Cloud Climber

Cloud Climber, not just a game for climbing clouds.

I’m not really sure what pulled me into this game, but I think it was because I was searching the new releases on Steam and this one happened to look like one of the less junkier ones (no offense to them, of course…). Plus, looking further into it, I saw it was a walking simulator, and I’m a sucker for those types of games.

No intense battles to worry about. Nothing to chase you down dark corridors.

Just walking around and enjoying the environment, for the most part.

I was sold.

• Developed by Two Star Games
• Published by Two Star Games

PC

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[lwptoc]

FAQ

What is this page?

This is an in-depth critique of the game Cloud Climber. I go all in with my review by picking apart the game, piece by piece. By doing this, I try to help not only the devs that created the games, but also future aspiring devs by giving my viewpoint on everything as an avid gamer, but please understand…

There may be spoilers.

Is this critique on your Patreon?

Yes! You can find it here.

If you’d like to show your support for these in-depth critiques of videos games, then you can check out the Patreon page. You’ll be able to download the PDF file of the same critique without ads and imagery. Aside from that, it’s most of the same stuff.

How long does it take to beat Cloud Climber?

Around 15 minutes if you’re dawdling and taking in the environment or reading everything at a slower pace.

How many diary entries are there to read?

You can find twelve of them.

Can you fall off the tower and die?

No. Tried it.

Does Cloud Climber have any DLC?

They do!

It’s the Cloud Climber – Fan Pack, mainly created to support the dev if you enjoyed the game itself, since it’s free and the other games might not be your cup of tea. Here’s what you can find inside:

• 3 4K wallpapers
• Character profiles of the writers of every note within the game
• Developer commentary video

Title Screen

Background

As far as the background for the title being Cloud Climber, it doesn’t really…hmm, well I guess after reading the snippet of what the game’s about, you understand it a bit. They are building upwards into the clouds, so it does show that, and you get a sense of style for what you’re going into.

But I guess for people who just buy the game and hop on into the Cloud Climber, they’re just like, “Huh. This is weird. Where are all the puffy clouds at? Why aren’t we climbing the puffy clouds?”

I like how it’s not a still image.

I like how there’s movement. The camera has a subtle movement, there’s cloth hanging, moving. I don’t really know if the clouds are moving. I think it’s just the edge border of the screen.

But that’s the title screen.

Title Font

First off, the title location off to the left side, bordered by a transparent box is a nice touch, because it’s a little out of the way instead of being somewhere in the middle of the screen. It doesn’t really block anything that you’d truly want to look at in the background.

As far as the font goes, it’s not really unique. It doesn’t really give anything away with the title itself or the kind of game you’ll be playing.

It doesn’t even really resemble clouds, but it has that shaky border, and we all know clouds aren’t exactly smooth-edged. I’m not really sure if they chose any kind of font, or if they were trying for cloud-based, or if they kind of chose it for something to choose.

The line between the two words is a nice touch though, because it does signify climbing, with “cloud” on top of “climber.”

I also like how they put the Two Star Games 2020 underneath the title.

A lot of games just have the title itself, and then at the end of the game it’ll have the developers of the game, the publishers, or if it’s a big time company it’ll have it during the gameplay at some point in the beginning.

Menu

The menu has limited options, which is nice, because you don’t have to click on a bunch of different things. You’ve got the play option to get right into it, the settings in order to tinker with the graphics quality or mouse sensitivity, and then the quit button.

One thing I wish there was is a volume button for the voice, because the main character is on the lower end of the spectrum.

As far as exiting the game…when I first started playing this, and when a lot of people first started playing this, you would need to actually go into your Task Manager to end the program itself, as it would continue running in the background, despite you having left the game.

I don’t think that is an issue anymore. If you do quit the game, the game will automatically close, so they did fix that problem.

Misc.

The dev team decided to post their Twitter handle on the bottom section of the title menu, and when you hover over it, it turns blue.

I like this. It’s a nice touch. So when you finish the game and it takes you to the main screen you can click on their Twitter and check them out and follow them if you like this game, if you haven’t played their other games before.

The other links, however, turn red. I don’t know if I like the red hover color. I think they could’ve gone with just expanding the size of the text on hover, instead of changing the color of them. I do like the clicking noise and how they expand, but the red.

The red throws me off. I don’t like it.

I guess I just don’t understand it.

The other eyesore that I don’t like is the section on the right. This is a free game, so they are promoting their other game My Beautiful Paper Smile, however, I would’ve liked for this to pop up on the title screen after you played this game the first time.

Because going into this, you haven’t played it yet, but all of a second, you’re automatically getting this on the screen for their other game.

