The dioramas are shrouded in a vaporwave-palette fog as well, and when coupled with the calming, subdued soundtrack and sound effects, Cloud Gardens becomes quite the meditative experience. While this low-poly, PSOne era-type art style is often found in horror games these days, it’s really found a foothold in these serene overgrowth scenes. The most soothing aspect of Cloud Gardens has to be the aesthetics. If it was simpler to get started, I think the sandbox mode would be far more enjoyable as it stands, it’s weaker than the campaign mode, but worth a go nonetheless. In fact, my only real criticism of Cloud Gardens is in regards to the sandbox mode, specifically when it comes to laying down any ground. It’s a little bit of a mess at first - especially when you are just starting out and don’t have a ton of assets to work with - but those who have seen Cloud Gardens’ campaign mode to the end will surely find a lot of fun and freedom in this setting. When it comes to sandbox mode, Cloud Gardens pleases those with a virtual green thumb and plenty of creativity. Although the levels may be bite-sized, the entire game itself is pretty substantial - the pre-release version took me about six hours to complete, and a slew of levels have been added since. Beating each diorama means unlocking items to use in sandbox mode, giving players a handful of pixelated prizes upon completion. After hitting the growth goals for the level, the next level will unlock, and players will be whisked away to the next small post-apocalyptic scene. The goal? Plant seeds and encourage their growth by placing more objects in the little environment. In campaign mode, players will find a themed diorama with remnants of humanity strewn about the scene. Hovering somewhere between a game and a sandbox toy, Cloud Gardens has already received the coveted Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam with nearly 1,000 reviews - a good sign for those still wondering if this title is right for them.Ĭloud Gardens offers players two different modes: campaign and creative. Described on its Steam page as “a chill game about using plants to overgrow abandoned wasteland dioramas,” Cloud Gardens is available at a launch price of $13.49 (regularly $14.99). During this time of chaotic devastation, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with news of almost immeasurable loss due to such a destructive force although Cloud Gardens doesn’t extinguish the problems, it serves to soothe the nerves with its chill aesthetics and gentle reminders that even in death, life always finds a way.ĭeveloped and self-published by Noio, Cloud Gardens spent a year in Steam Early Access to weed out bugs and implement quality of life changes based on player feedback.
Now, as I review Cloud Gardens nearly 365 days later, California is literally embroiled in a wildfire battle yet again with the second-deadliest fire the state has ever seen. Featuring generative soundscapes by Amos Roddy, composer of Kingdom.This time last year, I previewed Cloud Gardens during one of the worst wildfire seasons my corner of the US had ever experienced.Unlock an enormous catalogue of objects and plantlife.Create to your heart’s content in creative mode.Solve organic puzzles in a serene 3D space.
CLOUD GARDENS DOWNLOAD
Players can download looping videos of their completed dioramas and share them with other gardeners from across the internet, and our Discord server has a lively community of gardeners. This is a chill game where the primary goal is to delight in your own creativity. It is a relaxing experience that takes you from one scene to the next while encouraging creativity and coming up with your own solutions. Partly a gardening simulator, partly a dystopian landscape builder, and partly a puzzle game that is both satisfying and without frustration. Adding objects will encourage lush vegetation to grow, but each object must be covered in foliage in order to proceed.Ĭloud Gardens hovers somewhere in between a sandbox toy and a game with challenges. Create small plant-covered dioramas of brutalism and beauty by planting seeds, repurposing hundreds of discarded objects and creating unique structures for nature to reclaim.ĭive into a relaxing sandbox mode with no goals, or take on a multi-chapter “campaign” where the task is to strike a balance between the natural and the manufactured.
Harness the power of nature to overgrow lo-fi scenes of urban decay and manufactured landscapes. The Switch version is published by Coatsink. Cloud Gardens is a simulation video game developed and published by noio.
0 kommentar(er)
