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As you play, controlling your glob of clay that can typically take the shape of a small variety of geometric shapes, your only real abilities are tied to the shoulder triggers. The left has a sort of dual purpose as it will not only rewind your movement (which can be quite crucial in some areas where you’re very prone to falling), it will also leave clay in the shape of your figure in place at the point you initiated it. You can use this ability to try to help you get around, reinforce areas that can may have worn away, or in levels where you’re trying to control the flow of fluids you can plug holes or help try to direct it to where you need it to go. The right works somewhat in the opposite direction, letting you slowly grind through things to allow you to create holes or alter surfaces for the purpose of getting around or diverting liquids. There are cases where you can move to another shape that’s nearby, which in the case of a horseshoe makes your right trigger instead attract fluids or a spaceship that will let you attempt to fly, but for the most part with a little experimentation you’ll get accustomed to everything quickly. Using these pretty simple core skills and slowly getting accustomed to which shapes are best suited to which tasks you’ll work through the game’s core 20 stages through putting your skills, and sometimes your patience as well, to the test. Some will require you to work through a series of checkpoints in what feels like a race on an obstacle course while others will challenge you to divert liquids into a variety of containers by carefully managing and diverting its flow from its point of origination, and more. Success can sometimes be a very trial and error-laden experience as unusual things like getting up a set of stairs can be difficult depending on your shape and even the slowly-eroding quality of the steps themselves will typically play a role. Even when you’re not actively trying to wear away surfaces using your abilities your interactions with the environment will change it, as well as your own shape. Colors and dents created by the surfaces you’re moving on will continue to change you and it makes for a very creative experience, but sometimes the solutions to your problems can feel wonky since everything is deforming almost constantly. In order to get the most out of the experience, since the core levels won’t take terribly long to complete, you’ll then hopefully find joy in the sandbox, level creation, or community levels people have made. For people who enjoy games like Minecraft the act of building for just your own enjoyment or to share may have appeal, just be warned that getting up to speed on the tools do be precise and realize your vision will be a bit of a trial and error ordeal. Looking at what others have accomplished should serve as some encouragement, though what’s out there is generally very simple still, but with time I imagine people will get the hang of it better and come up with more elaborate designs. As a whole in order to get the most of out Claybook you’ll need channel your inner child and focus on the simple enjoyment of what the game offers. Mechanically it all can be a bit wonky at times but considering the malleable nature of the medium in use most of the time that can be understood as being by design. This isn’t a game about precision execution, it’s about exploration, experimentation, and having a different kind of fun. While I wish the tools for creating content were a bit more user-friendly you can see how with patience and time invested people should be capable of making more interesting creations of their own but it will be a slow process without a doubt. While Claybook may be a bit too niche for many folks, the opportunity to reconnect with a very play-friendly mentality is refreshing and it makes for a unique experience.
Justin Nation, Score:Fair [6.5]