What Makes Cloudpunk a Nice Tribute to Blade Runner?
About the game
Source: IonLands Website
Cloudpunk is a game from IonLands, the Indie developer offering this game, along with Merge Games. This game is a delivery game, where you, as the player, need to deliver packages on behalf of your company. The game is not just about delivery; it involves interaction with people. There are many characters in the game who you will meet. The interactions with them have an impact on the lives of the characters. The game calls for many decisions to be taken that impact the gameplay.
Cloudpunk is not about a normal delivery girl. You don’t deliver just on the ground but even above the ground. As the game title indicates, you can take to the clouds using a futuristic mode of transport to move around the city and deliver goods. The game has not been released. At present, the game trailer has been released, and it has generated a lot of interest. It is expected to be released on Steam in the early part of 2020.
Game plot and storyline
The game is the story of Rania. As the player, you take on the role of this delivery girl. Rania works for a company called Cloudpunk. The company is in the business of delivery of goods to customers. The twist is that this company does not do 100% legal work. It can be described as a semi-legal delivery firm. As you would have understood, the packages Rania delivers may not exactly be all legal stuff. This adds an element of danger in the game.
Cloudpunk is located in a futuristic city called Nivalis. The city has spires in the cloud where people stay and await packages from you. This is referred to as a cyberpunk game that involves high technology in the game. The city is a high-tech one, and AI elements abound in the city. As you move around the city, you will meet many characters. The game involves interaction with the characters. The story of the game is linked to all the characters.
The gameplay
The game happens over one night when Rania steps out to deliver packages. A dog, Camus, accompanies Rania. It is not a real dog. In the tradition of cyberpunk games, it is an AI dog whose personality is within the car Rania drives. The game starts with Rania setting out on her work to deliver packages. This will remind you of Kentucky Route Zero. As Rania does her work, she meets characters, and situations arise that call for decisions to be made. The decisions impact the gameplay.
A pop superstar, the leader of a renegade robot gang, a robot investigator, and a malfunctioning elevator are characters that you will encounter in the game. The interactions will lead to a search for collectibles. From antique video game cartridges to erased memories of neighbors, there are many different collectibles to be found. The quest for these collectibles forms a key part of this game. Since there is a semi-legal status to the delivery company, you can sell these collectibles in the black market.
There are no combats or shootouts in the game. This does not mean you can relax. The city has dangers, and as you travel in the night, you will encounter dangerous situations. Being a cyberpunk game, the dangers include hackers, rogue AI that has gone out of control, and corporate conspirators. Some of the humans lack scruples, and the robots have emotional tales to narrate. This is a game in the same league of the classic cyberpunk game Blade Runner.
Features of Cloudpunk
Source: IonLands Website
The features of Cloudpunk that make it a tribute to Blade Runner include:
- Blade Runner was a game from the late 90s. It is considered a classic game of the cyberpunk genre.
- Blade Runner used technology in an adventure game. It uses a progressing story with many characters. The dialogues with the characters have a bearing on the gameplay.
- Cloudpunk is similar to Blade Runner- there is a technology and there are interactions with characters. The interactions affect the game.
- Just like Blade Runner, the interactions in Cloudpunk are not just simple dialogues but involve making certain choices. There are moral choices that affect the very lives of the people. This is what makes this game similar to Blade Runner. The choices affect the game progression.
- The game happens over one night. This is the common refrain.
- It is an adventure game but does not have any shooting or fighting. There are no powers to acquire. There are only collectibles to be found.
