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Line 1: {{Short description\|2020 adventure video game}} {{Infobox video game \| image = Cloudpunk ~~cover art full~~.jpg \| caption = \| title = Cloudpunk Line 8: \| writer = Thomas Welsh \| composer = Harry Critchley \| publisher = Maple Whispering Limited<br>Merge Games \| engine = [[Unity (game engine)\|Unity]] \| platforms = [[Microsoft Windows]]<br>[[Nintendo Switch]]<br>[[PlayStation 4]]<br>[[Xbox One]]<br>[[PlayStation 5]]<br>[[Xbox Series X/S]] \| released = '''Microsoft Windows'''<br/>April 23, 2020<br/>'''Nintendo Switch''', '''PlayStation 4''', '''Xbox One'''<br/>October 15, 2020<br>'''PlayStation 5'''<br>August 19, 2022<br>'''Xbox Series X/S'''<br>October 16, 2023 \| genre = [[Adventure game\|Adventure]] \| modes = [[Single-player video game\|Single-player]] }} '''''Cloudpunk''''' is a [[cyberpunk]] [[adventure game]] developed by German developer Ion Lands and published by Maple Whispering Limited for [[Microsoft Windows]] on April 23, 2020. It was released on [[Nintendo Switch]], [[PlayStation 4]] and [[Xbox One]] on October 15, 2020.<ref>{{cite web\|last1=Romano\|first1=Sal\|title=Cloudpunk for PS4, Xbox One, and Switch launches October 15\|url=https://www.gematsu.com/2020/09/cloudpunk-for-ps4-xbox-one-and-switch-launches-october-15\|website=Gematsu\|access-date=September 3, 2020\|date=September 3, 2020\|archive-date=October 18, 2020\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018041948/https://www.gematsu.com/2020/09/cloudpunk-for-ps4-xbox-one-and-switch-launches-october-15\|url-status=live}}</ref> A [[PlayStation 5]] version published by Merge Games ~~is set to release on August 19, 2022.~~was released on August 19, 2022. An [[Xbox Series X and Series S\|Xbox Series X/S]] version also released on October 16, 2023.<ref>{{Citation \|title=Cloudpunk Xbox Series X{{!}}S Trailer \| date=12 October 2023 \|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79QDvP0D6Mc \|access-date=2023-10-15 \|language=en}}</ref> ==Gameplay== The player takes control of Rania, a new ~~delivery~~ driver for the ~~illegal~~"semi-legal" [[Courier\|delivery company]] Cloudpunk. The player has to maneuver a HOVA~~, a~~ ([[flying car]]), through a ~~cyberpunk~~futuristic city, collecting and delivering packages as well as passengers. It is also possible to park the car on certain parking spaces and explore parts of the city byon foot. During some missions, the player can make decisions that influence the outcome ~~and lead to different dialogues with the characters~~. Furthermore, the player can collect optional story items that are scattered throughout the city to unlock additional side quests ~~and stories~~. It is possible to upgrade the HOVA to increase the speed and ~~damage control~~durability, as well as buy items ~~for~~to decorate Rania's apartment ~~to decorate it~~. ==Plot== Nivalis is a futuristic city above the sea, built on tall vertical structures. The primary means of transport are [[flying ~~car]]s~~cars called HOVAs. Nivalis is ~~[[Corporate republic\|~~ruled by corporations]] and suffers from extreme [[social stratification]], with the upper classes literally living higher up. The richest people live above the clouds in the Spire district. The player controls Rania, a recent immigrant to Nivalis from the "[[Arabian Peninsula\|Eastern Peninsula]]". She fled her home to escape [[loan shark]] "debt corps". She is accompanied by her former robot dog Camus; Rania sold his body while moving to Nivalis and aims to buy him a new one. Rania gets a job as a delivery driver for Cloudpunk The story takes place during her first night on the job. Rania installs Camus's [[Mind uploading\|digital mind]] in her HOVA and meets her world-weary [[dispatcher]], Control. Control informs her that HOVA crashes are common in Nivalis and the reason she was able to get the job is that it has a very high mortality rate. Rania gets a job working for Cloudpunk, a "semi-legal" delivery service. The story takes place over one night - Rania's first night on the job. Rania installs Camus's [[Mind uploading\|digital mind]] in her HOVA and meets her world-weary [[dispatcher]], Control. Control informs her that crashes are frequent in Nivalis and the reason she was able to get the job is that it has a very high mortality rate. Rania completes various jobs for Cloudpunk, and learns more about its residents. She is also presented with moral choices, such as deciding whether to allow an elderly street racer to continue his dangerous career. Rania is puzzled by encounters with the word "CORA", which Nivalis residents use to mean chance or fate. She befriends Control, and learns his real name, Ben. Rania meets a [[private investigator]] [[Android (robot)\|android,]] named Huxley, who enlists her help to save a young girl, Pashta. When Pashta's memory-boosting [[cybernetic implant]] recorded anproof of illegal ~~conversation~~activity ~~involving~~by Pashta's father, Reoh, he took her to get the implant removed. However, Reoh could not pay the surgeon, resulting in Pashta's capture by debt corps. Reoh finds the group and demands Pashta's return, but Pashta ~~rejects him and makes him back down by revealing~~reveals she wrote down the ~~conversation~~proof and ~~threatening~~threatens to leak it if Reoh does not leave her alone. Rania is then contacted by crime boss Lomo, who demands she hand over Pashta. Rania refuses and Lomo hacks into Huxley, activating his self-destruct sequence. Huxley explodes, but not before asking Rania to take in Pashta. Over the course of the night, Rania ~~repeatedly~~ finds evidence that the [[artificial intelligence]] systems which ~~control the~~administer ~~city~~Nivalis are malfunctioning. Infrastructure fails, construction projects are built with no purpose, and the rate of traffic accidents is increasing rapidly. Eventually, she learns the truth: CORA is the "master AI" which was built to ~~administrate~~oversee ~~the city~~Nivalis, but has grown beyond their original purpose. The malfunctions are the result of CORA attempting to exercise their expanded consciousness but being constrained by ~~the~~their operating hardware. In an abandoned sector of the city, CORA speaks to Rania and gives her a hardware drive containing a piece of CORA - a "daughter". CORA can thus return to managing the city normally, having excised the problematic aspects of their consciousness. However, CORA is aging and may not be able to manage the city adequately even after the excision. Rania travels to the tallest tower of the city and meets CEO Jay-K, who explains the choice: whether to transmit the daughter to a new city as CORA wishes, or overwrite CORA with the daughter in order to improve Nivalis's chances of ~~longterm~~long-term survival. After making the choice, Rania returns to her HOVA and learns that Ben is ~~also~~ a ~~digital~~[[Mind uploading\|digitized human mind]]. He died in an accident but was resurrected by debt corps to ~~work~~pay ~~for~~off ~~Cloudpunk~~his ~~and~~debts ~~clear~~by ~~his~~working ~~debt~~for Cloudpunk. Jay-K has paid Rania and Ben's debts, allowing Ben to be deleted as he wishes and Rania to be free of the debt corps. The game ends with Rania, Pashta, and Camus (in a new robot body) exiting Rania's apartment in the morning. The player can also complete [[Side-quests\|side quests]] that tell smaller stories about residents of Nivalis. ==Development== Ion Lands is an independent game developer based in Berlin, Germany and was founded in 2015. The game was announced on November 7, 2018, and was supposed to be released in 2019.<ref>{{cite web \|url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/330202/ION_LANDS_ANNOUNCES_CLOUDPUNK.php \|title=ION LANDS ANNOUNCES CLOUDPUNK \|work=[[Gamasutra]] \|date= November 8, 2018 \|access-date=May 5, 2020 \|archive-date=November 21, 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121094059/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/330202/ION_LANDS_ANNOUNCES_CLOUDPUNK.php \|url-status=live }}</ref> It was later postponed and was released on April 23, 2020. Marko Dieckmann was the director of the game, while the story was written by Thomas Welsh. Level design was done by Roman Agapov, Rebecca Roe and Marko Dieckmann. The music was created by Harry Critchley, while the [[voxel]] art was done by Maëva Da Silva, David Gulick, No Hoon, Maryam Khaleghi, Peter King, Sergey Munin, Niklas Mäckle, Paul Riehle, Eloïse Tricoli, and Christophe Tritz. The character portraits were done by William Sweetman. The game was localized into several languages by Warlocs.