There is an inherent risk in making a video game intending to capture the energy and feeling of its inspirations, especially when they are so evident in the game’s design and delivery. It invites comparison, and can be a difficult balancing act, appeasing the fans of the genre as well as trying to find a new audience. Kevin Andersson, the solo developer of 3D platformer/collect-a-thon PaperKlay, did not shy away from these comparisons, even inviting them by listing the games that inspired his own creation in the end credits. Thankfully, PaperKlay does an excellent job of playing like an old-school 3D platformer, and while it may have some rough edges, it is clear that this game has been made with passion and a vision.
Premise
PaperKlay introduces another dynamic duo to the 3D platformer genre, the courageous Chick and the nervous Nugget. The game opens with them daydreaming about going on an adventure, only to be rudely interrupted by the nefarious Nox. This devious fox has stolen all of the eggs along with Egg Village, and it is up to Chick and Nugget to track down the villain’s flying ship and return the eggs home. These heroes will travel across four distinct craftwork worlds, each with several levels to explore, to collect the eggs that Nox has dropped along the way, and return Egg Village to its rightful place.
It is a straightforward plot that serves to give the player a clear goal and reason for the characters to have this adventure. The game doesn’t get caught up in trying to subvert expectations, there is no added complexity, which allows players to focus on what PaperKlay is all about: fun and rewarding 3D platforming and the satisfaction of completing each level and world’s collectable challenges.
Gameplay
PaperKlay is an inviting game, both in its visuals and gameplay. Its approachable design makes it easy for newcomers to pick up and play, while still offering depth and challenge for genre veterans. Chick’s move set will feel instantly familiar to fans of classic 3D platformers: double jump, glide, dive, spin attack, and ground pound. These abilities are all implemented with a satisfying responsiveness, and more importantly, they link together fluidly. Whether you’re diving out of a glide to reach a distant platform or chaining a double jump into a spin to reposition quickly, the game’s movement feels smooth and enjoyable.
Platforming and exploring are the clear focus here, and the tight controls go a long way in making it enjoyable. Levels give players multiple ways to traverse and explore, encouraging creativity within the mechanics. Most stages are relatively easy to get through, especially the hub worlds and main levels. However, for players looking for a tougher challenge, PaperKlay delivers through its remix levels, unlocked after collecting all the main collectibles in a world. These remixes are clever mashups of existing stages, dialed up in difficulty, and serve as a satisfying reward for completionists.
Collectibles come in three flavors: buttons, eggs, and glowing orbs. Buttons are the most common and are littered across the hub worlds and levels, functioning as a kind of currency used to purchase badges that grant passive upgrades like increased health or better gliding control. While most buttons are found along the main paths, observant players will be rewarded for peeking behind scenery or exploring off the beaten track, perhaps discovering a crate tucked behind some cardboard trees or a lone button hidden in an elevated nook. Glowing orbs are usually tied to more deliberate platforming challenges or hidden spots, or a reward for completing a side puzzle, like returning all three parts of a snowman’s son back to him. Each hub world has a few fun characters to chat with, adding some goofy humour that got a smile out of me on more than one occasion. The single egg at the end of each level, Chick and Nugget’s reason for their adventure, acts as a capstone reward for finishing it.
Some of my favorite levels were the ones where you played as Nugget, navigating a rotating puzzle-like environment with no jump or attack to use. Instead, Nugget can walk on little red paths that let him move round corners like he is magnetised to the floor, rotating the level to see a different side of it. These were a delightful addition to PaperKlay, breaking up the 3D platforming with some slower-paced, more cerebral gameplay, and giving our sidekick a chance to shine!
Being a collect-a-thon, it makes sense that once you have found and collected everything in the game, you are finished. Other than unlocking the remix levels, there isn’t more “late game” content to keep players coming back. It all comes down to the very simple and satisfying gameplay loop of completing each level’s list of things to find, all buttons, the glowing orbs, and, of course, the egg. While I would always try to collect everything in a single playthrough of a level, I was never upset to find I had missed something. If anything, it felt like a challenge to find those last few buttons or uncover where the last glowing orb was hiding. Getting through to the game’s credits won’t take players too long, but I spent just over 10 hours finding every single collectible.
The handcrafted aesthetic also finds its way into the gameplay, and is where PaperKlay puts its spin, twist, and turn on the 3D platformer genre. Levels feature interactive environmental elements that reflect the world’s DIY charm—cardboard platforms that pop up after unscrewing a giant bolt, or sections that rotate when you hit a valve. These moments are well-integrated, adding variety and a sense of physicality to the environments without overcomplicating the core platforming experience. A standout moment for me happened in one of the hub worlds when I hit a valve expecting it to raise a platform or something similar. Instead, the whole world switched from day to night, taking on a more spooky atmosphere, complete with spectral chains, glowing bones, and new cardboard cutout ghost enemies! It’s this “levelution” that elevates PaperKlay’s gameplay, making it more than just a traditional platformer.
One of the most player-friendly design choices is the game’s generous checkpointing system. Each level includes frequent checkpoints, and dying simply returns you to the last one you touched—no lost progress, no extra punishment. Combined with the absence of lives or game-over screens, it makes PaperKlay a low-stress experience that encourages experimentation and exploration, rather than penalizing failure. Pausing the game lets you look at the collectible list of the level you are in, as well as all the others you have access to.
