Cloudbuilt (PC) Review

Cloudbuilt immediately drops a pair of tutorial levels, which explain the game's controls and concepts. The player is given the first of many courses to navigate, while avoiding and destroying enemies that attempt to stop advancement, and from reaching the end of the level. As the game progresses, levels become more complex and offer different routes to test the reflexes without alienating the less skilled that may want to enjoy the game.

Between levels, the story of the game is told through the inner monologue of the main character, Demi. The gameplay takes place in Demi's mind as she is guided through her mental journey of recovery whilst her real body lies in a comatose state in a hospital room. The story is excellently delivered not only through Demi's narration, but also in the game world that surrounds her. The different routes in each level make a wonderful representation of the different challenges Demi finds herself facing as she fights to rebuild herself in the real world.

The game's story is also represented in the level select screen, which branches out like a mind map. Multiple levels are often unlocked when making it to the exit of a single stage, which, combined with the multiple paths inside each individual level, reduces the chances of abandoning the game out of frustration. This helps stop a challenging game from becoming unplayable as each level can be explored in an enjoyable manner to find the best way to complete it or move to another level if a certain one starts to feel too difficult.

Cloudbuilt is comprised of over twenty levels and boasts four different endings, which itself gives the game added appeal beyond simply finishing it. Cloudbuilt's replay value is further enhanced by the inclusion of a ranking system for each level and online leaderboards. This makes the multiple routes through stages something that can help stuck gamers, but also something that can let more experienced players experiment within each level to find the optimum route through one and execute it in record time.

Controlling Demi works well with the mouse and keyboard as the mouse makes it easy to look around while navigating the levels, even when running along walls. The game also includes support for traditional controllers, including the Xbox 360 controller. It's possible to rebind buttons for both controls schemes, which makes it easy to tailor the controls to something that feels comfortable. This is definitely something that some may find necessary in later stages, which require quick reflexes to move Demi between walls without falling into the cloudy abyss!

Cloudbuilt uses an amazing cel-shaded art style that feels timeless and makes the game's levels rich with life. The developers have made wonderful use of a range of colours to convey different moods in each of the game's seven worlds and add variety to each level. The title supports 60 frames per second, which makes action fluid, fast and frantic, as navigating levels as fast as possible creates an exhilarating experience. In addition to the beautiful visuals, Cloudbuilt has an excellent soundtrack that complements the gameplay and graphics in an incredible manner.

While Cloudbuilt's level design and controls help to make it an fantastic platformer, its combat elements aren't as entertaining. The aiming controls work very well, which is good as they are vital for jumping between walls when running along them, but dispatching robots with Demi's gun doesn't seem as fluid as the platforming elements. The slow rate of fire of the gun leaves a long time to wait to take another shot, which can jar the smooth flow of the game when trying levels for the first time. Thankfully, a lot of the levels offer paths to avoid enemies, or exclude them all together, which helps maintain the momentum of the game.