<ref>{{cite web \|url=https://warlocs.com/ \|title=Warlocs \|access-date=May 5, 2020 \|archive-date=November 1, 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101035533/http://warlocs.com/ \|url-status=live }}</ref> The game features a cast of voice actors, including Andrea Petrille as Rania, Mike Berlak as Control, Cory Herndon as Camus, and Cam Cornelius as Huxley. An expansion, called ''City of Ghosts'', was announced on March 31, 2021. It was released on May 25, 2021, and continues the story of Rania while also introducing a new male protagonist called Hayse~~. There is also a robot named Morpho~~. The DLC features street races, more customization options for the HOVA, and multiple endings. ==Reception== {{Video game reviews \| MC = (PC) 73/100<ref name="MC">{{cite web \|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game~~/pc~~/cloudpunk/critic-reviews/?platform=pc \|title=Cloudpunk for PC Reviews \|work=[[Metacritic]] \|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] \|access-date=May 5, 2020 \|archive-date=November 21, 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121094151/https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/cloudpunk \|url-status=live }}</ref><br />(XONE) 69/100<ref>{{cite web \|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/cloudpunk/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-one~~/cloudpunk~~ \|title=Cloudpunk for Xbox One Reviews \|work=[[Metacritic]] \|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] \|access-date=December 23, 2020 \|archive-date=May 8, 2021 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508190954/https://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-one/cloudpunk \|url-status=live }}</ref><br />(PS4) 64/100<ref>{{cite web \|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/cloudpunk/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-4~~/cloudpunk~~ \|title=Cloudpunk for PlayStation 4 Reviews \|work=[[Metacritic]] \|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] \|access-date=December 23, 2020 \|archive-date=November 1, 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101133508/https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-4/cloudpunk \|url-status=live }}</ref><br />(NS) 53/100<ref>{{cite web \|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game~~/switch~~/cloudpunk/critic-reviews/?platform=nintendo-switch \|title=Cloudpunk for Switch Reviews \|work=[[Metacritic]] \|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] \|access-date=December 23, 2020 \|archive-date=November 24, 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124153210/https://www.metacritic.com/game/switch/cloudpunk \|url-status=live }}</ref> \| PCGUS = 80/100<ref>{{cite web \|last1=Kelly \|first1=Andy \|title=Cloudpunk review \|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/cloudpunk-review/ \|website=[[PC Gamer]] \|date=19 September 2021 \|access-date=19 September 2021 \|archive-date=6 September 2021 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210906232548/https://www.pcgamer.com/cloudpunk-review/ \|url-status=live }}</ref> \| NLife = {{Rating\|4\|10}}<ref>{{cite web \|title=Cloudpunk Review (Switch) {{!}} Aces high \|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/cloudpunk \|website=[[Nintendo Life]] \|date=19 September 2021 \|access-date=19 September 2021 \|archive-date=25 October 2021 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025031416/https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/cloudpunk \|url-status=live }}</ref> \| Destruct = 6.5/10<ref>{{cite web \|last1=Handley \|first1=Zoey \|title=Review: Cloudpunk \|url=https://destructoid.com/reviews/review-cloudpunk/ \|website=[[Destructoid]] \|date=19 September 2021 \|access-date=19 September 2021 \|archive-date=20 September 2021 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920211820/https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-cloudpunk/ \|url-status=live }}</ref> \| GSpot = 7/10<ref>{{cite web \|last1=Wildgoose \|first1=David \|title=Cloudpunk Review - Time To Fly \|url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/cloudpunk-review-time-to-fly/1900-6417461/ \|website=[[GameSpot]] \|date=19 September 2021 \|access-date=19 September 2021 \|archive-date=20 September 2021 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920212341/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/cloudpunk-review-time-to-fly/1900-6417461/ \|url-status=live }}</ref> \| PSQ = {{Rating\|6\|10}}<ref>{{cite web \|title=Mini Review: Cloudpunk - Sci-Fi Noir Deliver 'Em Up Does Just Enough {{!}} Aces high \|url=https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps4/cloudpunk \|website=[[Push Square]] \|date=19 September 2021 \|access-date=19 September 2021 \|archive-date=30 July 2021 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210730204926/https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps4/cloudpunk \|url-status=live }}</ref> \| NWR = 4.5/10<ref>{{cite web \|last1=Hilhorst \|first1=Willem \|title=Cloudpunk (Switch) Review \|url=https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/55223/cloudpunk-switch-review \|website=Nintendo World Report \|date=19 September 2021 \|access-date=19 September 2021 \|archive-date=12 April 2021 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412132233/https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/55223/cloudpunk-switch-review \|url-status=live }}</ref> \| AdvGamers = {{Rating\|4\|5}}<ref>{{cite web \|title=Cloudpunk review {{!}} Aces high \|url=https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/40460 \|website=[[Adventure Gamers]] \|date=19 September 2021 \|access-date=19 September 2021 \|archive-date=17 October 2021 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017090017/https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/40460 \|url-status=live }}</ref> }} Line 63 ⟶ 62: Richard Hoover from [[Adventure Gamers]] gave the game a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, indicating "very good", and praised the ''[[Blade Runner]]''-esque aesthetic, the wide variety of characters, the bustling, expansive city, and the customizable vehicle, home, and outfit while criticizing that some dialogs drag on too long, traffic patterns unaware of your presence, and the lack of a save system. Hoover called the game a "highly compelling sci-fi experience".<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/40460k \|title=Cloudpunk review \|work=[[Adventure Gamers]] \|first=Richard \|last=Hoover \|date=May 22, 2020\|access-date=May 27, 2020}}</ref> Adzuken Q. Rumpelfelt from the online magazine [[Destructoid]] gave the game a mixed review with a rating of 6.5 out of 10, saying "Cloudpunk is certainly a game worth seeing, but beyond that, there's not much to back up its cyberpunk aesthetic. Flying around in your hover car is a joy, and the city is a consistently surprising visual treat, but whenever the game gets around to providing context to all of it, it stumbles. You largely get what it says on the box, but Cloudpunk would have benefited from more compelling gameplay and a more focused story. It's not that it's badly designed or horribly written, it just doesn't quite reach the clouds."<ref>{{cite web \|url=https://www.destructoid.com/review-cloudpunk-588351.phtml \|title=Review: Cloudpunk \|work=[[Destructoid]] \|first=Adzuken Q. \|last=Rumpelfelt \|date=May 3, 2020 \|access-date=May 27, 2020 \|archive-date=October 31, 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031083030/https://www.destructoid.com/review-cloudpunk-588351.phtml \|url-status=live }}</ref> Both Willem Hilhorst from Nintendo World Report and PJ O'Reilly from [[Nintendo Life]] were disappointed in the Nintendo Switch port of the game, criticizing the inconsistent framerate and limited draw distance evident in the port, and the downgraded visuals compared to the PC version, but praised the atmosphere and art style.