review by Triton

If Clonk Planet was a book, it would probably be "Robinson Crusoe," a story about an English sailor marooned on an island for over three decades.  This doesn't say much for the game, which is actually more like a [i]Populous[/i]-esque interpretation of "Robinson's Crusoe" than a simple book-to-game rendition.  In [i]Clonk Planet[/i], you play the role of some supernatural being, alien, omnipresent entity, god, or what have you, who controls the very lives of funny little people called Clonks.  [i]Clonk Planet[/i] is played from a side view of the world, and the player is able to see things underground as well as on the surface.

As the supreme lord and protector of the Clonks (or whatever you decide to call yourself), your job is to influence the decisions of the Clonks and allow them to thrive while keeping them safe.  To this end, you command the Clonks to go to work carrying out tasks such as construction, mining, forestry, or combat.  The Clonks are quite clever at engineering if nothing else (which is most certainly the case), so long as you provide them with the appropriate materials; the Clonks lack any initiative of their own, so you must tell them what tree to cut, where to dig and how deep, and even where you want them to stand when they throw objects.

In order to complete their tasks, the Clonks require materials.  Certain materials (such as basic metals like gold, or objects like stones or clumps of loam) can be gained simply by digging them, but other materials your Clonks will need must be created from raw materials.  The number of materials you can acquire by digging is limited; often you must tap into the appropriate seams by using a rock called flintstone.  Flintstone is an explosive chunk of rock that explodes when it comes into contact with something hard; flintstone is the primary tool for mining, but has other uses, such as digging or fighting.

The Clonks are relatively peaceful, but there are times when they are forced to raise a sword--er..  flintstone against hostile Clonks and even monsters.  Though fighting is often a requirement, there really is no structured combat system in [i]Clonk Planet[/i]; in order to vanquish your foes, you'll have to order your Clonks to use anything at their disposal to emerge victorious.  Your Clonks may fight by throwing rocks or flintstone, or by trapping enemies below the surface where they may drown or be isolated.

This reviewer has spent the last four paragraphs trying to inform you, the reader, of the main points of this game.  However, don't run off and download it yet; [i]Clonk Planet[/i] is not without its share of problems.  Fortunately, there aren't very many outstanding problems in this game, but there is one glaring turn-off for playing it: the controls.  Your Clonks are so stupid that when you order them to go somewhere such as below the surface, they won't be able to come back up so easily.  It can be quite annoying to order a Clonk to return to the surface, only to see him running back and forth jumping around.  There are certain rounds in which your Clonks may be able to climb walls and thus leave sticky situations underground, but they may not always be able to depending on the circumstances.  While underground, the biggest threat to a Clonk is rain; rain collects at the lowest points rather than being absorbed into the ground, and your Clonks may drown if they get trapped.  Your Clonks can swim, but they can't hold their breath long if underwater, and their mobility is severely limited while in the water.

Rating: 2.5

Genre:
Simulation

Pros:
Good concept

Cons:
Annoying controls
Bad sound effects

Multiplayer:
Internet
Shared computer

System Requirements:
PC, 200 MHz CPU, 32 MB RAM, Windows 9x/ME/2K/XP, DirectX 3, good graphics board

URL/Download: http://www.clonk.de/contents_en.html