Like hey, you’re on a game you haven’t played yet, but here, have another game of ours.

And it even says, “Enjoying Cloud Climber?” Well, we don’t know. We haven’t tried it yet. Because this is on the screen before we’ve even played.

I understand the promotion. But I just don’t like it being there. It distracts from what you’re looking at in the background.

Gameplay

Achievements

Due to the game being so short, there’s not much need for any kind of achievements, thus there aren’t any. Although if the dev does decide to add in at least one achievement, I would be interested in seeing one for the ending–at least knowing what it would be named.

Plot

You’re the last person on the towers and it’s your mission to get to the fourth tower in order to continue building, because, well, what else would you do, right?

Game length

Even when you’re trying to meander and explore, which there’s not much of that that’s going to happen, you can expect to be at the most twenty minutes long, but more often than not, it’ll be less.

Replay Value

Cloud Climber is meant to be a short story, so there’s no need for a second replay, unless you happened to miss a diary entry that you want to go back in and read?

Genre

This is a post apocalyptic game where you’re the sole survivor trying to build up to the clouds in order to find the water within them. Unfortunately, being the sole survivor…you don’t have much hope of completing that task.

If you don’t like walking simulators, don’t try this game. If you don’t like super short games with a storyline that completely works for how short they are, don’t try this game.

Controls

I played this game on a mouse and keyboard, but I believe it can be played on a controller as well.

I didn’t encounter anything wrong with the controls. It sort of felt odd being able to look in your inventory at what you have without being able to actually use any of it. I guess that was their idea of a failsafe in case you weren’t sure if you had one of the items you needed or not?

The only problem I did have was trying to go up a ladder by pressing against the side of it, like how some games you can get away with. But you actually have to be at the bottom of the steps in order to climb up the ones in this game, I guess.

Combat

Nothing to worry about except the lack of rain. No combat necessary.

Interactions

There are a limited amount of objects you’re able to interact with, but most of the things you can interact with actually mean something in regards to the game, either as part of some kind of backstory, or to sort of progress forward.

When we get to the end of the game, we also keep some items in our inventory, which I thought was a bit odd, because normally by the end of a game, you’ve used up all or most of your supplies, but I guess that’s not always the case. After all, some of the equipment we have are the saw and hammer, which we’d need beyond the continuance of the game–water bucket included, from the start.

I do think it was sort of odd when building the last of our steps at the end how we just threw them down all willy-nilly with no real style or finesse.

But look at where he is right now and what his outcome has become.

I can take it as a sign of frustration rather than a lack of tidiness to the boards. Even if the devs weren’t going for that, it still worked out that way.

As far as backstory with some of the people before us, there are twelve notes left behind. They’re all in pretty obvious locations, so you can’t really miss them unless you’re flat out not bothering to pay attention.

I wish there could’ve been more.

I wish there was a way to drop a few more levels in the towers and find more of the notes and catalogue them a bit better maybe.

As it is, some of these people have written a ton, but we only get to see one single page of everything they’ve written. It just makes you wonder where the rest of the journal entries are.

Glitches

I didn’t encounter any glitches while playing, and I’ve played it about five different times at the moment of writing this.

Narration

Voice Acting

All right, let’s talk about the voice acting.

I really like the voice actor they chose. Whoever did it, I think it fits in perfectly with what’s going on right now, with him being the last one. He sounds a bit defeated, kind of lacking life. Not totally depressed, which is kind of odd to me.

I mean, if I was in this situation, I’d be like, shit man, like, what’s the point anymore, you know? Everyone’s gone, you’re the last one left. There’s no way you can do anything at this point. I mean, what would be the purpose?

Subtitles

As far as subtitles, I’m glad they have that on there.

Some games for some reason don’t put subtitles on. I’m glad they have the transparent backdrop as well, because it would’ve been awkward trying to read the script on this kind of background, even if it was a black stroke to the words.

Believability

So as far as the situation he’s in, I think his voice and his words come across as believable in this situation. I mean, he’s certainly not thrilled or anything, not happy.

I do wish that during the different times you’re reading the notes around the game that he does give kind of his point of view on what he’s reading, but then again, if you think about it, being the only person left and these notes being left around, he’s probably read them all before, so it’s like, why would he think of things to say about them when he’s thought about them already.

But still, it’d be interesting to know his thoughts, if they could’ve been added in.

As far as who he is, we don’t know. We do know he’s the last person on the towers and he’s getting up for another day of work apparently.

Apparently his last day of work as well from what it sounds like at the very end of the game.

