Cloudpunk
We have been blessed with a number of cyberpunk adventure games in the past. We had the excellent Blade Runner set in the same universe as the film (which was also re-released on GOG thanks to SCUMMVM late last year). A few years ago we also had Technobabylon from Wadjet Eye. And more recently we also had NeoFeud which was included in the top 25 cyberpunk games of all time. But while all three games were very well received one thing that would have added to those games is fly around those worlds in hover cars. Ionlands look to change that with their new game Cloudpunk which aims to literally and metaphorically take the genre to a whole new level.
From the outset we can clearly see this game is heavily inspired by Blade Runner. It’s set at night time, it’s always raining, there are hover cars flying around, neon advertisements are everywhere and there are plenty of androids walking around. But while it certainly shares a lot in common with Blade Runner, thankfully the game also has its own unique identity which helps it stand out.
We play as Rania, an outsider who has just arrived to the city of Nivalis who has been hired as a delivery driver for illicit delivery company Cloudpunk. While we make deliveries we learn more about the city and Rania herself and why she ended up in the city as a delivery driver in the first place. We see that Rania is more than capable of holding her own against the other inhabitants of the city by delivering witty remarks to those who look down on her for being an outsider. She is also a kind, caring and compassionate person as she also wants to help others when she can and we see this several times throughout the game. The two main characters we interact with are Control, who tells you where to go and what packages to deliver and Camus, your dog automata AI who wants to have his own body and speaks exactly like you would imagine a dog would speak. These conversations really help ensure that flying around the city is never dull and are always interesting to listen to. There is great banter between the characters, particularly Camus who always take everything Rania says literally. A definite plus in this game is that the story is told as much through its environment as well as its exposition. We are told that the city is dangerous to live in. To confirm this, when we are exploring we can often see buildings collapsing into the sea which is truly spectacular to watch and definitely adds to the sense of danger in the city.
The rest of the characters also shine through in this game. Some of the other characters we meet while making deliveries include a snobbish lady and her android partner who really have different outlooks on life. We also meet a PI who always talks like he’s narrating a noir movie and who seems to be a cross between Sam Spade and Phillip Marlowe.
Speaking of flying there is a lot of it. Thankfully I found the controls on the gamepad to be intuitive and I only ever crashed a few times. The good thing is that you cannot die in this game so if you crash a few times and you see smoke coming from your hover car a simple repair job in one of the garages will do the trick. Likewise if you run low on gas you can refuel in multiple locations around the city. You can fly on the highway with other hover cars or you can take the scenic route and fly through the different sections of the city. It is here that we see just how striking the visuals truly are. And just when you think you have seen everything the city has to offer you can then explore another section. Some places we visit include a posh area where the CEOs live, Chinatown which include Asian markets and later we go into the vents below the city where we see where the poorest inhabitants live.
As well as flying through through the city we can also explore the different sections on foot when we park (which thankfully is done automatically). There is not a whole lot you can do in these sections. Sure you can eat in the different food stalls, talk to different characters and buy and sell objects to different merchants. But none of this is necessary and doesn’t add to the story or the game as a whole. Even talking to characters is a passive experience as you are unable to interact in the conversations. It would have been nice to be able to choose how to respond or even to click on dialogue trees to do something and make it more interactive. There is also a side quest where you need to collect punch cards and then deliver them to an android outside your home in order to find out more about her backstory. You can also walk around your apartment where you can go out to the balcony and take in the city and purchase some upgrades. While none of this is necessary it does add to the game and is a nice feature to have.
The game also doesn’t have any real puzzles to speak of. Early on you’re told that you have to figure out a way to get into a nightclub and you’re told that won’t be easy. However, upon arriving there, the character automatically is able to talk her way in without any interaction from the player. Again this was an opportunity for possibly a distraction or a dialogue puzzle which was unfortunately not taken by the developers. The only real time you can really interact meaningfully is when you need to make decisions during the game. For example, early on you need to decide whether to deliver a suspicious package to its intended recipient or to throw it away into the sea. However if you don’t deliver the package as intended then this may have consequences on your job. Later on you also need to decide who to save from a gas leak but you only have enough room in the car for 3 people. Control has told you to save the richest people who can pay the company but are they the best people to save? These choices and moral dilemmas are all done well and interesting but unfortunately the game is a little inconsistent in this regard. Sometimes you can make choices but other times Rania makes the choices herself . As before a little more interactivity would have helped. It’s also unclear whether the choices have true consequences as it seems impossible to lose your job.
Thankfully the voice acting is of a high quality throughout. The voice actor who plays Rania is funny when she needs to be and she can also deliver the emotional scenes in the game as well. The voice actors for Control and Camus are also pleasant to listen to as are the other NPCs that you meet in the game and there wasn’t anyone I found to be poorly voiced. The soundtrack is also heavily inspired by Vangelis which certainly adds to the atmosphere and is never overplayed. The sound effects such as the footsteps in the rain and the noise of the hover cars also help to make you feel you’re really there.
With a little bit more interactivity and a little bit more variety in gameplay with more meaningful choices this game could have been a classic. Despite these flaws however, with the beautiful graphics, interesting characters and story, high quality voice acting, this game is still highly recommended to anyone who wants to feel the joy of flying around this incredible lived in and vibrant city.
Pros
Intriguing story and interesting, relatable characters
Flying through the beautiful city is a lot of fun
City feels alive and vibrant
Good dialogue while flying
Impressive scenery
Good voice acting throughout
Choices feel like interesting moral dilemmas
Beautiful Vangelis inspired soundtrack
Cons
No real puzzles in the game
Not much variety in gameplay
Not much interaction in dialogues with NPCs
Choices don’t seem to have much impact on the story.
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