Cloudberry Kingdom (2013)

Cloudberry Kingdom Game Review

Cloudberry Kingdom is a 2013 indie platform game that is one of the most difficult games I’ve played.

The gameplay here consists of various alterations of game physics from double jumping to changing size to changing shape. I liked that as it led to a lot of interesting scenarios and different gameplay methods. I liked how you have to constantly change your tactics due to changing physics. But what wasn’t so great is its variety which is lacking as the game is authentic and different early on, but it gets repetitive in its later stages which was troublesome. Plus those obstacles also became repetitive.

Cloudberry Kingdom is one of the toughest games that I have ever played! Every world here (despite the first one naturally) is just so incredibly difficult to beat and that was great. I loved how frustratingly hard those levels were and especially the various obstacles could get really problematic to get through. The last two worlds were just so difficult that it took me hours to beat them despite their short length.

Yes, the game is very short and that is its flaw. It can be beaten in a couple of days, if you are capable of such a task. It should have definitely been longer and more varied. But the level design is absolutely fantastic and the highlight of the entire game. It is not only well realized, but also so incredibly convenient as every level and obstacle here can be beaten, but most just by a margin due to some excellent designs and timing they put through. The timing is crucial for the game to the point of being too important as the overwhelming emphasis on that aspect instead of the skill itself was unfortunate.

Cloudberry Kingdom is a flawed game because it isn’t very creative or original, save for some interesting game mechanics from time to time. And the plot is typical with the characters being forgettable. The sound during those cut scenes is just too low as it isn’t synchronized with the rest of the game. And speaking of sound, the score is quite poor and easily the worst aspect of the game. It is basically angry, overloud club music which I was never a fan of and although some themes were okay, most were too loud and obnoxious and just put me at unease.

The character design is odd, but the graphics isn’t bad for an indie game and is perfectly passable, but you shouldn’t have high expectations for it. The game is mostly coherent and I loved the fact that it progressively got harder as these game usually don’t have a great balance of difficulty, but here it is mostly well handled. Because the game is so frustratingly difficult, its short running time can be said to be a positive thing.

The game is masochistic to the point of being too much at times, but I mostly liked that approach and I especially loved how short the levels were as that made the game all the more fast-paced and approachable.  Cloudberry Kingdom is too repetitive and predictable in its later levels, but I liked its traditional feel and its level design and difficulty level worked well for me. It is an infuriating, but still addictive and brief game.

Cloudberry Kingdom is a very flawed game. The graphics and score are mediocre and it can be too repetitive at times, but the gameplay is mostly fantastic due to incredibly difficult  but satisfying obstacles, superb level design and some finely incorporated game mechanics that enhance the experience wonderfully. It is repetitive and problematic, but addictive and short and one of the hardest games there is.

My Rating – 3.7