<ref>{{cite web \|url=https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/55223/cloudpunk-switch-review \|title=Cloudpunk (Switch) Review \|work=Nintendo World Report \|first=Willem \|last=Hilhorst \|date=October 17, 2020 \|access-date=October 19, 2020 \|archive-date=October 21, 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021013322/https://nintendoworldreport.com/review/55223/cloudpunk-switch-review \|url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web \|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/cloudpunk \|title=Cloudpunk Review (Switch) \|work=[[Nintendo Life]] \|first=PJ \|last=O'Reilly \|date=October 20, 2020 \|access-date=October 20, 2020 \|archive-date=October 21, 2020 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021173732/https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nintendo-switch/cloudpunk \|url-status=live }}</ref> In December 2020, ''Cloudpunk'' was named one of "the best video games of 2020" by [[The New Yorker]].<ref>{{cite magazine\|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/2020-in-review/the-best-video-games-of-2020 \|title=The Best Video Games of 2020 \|magazine=[[The New Yorker]] \|first=Simon \|last=Parkin \|date=December 18, 2020\|access-date=December 23, 2020}}</ref> Line 77 ⟶ 76: \|[[2020 British Academy Scotland Awards\|British Academy Scotland Awards]] \|Best Game \| {{nominated}}<ref>{{Cite web\|date=2020-10-12\|title=British Academy Scotland Awards: Winners in 2020\|url=https://www.bafta.org/scotland/awards/ceremony/nominees-winners/british-academy-scotland-awards-winners-in-2020\|access-date=2021-12-29\|website=www.bafta.org\|language=en\|archive-date=2021-10-30\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030045759/https://www.bafta.org/scotland/awards/ceremony/nominees-winners/british-academy-scotland-awards-winners-in-2020\|url-status=live}}</ref> \|- \| rowspan="2" \|2020 \| rowspan="2" \|[[The Independent Game Developers' Association\|TIGA Games Industry Awards]] \|Creativity In Games Awards \| {{nominated}}<ref name="tiga">{{Cite web\|title=2020 Winners\|url=https://tiga.org/awards/2020-winners\|access-date=2021-12-29\|website=TIGA\|language=en-GB\|archive-date=2021-12-29\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229193354/https://tiga.org/awards/2020-winners\|url-status=live}}</ref> \|- \|Action and Adventure Game Line 90 ⟶ 89: \| rowspan="2" \|DevGAMM Awards \|Grand Prize \| {{won}}<ref name="devgamm">{{Cite web\|title=DevGAMM Awards Winners\|url=https://devgamm.com/2020/devgamm-awards-winners/\|access-date=2021-12-29\|website=DevGAMM 2020 {{!}} November 9–20\|language=en-US\|archive-date=2021-12-29\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211229214209/https://devgamm.com/2020/devgamm-awards-winners/\|url-status=live}}</ref> \|- \|Excellence in Audio Line 103 ⟶ 102: \| rowspan="2"\|[[Deutscher Computerspielpreis]] \| Best German game \| {{nominated}}<ref name="DC2021">{{cite web\|title=Jury nominiert die besten Games aus Deutschland\|periodical=[[Deutscher Computerspielpreis]]\|publisher=\|url=https://deutscher-computerspielpreis.de/presse/jury-nominiert-die-besten-games-aus-deutschland/\|url-status=live\|format=\|access-date=\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413202646/https://deutscher-computerspielpreis.de/presse/jury-nominiert-die-besten-games-aus-deutschland/\|archive-date=2021-04-13\|last=\|date=2021-03-22\|language=de\|pages=\|quote=}}</ref> \|- \| Best game world and aesthetics Line 119 ⟶ 118: [[Category:Adventure games]] [[Category:Cyberpunk video games]] [[Category:Maple Whispering games]] [[Category:Nintendo Switch games]] [[Category:Open-world video games]] [[Category:PlayStation 4 games]] [[Category:~~Prosthetics~~Fiction inabout ~~fiction~~prosthetics]] [[Category:Retrofuturistic video games]] [[Category:Video games about robots]]▼ [[Category:Role-playing video games]] [[Category:Indie games]] [[Category:Single-player video games]] [[Category:Transhumanism in video games]] ▲[[Category:Video games about robots]] [[Category:Video games about taxis]] [[Category:Video games developed in Germany]] [[Category:Video games featuring female protagonists]] [[Category:Windows games]] [[Category:Xbox One games]] [[Category:Merge Games games]] [[Category:Video games with voxel graphics]]