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Play This Game First Before Nivalis Nights Comes Out!
If you just can’t wait to play Nivalis Nights, you should play Cloudpunk while you’re waiting for it to come out on Septembe 29th. Why? It’s the prelude to Nivalis Nights and Cloudpunk is set in the city of Nivalis!
Cloudpunk is a simple, cozy game. Pick up the package. Deliver the package. It’s not complicated. It’s a slow burn kind of game so if you’re looking for loads of action, this probably isn’t the game for you. But if you want to relax and enjoy flying around a cyberpunk, neon city and meeting some interesting characters with no rush, this is it.
Cloudpunk was developed by Ion Lands and published by Maple Whispering Ltd. It first came out exclusively on Steam (which is a good sign for Nivalis Nights eventually being released on other platforms) in April of 2020 and is now available on Playstation 4/5, Switch, and XBox One/Series X/S.
With Nivalis Nights coming out soon, I’ll be replaying Cloudpunk on Twitch.
Cloudpunk is Simple and Beautiful
One of the things that people generally agree on about Cloudpunk is that the simplicity of the game is where the appeal lays.
You play as Raina, a girl who has had to escape to the city of Nivalis to survive. She finds a job at a legal-ish delivery service. She doesn’t usually know what she is delivering, but that’s not her business. “Control” contacts her with all the details she needs – where to pick up the package and where to drop it off. She gets in her HOVA (a flying vehicle), hopes it won’t break down (their on a budget), and flies through the beauty of the neon lights to the destination. Find a parking spot (she can identify parking spots by the large P), and then locate the delivery destination.
Of course, there’s more to it than that. Some of the delivery destinations lead her to some interesting people who have their own stories. Sometimes they need her help. And sometimes, it gets her in a bit of trouble.
While the majority of information comes from “Control,” you also have your companion, an AI dog named Camus. Camus is both funny and helpful. He can give you info that will help you but he has a personality all of his own that is very enjoyable.
The Cloudpunk Economy
There’s lots to explore and discover and the more you find, the more you can earn.
There are items to pick up if you look around and they can either help you in your daily life or you can sell them. Local merchants will buy your used batteries and electronic parts. And you’ll want that money later. You can also buy things from the merchants. Keep in mind that the merchants in the lower districts will sell you things at a lower price point and if you sell them in the more affluent districts (like Avalon Heights) you can make a tidy profit.
Keep in mind that you might need some of the items later in the game. There are lifts that you can use when on foot to take you to different levels and sometimes, they are broken and need to be repaired. Guess what they need to repair them? Coolant and electrical parts! And then there are these Corsec gaurds that like to mess with you and it’s a lot easier to get by them if you have one of their flyers with you.
Food vendors are all over the place in case she wants to get something to eat or drink. You don’t really need to eat and drink to keep playing but it is part of the experience. And there’s a few acheivements to unlock by eating and drinking. Sometimes you can learn things from the vendors when you talk to them, too.
There are multiple reasons why you want to make extra Lims outside of your job.
You probably want to upgrade your HOVA at some point so that it will run better and have less of a chance of breaking down. And so it will look cooler. And of course, you’re going to need fuel to keep going. If you’re the kind of driver I am, you might need to pay for a lot of repairs to your HOVA, too beause you’ll run into a lot of buildings and other HOVAs. Oh, is that just me? Okay…
Finally, what kind of cozy game doesn’t have living quarters that you can decorate? In this case, it’s your own apartment. You’re going to need Lims to be able to deck it out. It’s not a huge part of the game but it can be fun. I didn’t pay a lot of attention to my apartment the first time I played it but I think I’ll work on it more the second time.
If you love a good cozy game that you can play without any pressure, that you can jump back into and explore the area in greater depth, or that just fills the room with amazing music and vibes, you’ll love Cloudpunk. It’s one of the very few games that I’ve played from start to finish.
You can pick Cloudpunk up in digital format or you can buy it on Amazon.
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