We all want different things out of our video games: a world to explore, a story to uncover, a strength to unleash. Some games are about the complexities of love, conquest, humanity. Some games present you nothing but a monumental challenge to overcome.

Solar Platypus is one of those games.

It's a reinterpretation of the 80's Atari game Solar Fox, and it retains the pure, infamous difficulty of the arcade of days gone past. Race around, collect glowing things, dodge enemy fire. The clean graphics leave few questions. The goal is simple to identify and clearly visible as soon as you start: if you know where to place your hands on the keyboard, you've figured out half the game.



What Solar Platypus demands is perfect execution. The first few levels gently introduce you to the concept, but before long everything is chaos and help is nowhere to be found. The game manages to ramp up the difficulty repeatedly, and I found myself leaning forward in desperate hope of reaching the next save point at least a few times. Some might find the difficulty disheartening, understandably: becoming a solar platypus isn't for everyone. This is a game for people who want to yell a bit, or at least mutter some curses after each death. The game is mostly fair, and typically you'll begrudgingly admit the failures are yours. However, the controls can be sticky and sometimes you'll find your ship going where it shouldn't. While this is also an accurate recreation of Atari games, it's not a pleasant one.

If you like that sort of arcade challenge, your tenacity will keep you suffering through, and if it doesn't, the soundtrack certainly will. The music is fantastic and exactly what Solar Platypus requires: a fast, rocking bit-beat that keeps you on edge and encourages you to tap restart as soon as you fail, just so you can keep hearing it; it's the kind of music that keeps your blood pumping after your body's gone cold.

Solar Platypus is not for everyone, and if you're expecting even a moment's reprieve, I would recommend looking elsewhere. However, if you're looking for the thrill of an overwhelming challenge, or if you just need an excuse to slam your fists on your desk, it's absolutely grand.