Platforms: PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Windows (Reviewed on Xbox One)
Developer: ION LANDS
Publisher: Merge Games
Genre: Action/Adventure/Driving
Rating: Mature
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The latest tweets from @ionlands. From its striking visuals and atmospheric soundtrack, to its fantastic storytelling, Cloudpunk really is a one-of-a-kind cyberpunk experience. CloudPunk Main Theme 0:02:00 02. Dark Ambience 0:05:04 03. Driving Theme 1 0:09:19 04. Driving Theme 2 0:11:39 05. Idle Theme 1 0:16:05 06.

What happens when you take Shadowrun, F-Zero and Minecraft and mix it up with some Blade Runner and cyberpunk noir? You get “Cloudpunk”, a game where you’re a delivery driver named Rania who had been debt-conscripted to work for the illegal delivery service called Cloudpunk.

It’s your first night in the city of Nivalis, a sprawling 4-dimensional neon-infused cyberpunk city full of low-life scum, corporate greed and rat kabobs all in a Voxel style design. The premise of the game has you flying around on neon-lit skyways in your HOVA vehicle while getting missions from a man simply known as Control. You can exit your HOVA and explore any area of the city on foot as long as there is a parking area for you to land on. There are plenty of collectibles along the way that easily appear on your map but may be out of reach unless you find spare parts to fix a hover lift or can gain security access. Some of the collectibles have their own storylines to discover as well.

Things are pretty basic at first…you pick up packages and go from point A to point B delivering packages and getting paid. Soon enough you are presented with decisions in regards to who or what you are delivering. One mission had you delivering a ticking package to a drop box but you had an option to dump in in a waste disposal chute but at the dismay of Control and most likely with a pay cut or possibly even being fired. It was early on in the game and I didn’t want to lose my much needed job, so I delivered the package no questions asked which was in the rulebook. Later on there was a large explosion in a delivery bay and I was told to ignore it and received a pay bonus.

As the game progressed on throughout the night, you begin learning of accidents in the city as well as rampant AIs and major computer malfunctions. You’ll begin to get other missions such as taxiing people or delivering emergency supplies. During one mission you encounter an entity named CORA in an abandoned part of the city and this is where the story turns. Rania and her dog automata Camus are thrust into events that will decide the future of Nevalis and the other cities that remain in the world.

While the initial concept of driving around and delivering packages all night sounds boring, “Cloudpunk” interjects lots of conversation during deliveries and you really get to know those who you were thrust in with such as Control and clients that you meet along the way. The city map is huge and you can discover new locations forward, backward, up and down with plenty of collectibles and people to meet and places to discover. The story is unique and intriguing but sometimes you lose track of the whys and hows of what you’re supposed to do and what is going on at certain points. I’m not quite sold on the choice of the Voxel/pixel style graphics…I feel that something more realistic or darker would have fit the desolate cyberpunk setting, but the cityscape itself looks amazing as you’re flying around. I was also somewhat disappointed that, outside of achievements and trophies, your in-game decisions don’t really matter that much in the long run.

What really stands out for me and still sticks with me the most after finishing the game is the superb voice acting in “Cloudpunk”. The voice cast really does a fantastic job bringing the characters to life and adding depth to the story which resonates after finishing the game. Rania is a well-rounded character that just had a run of bad luck but reluctantly wants to help out those in need. Her relationship with her automata dog/friend Camus is well-written and feels genuine. The two rely on each other to keep themselves sane and to keep their dignity and moral fabric. This is similar to the relationship that develops with Rania and Control. At first he’s just your dispatcher but as you work together throughout the long night, you discover that you have a lot of things in common…tragedy, loss, disillusionment and sadness. As the story progresses, these relationships are what shape the events that transpire. You’ll also meet some fun and interesting side-characters along the way like Comrade Bop and Huxley who will leave a lasting impression.

I also enjoyed the fact that the game doesn’t take itself too seriously at times. Even though there are dire events and tragedies transpiring throughout the city, sometimes you’ll encounter some funny and strange occurrences that will mix goofiness with dark humor such as the escalator to nowhere or the story of Anderson Financial. These moments were quite enjoyable when discovered.

