Cloudrift

If there is one word to describe friendlyOctopus’s debut game on Steam, Cloudrift, then that word would be unique. It’s almost impossible to fit it within a specific genre. I would have considered it to be a puzzle game yet that doesn’t quite seem right as there’s really nothing to solve, there isn’t enough classic action style gameplay to fit it within that genre and it’s not quite a ‘casual’ game because it’s a little more involved for that genre. Thus, although the devs classified their game as an action, casual, indie game I’d prefer to consider it more of a pure good old fashioned indie game that doesn’t necessarily tick the boxes of anything else. That’s not a bad thing. In fact, it’s great that the game is a genuinely unique entry onto Steam. Gameplay revolves around floating a ball around a cloud constantly avoiding falling off of the cloud while scoring. In that essence perhaps ‘score attack’ is the most fitting sub-genre for the game. Of course, the game is far from as simple as it sounds. Clouds open up on a whim, they can become quite mountainous and require speed in order to ascend them, you can bounce your ball but that is at your own peril as you can easily jump higher and harder than you would necessarily want to and find those dreaded holes in the clouds or off of the game board altogether. The game’s visuals and graphics are simply gorgeous adding to the addictive nature of the game. I found the sound to be a little repetitive but I wasn’t expecting much going in as it’s not the most important thing in a game of this nature. In fact, I would almost recommend this as a podcast listener’s dream game. However, I would recommend turning on the invisible geese in the options menu. Not only will you get a relatively easy achievement when one turns up – even if you’re idling in the menu system – but it startled Ainslie and made her ask what the @#$% was that. Kinda hilarious. Aside from the jumping/bouncing mechanic occasionally being stronger than you anticipated everything works as intended and the game never feels as though it is cheating you when you lose. It really pushes all of the right buttons. The game’s visuals and graphics are superb and are simply gorgeous and addictive to play. I found the sound to be a little too repetitive but I wasn’t expecting much going in as it’s not the type of area that is significant in a game of this type. In fact, I would almost recommend this as a podcast listener’s dream game. Everything works as intended and the game play never feels as though it is cheating you of your life. When it comes to technique this game pushes all of the right buttons. On a final note I really do like the fact that friendlyOctopus are pushing the world’s high score in their game announcements. As of writing player Magni got the all-time high score on January 11 and they’re waiting to see how long it takes someone to break the high score. I’m not good enough to do so but that doesn’t mean that you’re not. I recommend Cloudrift to absolutely everyone to at least try. It’s unique and it’s very, very good. For similar reviews and our popular giveaways please visit http://www.steamified.com/

This game is simple fun. Roll a ball around a psychadelic weather radar. Sometimes feels like a racing game, the way the cloud moves. Certainly takes some skill to score, and the fact the game is randomly generated adds a lot. Pros: +Gamepad +Random-generated levels +Psychadelic Cons: -Practiced unlimited mid-air-jumping could be an exploit

omg i cant beleive i didnt know about this game i have a bunch of arcade machines including marble madness and havent been able to find a game that even remotely matches up to it until now ive been waiting for something like this my whole life i got 6th place on my second try and then took off my vive and started planning an arcade cabinet for this game with an led lit trackball but it works great with an xbox controller as well also its a more fleshed out game with huge replay value even if it didnt have one of the best global leaderboards ever that gives you high global scores at the bottom of the screen that tells you how close you are to moving up a spot its sheer genius 10/10 all day ill be playing this game the rest of my life chasing down corporatezombies 7 million score

A truly inspiring masterpiece of a game that truly does something different for a change, Cloudrift is a game that does almost everything right. Your goal is to stay on the cloud as long as you can, and collect colors and other powerups that fall from the sky. The longer the game lasts, the harder it gets. It is a different experience every time you play, and it can be very intense at times! Powerups include a castle that provides a safe haven from the chaos for a short time, and infallible, which means you can't die while it is active. Also features some kickass music! You can get an array of time-based modifiers to help boost your score, these range from a cloud agitator, which whips it into a frenzy, a wind pickup, and a cloud changer that changes the cloud into a different configuration. It changes back after a short while or if you lose your modifiers. Be warned, some of them can be fairly brutal! There are also pickups for each of the colors you collect, which turns the entire cloud into that color. I don't know what collecting the colors actually does, if anything, other than increase your score, but it is an interesting mechanic. Another interesting mechanic is that you can jump multiple times in a row; however you must balance surviability with the need to score points, as you can only score by touching the cloud. A nice touch. There are also bombs that will periodically drop and if they aren't dealt with blow up chunks of the cloud temporarily. Unfortunately, no game is perfect, and Cloudrift is no exception. First off, if you don't have a controller, don't bother; the game sucks without one. Secondly, it is unfortunately local only, so if you don't have anyone else to play this with the two player modes are pretty useless, leading to a bit of wasted potential. Also, currently there is no windowed mode, only fullscreen. All in all, I think this game is a real gem; I never thought I'd see the day when something new actually came along that hadn't been done to death before, and the price is right. I fully recommend Cloudrift to those who like these types of games. EDIT: I think I've finally figured out what the colors do; as you collect them you'll notice a series of bars start to appear alongside them, the more you collect the more bars there are. Eventually they will end in a : symbol, and collecting any more of that particular color will not add to it further, it will only increase your score. Doing this with all three colors gives you an infallible powerup, after which the amount resets to zero. Possibly you need more and more each time, but I haven't been able to verify that.

Note: Reviewed the game using a code provide by the developer before the release. Cloudrift looks deceptively simple, but had us hooked in no time. Trying to beat your own best high scores or aiming for the leaderboards is fun, but the game really comes into its own when taking on a friend.

A tricky, old-school puzzler with great music and colour. I give it 4 stars out of 5. Drops one star for the emphasis on gamepad as a controller although its plenty playable without.

I honestly didn't think I would like this game at all. And after my first playthrough, where I didn't know what the hell was going on, I thought for sure I would be asking for a refund. However, I kept playing and soon I found myself mysteriously reaching a zen like state. No kidding. At first this game seems stressful, because you're not used to the controls and it's easy to lose control of the ball quickly. Soon you get the hang of being able to direct the ball almost anywhere you want to go. Then the game becomes a calm, soothing experience. The in-game music really adds to that. It's simple, yet effective (gameplay + visuals + music = zen) I really only have two complaints. My first complaint is that I wish there was a way to listen to my own music from within the game. The in-game music is not bad, but I'd like to at least have the option to listen to my own music. My second critique is the price point, especially the normal price, it's a little high for the amount of content. Also, pvp version needs to come to the VR version if you're normally charging $9.99. Sale price Rating 6/10 when $3.59 USD or less

I've been having an absolute blast with Cloudrift! It seems like a simple game but the more you play the more you discover. "Mutators" (That's what I call them since thats what they do!) are dropped randomly into the game while you're playing which make the map move, change the clouds completely to either help you or make it even more difficult, and lets not forget the infinite jump which makes for some cool moments! It's a very fun game that has so much to offer for its low price so be sure to pick it up! :D

Cool concept where you roll Deadmau5's head around, avoiding gaps, collecting objects, getting bigger andtiming it perfectly.

Relaxing but still challenging game that hits for me the perfect balance. One of my VR surprises.