Cloudpunk Reviews

Cloudpunk is a tremendous accomplishment in creating a setting; in the sub-genre of cyberpunk, it knows few rivals. There’s a sense of place that demands your attention and dares you to comb every corner and jaw with every sentient settler. For a game about choice, a simplistic approach to gameplay can, at times, deprive the player of meaningful agency, which feels as though it soars in the face of the message. It’s still an absolute pleasure to drink in this one unforgettable night in Nivalis, Cloudpunk is a frontrunner for indie game of the year.

Cloudpunk is an interesting take on the future noir setting, as seen through the eyes of a delivery driver. However, the game's various ports are proof positive that not all version are created equally.

Cloudpunk is a game I’m glad exists. It’s a game I hope people see. It is definitely not for everyone, possibly even most people. But it leaves me very much hoping that Ion Lands gets to keep making games and gets to do so with a bigger budget as I suspect most of the issues I had with Cloudpunk would have been at least a little alleviated with a bigger budget. It is encouraging to see that the developers are still adding features and I’ll be following their work in the future.

Cloudpunk delivers the look and feel of a cyberpunk city, it just doesn't fill the city with anything of interest. The story is okay and there's some side conversations to keep you amused, but once the novelty of driving around Nivalis wears off, you'll recognise that this is a game made entirely of fetch quests. The city looks gorgeous, it's just a shame it doesn't have more attractions.

Overall, the idea behind Cloudpunk has the potential to be a great cyberpunk game. Although the game's world is visually appealing and offers a limited opportunities for exploration, minor technical issues disrupt immersion, making it difficult to appreciate the few good elements that the game offers. Cloudpunk is a good game to pick up every once in a while for short sessions, but its lackluster story and monotonous dialogue may put off players from investing long hours into the game. In the end, Cloudpunk is able to capture the essence of a cyberpunk game despite its issues, but gameplay that mostly comprises of fetch quests may not be everyone's cup of tea.

With the game falling at around nine hours of gameplay, Cloudpunk is a quaint game that’s easy-going but also hits on some big themes in the cyberpunk genre. Cloudpunk is beautiful, humorous, and most importantly is a window through which to view the progress of society.

Cloudpunk reaches higher and achieves more than I thought it would, barely missing a spot among the giants of its genre.

From a design perspective, Cloudpunk is fabulous. Stunning soundtrack, a lovely little voxel-art world, but the game itself (and the bugs! So many bugs!) don’t really inspire like the world itself. In truth, it gets incredibly repetitive and rather boring the longer the games goes on, and the narrative isn’t strong enough to get its hooks into you.

The story of Cloudpunk is a mixture of numerous sci-fi tropes, which isn't an issue itself - the problem lies with how they're used. Cloudpunk has some of the most abysmal voice acting in recent memory, and it's the medium through which the story is told. Raina hears the stories of Nivalis through commlinks and calls, in seemingly endless conversations that become grating to listen to over time. It quickly becomes apparent that the long walkways of the city exist so that the player has somewhere to walk on while the cast talks at them in extended dialogue sequences that go on forever. Exploring the world of Cloudpunk is a treat and the story of Nivalis should be told through its environments. Instead, the player has to endure constant nattering and some terrible attempts at levity. The writing in Cloudpunk is dire and the story is told in a way that makes the game a chore to play.

In the gameplay department, Cloudpunk simulates the boredom of a minimum wage job a little too well. Looking back, I’m happy to have played Cloudpunk, but I never want to sit through it again.

Although the city of Nivalis is beautiful and feels super cyberpunk, every other aspect of Cloudpunk falls flat. The gameplay is unexciting and voice acting is too bad for its own good.

Cloudpunk makes the gorgeous neo-future city of Nivalis the star of its story and uses a myriad of quirky NPCs to make it feel like a real place. A few of the gameplay mechanics fall short of engaging, but fans of the cyberpunk genre should enjoy the experience. The game is out now on PC for $19.99 with a 10% discount to $17.99 during launch week. It will come to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch at a later date.

That might seem surprising, but you really have to see it moving. It's unspeakably pretty. There's one bit where you're taken up a whole city tier, via a long platform lift, while having a conversation with Control as you climb past endless layers of catwalks, roads, and railways, all bustling with movement. You don't feel like the centre of the world. You can really believe the whole city is moving all the time, whether you're there or not. You might not be able to do much besides walk and drive around it, but it's one of the best cities I've ever seen, and I spent a fair amount of time just idling around and watching it go while listening to the rain, the muffled thumping of nightclubs, and the excellent music (and alternating silences! Bonus point!).

Cyberpunk video games are certainly in vogue right now. And if you’re paying attention to the indie gaming scene you’ll also notice that package delivery games are strangely prevalent. I guess that makes Cloudpunk the trendiest kid on the playground.

Cloudpunk absolutely nails the cyberpunk aesthetic, but it backs up style with substance. A thoughtful and sensitive story, interesting characters, and some challenging environmental puzzles all make its attractive setting really fun to play around in, even if there are limitations.

An amazing looking game with an interesting premise, let down by shallow gameplay and stuttered flow of story and dialogue

A story-driven delivery game set in a stunning voxel metropolis.