Developer: Coilworks
Publisher: Rising Star Games
Platform: PC (Steam)
Release Date: March 20, 2014
Cloudbuilt is a out of this world free running game built around speed and precision. You are transported to a beautiful world where you are running through the clouds. Cloudbuilt is like if Sonic, Mirror Edge, and Bastion combined to create a new dimension.
Story
You wake up and find yourself throw into a world you do not understand. This adds to the immersion since you are not suppose to know what is going on. This is a strange world, but beautiful so it is alright.
As you play and unlock new levels Demi, the main character will start remembering bits and pieces of her memory. It is told as a narrative, but to say anymore would be revealing too much about it. It is a great mystery to understand what is going on and the setting truly is like a cloud.
Gameplay
Cloudbuilt is a free running third-person perspective platform game. You mission is discover and explore your mind by traversing worlds that seem only possible in your dreams. Running along walls, speeding down ramps, and jumping across the sky.
You have control of a jetpack that can be used increase your speed or increase your altitude. It automatically recharges when in not use so it is up to you when to best use it. Using it in the right time is needed to move across the level. Mastering the perfect timing will allow you beat levels so quickly and climb up the competitive leaderboards.
This is one tough game though so do not take the beautiful graphics as a excuse to take this game lightly. If you do you will fail a lot, and even if you don’t underestimate this game you will still die a lot. It is ok to die though since the game is all about speed you will quickly respawn and continue on trying to beat the game quickly.
You also have access to a weapon that can be charged into different attacks. You either have a choice of a weak attack that has great homing ability, a powerful attack with virtually no homing, or one that is in between. There are enemies that will attack you or barriers that can be destroyed with these attacks.
Controlling the character can be a little tricky though. The game is controlled with a keyboard and mouse with no support for game controllers. That wouldn’t be a problem since the game is built for accuracy, but the way the game is designed it makes doing the tricks you want to do quite difficult.
The game is built for precision, but it is also built for speed. Those two elements don’t normally mix very well together and it is true in Cloudbuilt also. For example, sometimes you have to run up a tall wall filled with mines then wall jump back onto another wall. Not only is accurately running up that wall tough, but wall jumping requires you to turn your characters vision backwards to aim at the wall behind you.
Doing this all as fast as possible can be very difficult. These controls aren’t bad, but they are catered towards people that want a lot to master. The fact that controllers aren’t accurate enough to play this game speaks to the level of accuracy needed to play this game. This isn’t a casual friendly platformer, but a game built for gamers.
Only the most hardcore platform gamers will be able to enjoy the amazingly built levels. How you decided to beat each level is up to you since there are plenty of paths that reach the end of the level. Some are faster than others, but carry much more risks. This flexibility makes level much more like a playground to perform cool platforming tricks.
Even how which levels you choose are up to you. After the first level you will have access to different paths. These paths branch and allow you to test your platforming in different types of levels. One path I noticed had much more enemy robots while another had a lot more wall running. This keeps the game varied with its platforming.
The controls aren’t perfect, but the levels are sure amazing. The controls might be great and it could just be that I am too noob, but I am sure that many gamers will feel the same way. The game feels awesome if you have the skill to control it since who doesn’t love speeding down a ramp to jump across the clouds.
Graphics
Cloudbuilt fits the name perfectly since this game was built for the clouds. The cel-shading looks absolutely stunning and fits this world perfectly. This is truly a game that is out of this world. Everything about how this game looks is amazing.
Audio
The music fits perfectly to match the mood of the game. It has electronic beats that get you pumped and motivates you to move quickly, but serene to make you feel like you are dreaming. The music from the menu to the different levels all match the surroundings perfectly to create a ambient world to immerse yourself as you speed through a game that feels like a dream.
Downsides
Balancing speed and precision is hard to pull off in any game and it is not done well in this game. Controlling felt really hard when you had to take into account that you have to go fast and be precise. This might be a great to many hardcore gamers, but the rest of us will have a hard time getting through even the early levels.
It is a shame too since this is such a beautiful world that I want to explore. I want to explore the mysteries of this character’s mind and understand what is going on, but I do not have the skill to get past many levels. If you want to get this game just to explore the beauty of this game make sure you also have the skill.
Pros
– Running across the levels feels awesome
– Beautiful Graphics
– Serene Soundtrack
Cons
– Hard to master
– Controls built only for the hardcore
Conclusion
Cloudbuilt has a beautiful world with an amazing soundtrack to go with it. The game is fun to play when you get the hang of the controls, but many will find the game difficult. If you enjoy platforms games and going fast you will enjoy this game a lot. This is a hardcore platforming gamers dream.
7.5 out of 10