Real-time strategy games have been trying to make a comeback for a while now. Indie studios are at the center of this expansion, and it feels like Digital Sun’s Cataclismo could be one of the key 2024 releases in that space when all is said and done.
Arriving after the success of Moonlighter and The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story, Cataclismo marks the studio’s first foray into strategy games. While much of the marketing and buzz surrounding the upcoming early access release (available on July 22) has focused on its LEGO-like building mechanics and the relentless onslaught of deformed monstrosities players have to survive night after night, it turns out more is happening under the surface.
After spending a few hours with the game, prioritizing its campaign over the skirmish offerings and the endless mode that everyone would’ve asked for had it not been there, I’ve been surprised by how much it owes to RTS classics once you look past its main blocky attraction, and I mean that as a compliment.
Without getting into spoilers at this stage, the world of Cataclismo feels like a mix of Against the Storm and Demon’s Souls, with an added touch of Attack on Titan and Dead Space for good measure. Before the current post-apocalyptic state of its fantasy world, a bunch of mysterious objects the humans called ‘Perlas’ descended from the heavens and everything seemed good. A bit later, however, the Mist showed up and engulfed all that mankind had built and turned anyone it caught into deformed monsters. Now, only the cities that are above the Mist – or can push back against it and the horrors it creates – stand tall.
You’d expect Cataclismo to play things relatively safe and focus on the basic resource management we’ve come to expect from similar indie games and on siege defenses that are literally built with LEGO, but it goes the extra mile to create its own voice and make a stronger impression. At least during its early levels, it manages to present the flurry of systems and interlinked mechanics with ease. That said, only a few of them come across as truly novel.
Cataclismo appears to be one of those indie games that excels at reusing and refreshing old parts that have never been put together before, or at least not exactly like this. When coupled with the striking art style and easy-to-understand flow of the levels, it starts to shine. You’ll be tinkering a lot with your base builds, defined by the planning done in a preparation and gathering phase, to survive past the early scenarios though. This is no walk in the park by any means. I personally went with the default Medium difficulty, but even in this early access build, Cataclismo invites players of all skill levels and experience with RTS games into its cursed world.
After a few tutorials about movement, combat, and exploration that won’t be news to anyone who’s been playing RTS in the past, things quickly shift to base defense and improving the location’s weakest spots as best as you can with the resources you have. On a basic level, you’re just picking up different blocks and putting them together to create sturdy walls, bridges, stairs, and even items that boost the performance of the warriors you’ll have to train as well as the main character, who’s a playable hero of sorts.
Resource-gathering is automatic, but much like the blocks used to build up defenses, gatherers can be optimized to collect more rocks and wood (among other things) and faster. This might not seem very important early on, but you’ll soon appreciate every new drop that comes into your main building. I was expecting Cataclismo to be more limited in its scope, yet the town management aspect eventually becomes as important as building the right walls and traps plus equipping them with defender units. As things get even more complicated, it’ll be interested to see whether the complete loop becomes a chore or things remain frenetic and interesting.
Watching the carnage unfold is equally satisfying regardless of the outcome, as entire structures can crumble if the foundations are trashed and the game never becomes visually cluttered, and while the enemies that attack the bases early on seem pretty basic, we do know things get more savage the further we move into the wilderness. Soon, the ability to save entire builds (and Steam Workshop support is there) with a couple of clicks for easy redeployment becomes as crucial to the experience as the protagonist’s in-universe save-scumming capabilities (yes, really).
Hooded Horse, a publisher who’s been making waves in recent times with titles such as Against the Storm and Manor Lords, could have another winner in its hands with Digital Sun’s latest, yet I’m remaining cautious, as much of Cataclismo’s appeal in the long run will depend on how much each map shakes things up and what new building blocks are added to my collection. For now, I’m going to go add another layer of rock cubes to my exterior walls.
Cataclismo is launching in early access on July 22 via GOG and Steam.
Published: Jul 12, 2024 04:34 pm