maze (with 3D graphics) full of switches, levers, platforms, security stations, and other obstacles barring his path to freedom. Luckily for Clyde, he's not alone... or maybe he is, it's hard to tell. Any way you look at it, the army of Clyde clones kicking around each level all have to work together in order to bypass the traps along the way. Usually this involves having him (Tangent- we need a singular plural for this. He is them and they is he, and calling the mob "hims" just doesn't cut it.) stand on switches or pull levers to open doors, or maybe run in a giant hamster wheel to power a gizmo.
It's nothing overly complex, but there are a few wrinkles along the way. Each level has a number of security stations that need to be beaten into submission before the exit opens up, and when they sense Clyde they release a swarm of mutant exploding chickens. Combat is pretty easy, with a constant tapping on the attack button being enough to fend off the feathery horde and take out the station. Collect enough of the DNA helixes found throughout the level and Clyde even gets a super-attack that can K.O. the station in one shot. Cloning Clyde isn't really about combat, but rather the exploration and solving of the level, so a weak fighting engine isn't that big a deal.
The real fun of the game comes from all the insanity along the way. Clyde can ride sheep, go swimming, get sucked through drains, and even mutate into various critters with different abilities. Combining Clyde with a chicken lets him fly, for example, while splicing him with a barrel of dynamite lets him explode as often as he wants. The various forms are fun to play with, but it's always obvious how their special abilities need to be used. Puzzle-solving is pretty basic throughout, and that's Cloning Clyde's biggest drawback.
Also not as well thought out as it could be is the scoring system. Four things contribute to a level's score- clones rescued, action figures found, security drones destroyed, and time taken to complete the area. The problem is that, after the first run-through of the level, the first three stats carry over. Rescue all 12 clones in a level the first time? Just ignore them on the second go-round, because you'll get full points anyway. Maxing out the score just becomes a matter of sprinting for the exit, hoping to shave off a few seconds from the clock. It doesn't make for a very exciting leader board competition.
Still, Cloning Clyde is good, light entertainment the first time through. Running around the side-view mazes, solving basic problems, and switching from clone to clone in order to get past the myriad obstacles is pretty fun, but there's no real challenge to the game. Cloning Clyde gets by on its goofy charm, and is engaging enough to be worth playing despite its ease. It's little more than bubble gum for the brain, but that still makes it pretty tasty in the end.
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