Combat, by contrast, is very simple. Enemies are dispatched with a single spin attack, and while they feature different attack patterns, their behaviors are basic. They serve more as obstacles than threats, adding a bit of pressure during trickier platforming sequences but rarely requiring strategy or caution. There are only two boss fights in PaperKlay, and while neither was particularly challenging, they were fun set pieces that helped distinguish certain levels.
One complaint I do have is that PaperKlay does suffer from some wonky hit detection for both the player and enemies. While it never posed too much of an issue, it’s clear that combat isn’t the focus, and that’s fine, because the joy of PaperKlay comes from the movement, exploration, and collecting.
Visuals
PaperKlay leans fully into its name, offering a vibrant and imaginative world that looks as though it was built from a child’s arts and crafts drawer. Corrugated cardboard, felt, fabric, construction paper, and clay are the building blocks of its environments, giving the game a handcrafted aesthetic that’s both playful and distinctive. From overgrown jungle temples to snowy plains dotted with cardboard evergreens, the game’s levels are consistently colorful and varied, each offering a fresh visual theme.
Despite the digital nature of the game, it does a solid job of selling the illusion of being built by hand. Trees might lie flat when you approach them, platforms pop up with a satisfying thunk after loosening a bolt, and the occasional flap of paper peels back to reveal a hidden path. These small touches help bring the world to life and make exploring it a delight, even if the environments themselves are largely static. There’s not a lot of environmental animation or ambient movement, which can occasionally make areas feel a bit stiff, but within the context of a handcrafted diorama-like world, it fits the tone.
Enemy designs are simple but charming, sticking to the craft theme. You’ll face off against things like floating scissors with googly eyes or a spinning starfish that looks like it was assembled from leftover craft materials. There aren’t many enemy types overall, but the ones present are fun and fit right in with the game’s playful visual language.
One thing PaperKlay doesn’t strive for is environmental cohesion. Each world has its own distinct look and feel, with no attempt to tie them together into a broader or believable setting. Levels exist in isolation, more like themed stages than parts of a living world. While this makes room for more expansive and creatively diverse level design, it also gives the game a slightly simpler, vignette-like quality. It doesn’t hurt the experience, but it does place PaperKlay more in the tradition of stage-based platformers than fully integrated worlds like many of its inspirations.
Still, what PaperKlay lacks in cohesion, it makes up for in creativity. Its dedication to the handmade theme is consistent and lovingly executed, giving the entire game a tactile, toybox charm that’s hard not to appreciate.
Sound & Music
A bouncy main theme composed by the legendary Grant Kirkhope greets you at PaperKlay’s main menu screen, immediately evoking memories of that late 90s golden age of platformers. The rest of the game’s soundtrack is very similar in its composition and matches each environment Chick and Nugget visit, albeit somewhat pared back. However, the music tracks for the remix levels are some of the game’s best music, which made me wish the rest of the game’s worlds and levels had something similar.
PaperKlay doesn’t just look like a playful craft project—it sounds like one too. The game’s sound design is bright, expressive, and packed with personality. From the satisfying thud of Chick landing a ground pound to the snappy little pops that accompany enemy defeats, like a cork shooting out of a champagne bottle, each sound effect enhances the whimsical tone of the world. The exaggerated, cartoon-style audio cues help reinforce the game’s light-hearted nature and give feedback that’s both fun and clear.
Voice acting is another standout. Despite being a solo-developed indie game, PaperKlay features a surprisingly diverse and talented voice cast. Performances are enthusiastic and full of character, helping to sell the story’s playful tone. Notably, Steve Miller, known for his role as Sly Cooper, lends his voice to the cast as the villain Nox, bringing a feisty, charismatic energy to the project. Each character, from the heroic Chick and timid Nugget to the rest of the colorful cast, is given a distinct voice that fits their personality, and there’s a real sense of joy in how these performances are delivered.
Conclusion
PaperKlay may have a few rough edges, but like any lovingly made craft project, those imperfections are part of its charm. Its vibrant world of cardboard, clay, and creativity is brought to life with expressive animation, satisfying platforming, and a clear affection for the genre it celebrates. While its combat may be simplistic, enemy variety is limited, and its levels sometimes feel more like standalone stages than pieces of a larger world, these are small creases in what is otherwise a carefully crafted experience.
What stands out most to me is the heart behind it all. Every spin jump, clay valve, and cork-pop sound effect feels hand-placed with intention. It’s a platformer that invites you in, welcomes you warmly, and then nudges you toward 100% completion with rewarding challenges and clever design twists. That it was made by a solo developer only makes its accomplishments more impressive.
If you’re a fan of classic 3D platformers or collect-a-thons, PaperKlay is absolutely worth your time. It’s approachable, imaginative, and just the right kind of nostalgic.
PaperKlay was reviewed on PC(Steam).
We would like to thank WhyKev for providing the code for the purposes of this review.
PaperKlay releases on PC(Steam) today, with a Nintendo Switch release planned for the future.
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