Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles - Adventure in a beautiful unknown world
Explore and experience something new
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles (try saying it fast 10 times) looks at first glance to be the perfect game to enjoy a late summer night. After my ship met a wet fate i now stand toe-to-toe with a peculiar figure. She (or he) want to take a look at my compass and because i am an obedient individual i quickly snatch it out my pocket. The creature becomes happy and a millisecond later i find my self in the flourishing land of Gamea where the world literally lays bare in front of my feet.
Prideful Sloth is the name of the studio behind this adventure. The team consists of old Activision and Rockstady developers and in Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chroniclesmuch inspiration has been taken from other games to form something quite unique and beautiful. It's hard to put this game in a certain genre as it fits many things at once. Prideful Sloth takes the approach that the world is stunningly beautiful and lays ready for you to use as you choose, which is a pretty correct description. The real question comes if it offers enough substance in each part of it's experience.
Making your journey in full 4k color
The moment i get out of the cave my adventure in Gamea starts in i instantly get hit by the beauty of the world. It's so abstractly colorful that my eyes almost asks me to just boot up some generic shooter to get those gray and brown colors back (just almost). The green grass flows in the wind while the turquoise sky is filled with fluffy clouds that are looking beyond soft. I want to live here. I want my home here. I want to adventure here.
It's not long before i have so many quests to complete i can't help my self from getting exhausted by just the thought of getting some kind of organization. I meet some of the lands inhabitants, they are very friendly and badly want to equip me with different tools so i can help them with their tasks, like repairing the eastern dock, prepare farmland or grabbing some fish. The world is split into sections which are outlined and blocked by a purple fog called "Murk". To be able to pass and explore new areas i need to collect Sprites (little cute figures) that will clear the fog for me. Different areas demand different amounts of Sprites so these are one of the games key resources to progress.
Stardew Valley + Zelda = Yonder
The layout in Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles reminds me very much of the awesome title Stardew Valley, with the help of tools i can start to cut down trees, break rock and harvest grass to complete different missions. As the game progresses it becomes increasingly more complicated and more important to craft new items trough the intricate crafting system this game supports. You are also able to engage in trade with the citizens of the world. The trade is a bit on the to complicated side though and in the begin it can be hard to grasp. Different regions value different goods differently, which means that rock in one place can be worth it's weight like gold, while in another place they wont even take a look at it. It makes it hard to wanna trade anything as you are always thinking the next place might offer me much more, and strike the best possible deal.
There is an abundant of tasks to do in this game ranging from building a farm and focusing on farming, fishing or just exploring the new world. With a simple flick of a button you grab your compass and get to see all missions that are currently in progress. Gamea in itself is a big place and includes eight distinct environments, with everything from dense forests to tropical beaches. Something that's unique with Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is that there's no enemies and no way to take damage (except walking out in the sea). This means that the game doesn't have any fights or battles at all. The closest you get to action in this game is when you use your Sprites to get rid of the fog, but even this is done pretty peacefully.
A pastel painting infested with minor bugs
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles truly is a delight visually. The pastel colored world is incredibly inviting and technically speaking top of the line. At least regarding the graphics. I have come across some irritating bugs during my play-trough, some so serious i have had to abandon my save file and start again. The problems can of course be fixed with an update in the future, but it's really annoying to have to start all over again in a game you have put several hours into.
Bright and fun exploring but lacking in substance
Prideful Sloth paints an amazing world stuffed with adventures and secrets to find (there are a bunch of hidden cats to find, just saying) but unfortunately some substance to keep me going is missing. A more clear narrative had been something welcomed in my opinion. It would also have helped if the developers had made the menus a bit easier to use and polished the trading system to make it less complicated. Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is beautiful and relaxing but missed that spark that makes you feel your doing something meaningful that Stardew Valley pulled of so well. If you want a good game to play after smoking a bowl of some sweet weed though, just mindlessly running trough beautiful Zelda-like environments, this is a perfect way to top of your weed night.
+ A delightful, beautiful and expansive gaming world, lots to do and a cozy, fun atmosphere.
- Some technical bugs, need a stronger narrative and easier trade system.
Released for the PS4 and PC on July 18th.
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