He wakes up and gets his water before going to work and I’m not sure…there’s not a point to the water? He doesn’t drink it. He doesn’t get thirsty. I am curious about that. He does think about going back to the last tower to start where they left off with construction.

Which I assume is just his way of coping with the fact that he’s the last person and there’s really nothing left to do. And if you contemplate it too long of being the last person alive in a post-apocalyptic world, the outcome is pretty grim.

I mean, depression would be gnawing at you.

But I also find it interesting it’s been a while since you’ve been on the second tower.

Which means you don’t really know how long he’s been the last person alive, how long he’s seen people in the distance actually working, seen movement, heard noises, but I like the tidbits of information we get of people getting aggressive, which is bound to happen.

Think of freaking Hunger Games and, you know, islands where people get stranded. I’m thinking about Lord of the Flies, primarily, Lost.

He’s hoping to find what he’s looking for at this fourth tower, but I’m not really sure what that is.

Is he looking for some kind of motivation to continue? Maybe?

Whatever it was, I don’t think he found it. But maybe he found some peace of mind in the end.

Errors

There was one error as far as spelling.

They installed a rope cart on this levels to get to the third tower.

Graphics

Style

The style of it is interesting, as it has sort of a sketchy old cartoony look without looking overly cartoony. It reminds me of a toned down art style of Borderlands maybe, and certainly more like Bendy and the Ink Machine.

Due to this, I think if you look at the towers in the distance, they look a lot more realistic than the building structure right beside you.

Clarity

As far as everything having a distinct look, I’d say so.

I mean, the main things we’re looking for are boards, saw, keys, and notes, and they’re all pretty decent at standing out. Not to mention the character we play as will say something when we start to approach an area where we’ll be interacting with something useful–like the pulley system.

Glitches

I didn’t see any graphical glitches.

Soundtrack

Background music

I didn’t really notice much regarding the background music. I noticed something was there, it was never purely silence, but I’m not sure if I paid enough attention to the fact that there was any kind of music going on in the background at all. That might be me being more laser-focused on what’s in front of me than what’s filtering through my ears.

Or I’ll just call it selective hearing like everyone else.

Ambiance

Now there was definitely ambiance to be heard while going throughout the game, though there wasn’t much in the ways of it. I mean, we’re the only person up here and there’s nothing but the wind to keep us company. Which means most of our ambiance is going to be coming from the wind.

It’s a desolate sound, for sure.

Sound Effects

The sound effects are going to be coming from you picking up the objects you need, or laying down the boards in order to get to your destination. Again, all simple and matter of fact. Nothing too stressful to your ears or too erratic.

You’ve got the creaky opening of doors, because what else do you expect, right?

DLC

Character Book

While I like the idea of a character book, it doesn’t really mean much to me after I’ve played the game, especially since it might be a little while until I actually take the time to look at the DLC or buy it. At that point, I don’t really remember who the characters are, and, even after getting done with the game again, I still wouldn’t really remember them, because I’ve got such a bad memory.

What I really wish they did was give us more journal entries so we could learn about the characters through their own writing, instead of basically being told about them like some preacher giving us their eulogy at a funeral.

If you’re a writer, I’m sure you know the whole “show, don’t tell.” Well, a diary entry would’ve been the perfect show, in this case.

But…at least we get something on them. At least they’ve been made human instead of simply text on a screen.

We even get their faces, which I do enjoy the scribble art style.

Developer Commentary

It’s so great to hear how a developer goes about creating their own game. Even moreso, their thought process while creating the game itself, as well as the problems they had to force themselves to get through and the mental stress they had to overcome.

Especially knowing that this game was created in a single week based on a specific theme of “It’s been a long time, but we’re not done yet.”

It’s especially good for other aspiring game developers to listen to in order to understand that sometimes you have to force a game out of your head and meet the bugs and the flaws head on and not give up, even when the rain doesn’t come until you’re the last man standing.

Wallpapers

The wallpapers are a nice touch, and I actually expected them to have something along the lines of the in-game art style, but no.

These are much more easy on the eyes and calming, compared to what you see in-game.

I enjoy the second one with the night theme the most.

Final Thoughts

You can’t beat a game that’s free, honestly, (well, actually you can, in less than fifteen minutes even!), and for being made in a week’s time, Cloud Climber is pretty damn polished. It’s a well thought out short story, if I do say so myself, with an ending that could be considered both happy and tragic, depending on your point of view.

I certainly felt bad for the guy. All that work and at the end that happens.

Though there were a lot of things I questioned, I guess it all goes back to the fact that it’s a game and it shouldn’t be looked at too closely.

Plus…one week.