I was expecting to like Cloudpunk from the moment I first saw the trailer. What I wasn’t expecting, however, was that I would pretty much fall in love with this game.
From the cyberpunk aesthetic to the quirky cast of characters (despite their clumsy voiceovers), from the awesome HOVA gameplay to the mildly interesting yet still-grounded story, this game has certainly grown on me.
It’s grown on me so much, in fact, that I just had to buy a copy for my Switch so I could play it in other parts of my house, or when my partner wants to watch the big TV in the living room.
I can’t say this enough, but developer Ion Lands absolutely nailed the look and feel here. The soundtrack and the sights of the in-game city Nivalis are absolutely spot-on, evoking the staples of the cyberpunk genre, the masterworks that no doubt inspired Cloudpunk.
I keep marveling at the perfectly placed billboards emblazoned on the side of towers and skyscrapers, or the pulsating neon signs above the local shops and restaurants, or the rotating signs that advertise futuristic cars or travel agencies or some sort of a company with a fetus as its mascot.
Cloudpunk just nails it.
I often find myself simply walking around in first-person mode like a rube tourist, taking screenshots and marveling at the architecture. I only wish Cloudpunk allowed me the option to interact with the environment in a deeper, more tangible way (other than mostly just walking around and picking up collectibles).
But even so, I am still on Cloud Nine with Cloudpunk. This is definitely giving me my cyberpunk fix.
