#Ayo the clown release date 2020 full#
#Ayo the clown release date 2020 Pc#

Whilst I’ll never knock a 2D platformer for stuffing its levels full of secrets, I can’t say that I had much fun hunting them down.

In the later worlds, these become seriously challenging to track down, requiring you to make use of Ayo’s full moveset. Collectibles are usually hidden away neatly, with subtle environmental queues letting you know when it’s worth veering off the beaten path. Speaking of collectibles and combing through levels, the level design is also decent, with the usual scope for exploration and alternative routes that have become a staple of the genre being present. Knowing there was no point in combing through Ayo the Clown’s levels obsessively without a full moveset definitely alleviated this and helped keep things moving at an enjoyable pace. I’ve often found that this ends up with me feeling fatigued with a game long before seeing it through to completion. All too often in a platformer littered with collectibles, I find myself obsessing over finding everything in a level before moving on to the next. This gradual approach to expanding Ayo’s moveset also had the side effect of keeping things feeling fast-paced and fresh. It lends the game an almost Metroidvania feel, as you unlock new abilities that will further assist in exploring already beaten levels. Often these are introduced as part of a cute little side quest, such as the double jump ability which is unlocked following a side quest that has Ayo hunting down balloon animals for an NPC in need. Rather than having access to Ayo’s full suite of moves from the start, they’re gradually introduced as you progress through the world. To Ayo the Clown’s credit, I did very much appreciate how new abilities are doled out. It’s not that the Ayo the Clown ever feels bad as such, but there is an element of randomness attached to the controls and movement which definitely impacted my overall enjoyment. More complex abilities like the wall jump and the slide are similarly unreliable. Often, I would use it to perfection, only to attempt a similar jump moments later which would see my momentum going into the second jump immediately come to a halt. The double jump you unlock a short while into the game feels equally unpredictable. His jump feels floaty, which wouldn’t be so bad, but it’s exacerbated by the awkward collision detection that can see you bounce off the edge of a platform even when you were sure you had nailed your jump perfectly. 2D platformers require a certain level of control and precision and unfortunately, even the carrying out the most basic of actions with Ayo brings with it a certain level of frustration. The main issue that brought down my overall enjoyment is the somewhat unwieldy way in which Ayo controls. Whilst I adored the straightforward narrative set-up for Ayo the Clown, I’m unfortunately slightly more mixed in terms of how I think the rest of the package lands. 2D platformers don’t need anything more than an excuse to get from one end of the world map to the other, and on that front, Ayo succeeds perfectly. However, think back to the genre heavyweights that Ayo pulls from and you’ll see that Ayo the Clown’s light narrative is perfectly on point. If you’re reading this and thinking that it all sounds rather contrived, to be fair, you probably aren’t wrong. Distraught and unable to sit idly by whilst knowing his furry friend is out there somewhere, Ayo sets forth on his journey which takes him across eight distinct worlds in search of man’s best friend.

You jump into the oversized clown shoes of Ayo, as he wakes one night to realize that his beloved doggo has gone missing. Upon booting up Ayo the Clown I was immediately all in on its simple premise. As always, though, there is a fine line between paying homage and cheaply imitating your inspirations, so let’s discuss whether Ayo the Clown walks that tightrope successfully. It is absolutely a love letter to those glory days.

#Ayo the clown release date 2020 Pc#

They’re the ultimate form of gaming comfort food, which, when done right, take me back to a simpler time in gaming where the only goal was to make it to the end of a level intact and maybe hoover up a few collectibles along the way.Īyo the Clown was released in 2021 for PC and the Nintendo Switch and now makes its way to the PlayStation 5 (amongst other platforms).