Cloudpunk Soundtrack Download

While initially “Cloudpunk” may seem like a futuristic driving simulator, upon further inspection it is a well-written, well-acted slice of cyberpunk fandom. I’ve never quite played anything like it before but yet so much of it felt familiar. If you’re looking for something fresh with a unique storyline and memorable characters, send your resume over to Cloudpunk HR immediately.

Overall Rating:

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If you want contemplative quirky characters rather than button mashing combat, hover cars rather than heroes on horses and sci-fi neon noir rather than the typical science fantasy get this game. Like the best indie games, it is low priced, easily consumed and focused on delivering a few great ingredients rather than cooking a seven-course meal.

See our full review of Cloudpunk on Steam, which was released earlier this year. It’s now moved to consoles, and this review follows that version.

Cloudpunk puts you in the driver seat of a delivery service that skims the floating skyscraper city Nivalus at night. You get money by picking up packages for customers that range from suspiciously anonymous to the tragically trapped in this corporate controlled future. The newly immigrated character you play, Rania, mainly interacts with her cyber-dog AI companion Camus and her mysterious dispatcher Control. All are well written and well-acted. Voice Actors Andrea Petrille (Rania), Cory Herndon (Camus) and Mike Berlak (Control) deliver their lines with subtle emotion and not the usual over the top vocals of most games. They and the rest of the cast immerse you into this Uber, Lyft, DoorDash future.

Maneuvering your cloud car, called a HOVA, can be relaxing when you have a straight path but frustrating when you smack up against a building by taking a turn too fast. You can purchase upgrades to your HOVA like “Plasteel Bumpers” which cut down on the need for repairs and “Vertical Boosters” increase your mobility. Both were worth it for me in making the game more enjoyable.

Not that you can’t ignore such things. If you run out of fuel Cloudpunk lets you limp along till you find a gas station and if you are in desperate need of repairs your HOVA lets off a stream of smoke in your wake until you get to a repair shop. It fits with the low-key, slow reveal of the story and doesn’t induce the typical combat death anxiety of your regular video game. You can personalize your HOVA also, with a Retro Antennae and different taillights that leave a short signature of color in your wake.

Serenading this journey is UK composer Harry Critchley’s atmospheric ninety-five-minute soundtrack. It is beautiful and can be purchased separately. Just like the game it reminds the listener of Blade Runner, Miami Vice, Electronica and 80’s synth music. It gives weight to the dialogue between Rania and different social status (and stratus!) of her desperate clients.

This dialogue and much of the story were written by Thomas Welsh, a UK author known for the Metiks Fade fantasy trilogy. He came to this project after seeing an early demo for the game by Berlin-based developer Marko Dieckmann. He emailed him and asked if they needed a writer for the game. After exchanging writing samples, he got the job.

The game’s NPC’s give nods to groundbreaking writers of science fiction and their themes. One NPC is called Octavius Butler. An obvious homage to the writer Octavia Butler. Another is the addled android Huxley, “Nivalis’ best, cheapest private investigator” who speaks like the narration of noir novel.

Cloudpunk Metacritic

Marko Dieckmann, the Berlin based creator of Cloudpunk worked on the graphics of this project for three years, basing it on Voxel art, pixels pushed into 3D cubes. Some famous voxel games are Minecraft, Crossy Road and Shooty Skies. This gives the game a blocky view of its people up close and a retro artiness at a distance. It melds with the synth music, the moody dreaminess of Cloudpunk’s tone and delivers lots of real estate for your hovercar to cover.

On the surface this is a single-person fetch quest game, good for a diverting experience. But going below that surface the androids, humans and cyborgs of this darkly beautiful cloud dwelling come across as complex and many times touching. The main character, newly arrived and trying to survive her first night, interacts with them as a fellow traveler rather than a conqueror or sword swinging hero. She doesn’t shoot anyone, but she can still help save some of the people she meets, within the scant resources at her disposal.

The success of this game looks like it will lead to either some DLC or to a sequel. Both of which I welcome. So get this offering from Ion Lands if you want a unique experience in graphics, character, story and sound.

Cloudpunk Soundtrack Bandcamp

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