Platform Played On: PC
Rating: 7.5/10
Verdict: Cloudbuilt is at its best when it's letting you do the crazy platforming that it promises. There are little issues that keep me from enjoying it more, but anybody who likes hard games and Mirror's Edge inspired parkour should check it out.
Cloudbuilt was born into existence whilst promising two things: it was going to be hard with crazy, fast and clever platforming. The good news is that Cloudbuilt basically delivers on its premise. The bad news is, sometimes it's not in the best way.
In Cloudbuilt you play as a female -- and to the games credit, it's like Remember Me in the sense that you're a girl but ultimately you're just a person -- who doesn't know why her body is in a room. Every time you press the E key while standing above her body, you are transported to a new level and that's where the game gets intense.
The game is described as Sonic meets Mirror's Edge by every preview I've ever seen and that's an apt description. Take the speed from Sonic and the parkour elements from Mirror's Edge, throw in a healthy dosage of Dark Souls difficulty, and you have Cloudbuilt. You run fast and can run across walls, you have a jetpack that allows you to jump more than once, and you have a gun. You get planted at the beginning of the level and due to clever level design, you can pick one of a few different ways to get to the end of the level.
The fast-paced runner-style platforming is intriguing and is usually a lot of fun. Running up a wall, jumping to another wall and running up that is invigorating and thrilling... it's an event that gets the blood pumping. Running and then doing a massive jump, using your jetpack, is a good time. There are a lot of things you can do in this game that make it a game worth playing, and since the levels offer you different ways to reach your destination, it pays to experiment on what path works the best for you. I imagine seeing people who are great at this game will be an experience in itself because it's one of those types of games that give you a genuine feeling of satisfaction when you reach the end of each stage.
A big part of that is because the game is really hard. Unless you're a natural at this kind of thing -- and even then -- you will die a lot. You will fall to your death, only to start again... trying to perfect that perfect run through a level. Once I finally finished a level, I was left feeling like I actually accomplished something, which is an element that a lot of games lack because most games are fairly easy (on Normal). The normal in this game is frustration.
Some people love this kind of thing. People play Dark Souls for a reason, though I'd argue -- in my limited experience with that series -- that Dark Souls is better designed. I'm going to be honest here, but I don't actually love really hard games. I don't know if it's because I grew up in the NES era where a lot of games were hard and I feel like I already "did my time," or if it's just because I like to complete a game and see the story and whatnot. Maybe it's a mixture of both. Since reviews are a personal opinion, this accounts for why I didn't give the game a slightly higher score. I enjoy the game quite a bit, but I had to throw this out there because I did drop the score a teensy-weensy bit because of it.
However, the game isn't without flaws. As fun as the parkour elements are, it also suffers from the same thing that Mirror's Edge did (though I'd also argue that Mirror's Edge is a better game). I don't know why the game had guns. Most of the time the gunplay in this is just an annoyance and it actually badly affects the flow of the game. Cloudbuilt is supposed to be fast, and when you get something right, progressing through a stage is a fluid, beautiful act. Including a gun and enemies that actually corrupt that flow was a bad move. The emphasis should be on the platforming, and for the most part it is, but this issue exists.
For example, guns can shoot you from across the stage. I'm not kidding. You're not supposed to look back in this game because the genre itself is forward forward forward, but you could be standing there planning your next move and you get shot from a gun that you passed a while back. Some may argue that it keeps you on your toes, I say it's just cheap difficulty. The game is hard enough without these tricks. That's just one example, but there are aspects of the game that take you out of it. When Mirror's Edge slows the game down, it cheapens the experience. The same can be said about Cloudbuilt. I'm not against enemies being in the game, but they weren't always implemented correctly.
There are other issues too. Sometimes the game doesn't do what I want it to do, meaning I may try to jump across to another wall and it doesn't do it. I hit the wall then fall to my death. It doesn't happen a lot but it did happen a few times. It wouldn't even be worth mentioning if it weren't for the fact that the checkpoints are so few and far between that dying is traumatic. It's frustrating to be on a good run, hit the wall and not have it register and just fall to your death... only to start from the beginning because there wasn't a checkpoint anywhere near where you are. At the beginning of the game it seemed to have a good amount of checkpoints but as it went on they became more scarce. Dying because I suck is one thing, dying because the game doesn't work is another.
Don't look for any upgrade systems here, because Cloudbuilt gives you all the tools you need to succeed right from the beginning. This was an interesting move in this day and age because so many games base their accomplishments on upgrade systems. The upgrade here is the skills that you develop as you play the game.
The game is pretty. I have to give props because they do the cell-shaded thing well. This particular style is not one we see a lot of, even today despite the popularity of games like Borderlands, so it's always refreshing to see it done well. The environments are detailed, whether it's the way the rain beats down on you or looking off into the distance and seeing the rest of the level. I don't know if it'll be a nominee for Best Visuals when I do my awards at the end of the year, but I'll definitely consider it.
The music is also pretty, particularly when you're in the main room in between missions. I would sit there and listen to it for a few minutes once in a while. The music has a retro feel, and when done well (like in Cloudbuilt) that can be really appealing.
The story is vague and a mystery, and slowly unfolds in between missions. I don't think just standing in a small room and listening to someone monologue is the best way to present a plot, but this is a problem with games as a whole. I've criticized games like Haze for this kind of thing because it's really just not that entertaining standing in place while people talk all the time. A little bit is fine, but some games go overboard. Luckily Cloudbuilt has an interesting story, so it's easy to forgive it.
But really, you come here for the platforming, and like I've said, Cloudbuilt succeeds for the most part. It's interesting that we've gotten a game like this and TITANFALL in quick succession. Is this an indication of where games are going?
Cloudbuilt is a fun game. It's flawed, but that feeling you get when you finally beat a level you've been attempting for an hour is worth the price of admission alone. The small team that developed this should be proud of themselves, and anybody who wants a challenge should try this out.
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