Claymates Play Online 🪙 SNES Games in Browser

Summary

Claymates stands out on the SNES thanks to its quirky clay‑animation aesthetic, a collaboration between Visual Concepts, Interplay and the A‑OK Animation studio that once brought us Gumby and the Pillsbury Doughboy. The game’s visual flair is paired with a playful nod to Sega’s "Blast Processing" through the tongue‑in‑cheek "Blaze Processing" tagline on its box art.

Gameplay revolves around a shape‑shifting mechanic: scattered serum samples let you morph the protagonist into one of five animal forms—cat, duck, mouse, guppy or chipmunk—each tailored to the level’s obstacles and enemies. You race against the clock, swapping forms to jump, swim or dash, while a single hit in blob form ends the run, keeping the platforming tense and rewarding.

Behind the scenes, Claymates benefitted from Interplay’s ARDI Sound System, a proprietary MIDI tool that squeezed the entire soundtrack into just 18 KB of ROM. Though a Genesis port was once planned, it never materialized; the title resurfaced in July 2021 as part of Nintendo’s Classics service, giving a new generation a chance to experience its colorful, clay‑crafted world.

Storyline

In Claymates, the story follows a boy named Clayton whose scientist father, Professor Putty, has created a serum that can turn people into animals when mixed with clay.

When the evil witch doctor Jobo demands the formula, the professor refuses; Jobo retaliates by kidnapping the professor, stealing the serum, and transforming Clayton himself into a ball of clay.

Determined to rescue his father and retrieve the serum, Clayton embarks on a quest that takes him across his backyard, the Pacific, Japan, Africa, and even into outer space, using his clay form to change into various animal companions.

Edited by Maya Carter