Cataclismo
- July 22, 2024
- Digital Sun
- 16h median play time
Cataclismo needs a little more time in the oven to really polish up its systems, but it has great bones and Early Access will probably do it a ton of favors.
Get on Steam"Cataclismo" is a single-player fantasy strategy game with a sensational plot and atmospheric gameplay, featuring delightful visuals and music. As the leader of humanity's last survivors, players must build and defend fortresses against waves of Horrors, managing resources and coordinating units in their defense. Despite some grinding and bugs, the game offers high replayability across various biomes for an engaging and challenging experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The RTS and tower defense elements mesh extremely well together, providing a unique and engaging gameplay experience.
- The building mechanics are intuitive and allow for a high degree of creativity, making it fun to design and customize defenses.
- The art style and atmosphere are captivating, enhancing the overall immersion in the game.
- The campaign is relatively short and may feel lacking in content, leaving players wanting more.
- There are some performance issues, particularly in endless mode, where frame rates can drop significantly during intense moments.
- The unit cap and resource management can feel restrictive, limiting strategic options and making gameplay feel repetitive.
- story498 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story of "Cataclismo" has received mixed but generally positive feedback from players, with many praising its engaging narrative and unique art style. While the campaign is currently short and some missions feel like tutorials, the intriguing world-building and character development keep players invested. However, some reviewers noted that certain mission types detract from the overall experience, and there is a desire for more content and depth as the game continues to evolve in early access.
“The story and concept for the game are novel, and work very well with the main game mechanics.”
“The game features a great story and it makes the different levels feel like they have a purpose rather than being random enemies who come at your base for no reason.”
“The storyline is original and kept my attention, which means a lot as I usually get bored of hearing the same old unimaginative storylines.”
“The only downside to me is the story (not very interesting is all) and non-city builder missions of the campaign that's far less compelling than the core gameplay and building mechanics.”
“I found the campaign story mind-numbing and boring.”
“The 'story' they put in between the missions isn't interesting enough.”
- gameplay340 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Cataclismo" is characterized by a unique blend of tower defense and city-building mechanics, offering players a high degree of creativity in constructing defenses and managing resources. While the game features engaging mechanics and a compelling atmosphere, some players find the gameplay loop can become repetitive due to limited unit variety and certain tedious aspects of building. Overall, the game is praised for its depth, strategic elements, and beautiful art style, though it still requires further balancing and content development as it progresses through early access.
“Absolutely fantastic game, stunning visuals, fantastic gameplay and mechanics, campaign is already extraordinarily voiced.”
“The building mechanics are deep and strategic.”
“Gameplay is superb, very cool horde defense with lots of creative freedom, only downside being the tedious work you have to put in the campaign to clear existing structures.”
“The limited unit variety (both player and enemy) leaves gameplay feeling linear and repetitive, with no real room for alternative strategy or creativity.”
“The gameplay loop and the actual player input is the worst part of the game.”
“Unfortunately there isn't much gameplay incentive to spend time on it though.”
- graphics239 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their unique and beautiful art style, which enhances the overall atmosphere and storytelling. Many players appreciate the blend of stylized visuals with engaging gameplay mechanics, noting that the aesthetic choices contribute significantly to the game's identity. However, some users have reported performance issues and mixed feelings about certain graphical elements, indicating that while the visuals are generally praised, there are areas for improvement.
“The visuals, environmental storytelling, and the design decisions are immaculate.”
“Gorgeous visuals, spectacular worldbuilding, an amazing story, and incredible gameplay to top it all off.”
“The art style is beautiful and the visuals help add to the satisfaction of building better stuff!”
“Also, it's ridiculous how this game with shitty graphics manages to eat so much CPU, which is almost impressive by itself. How do you even manage that?”
“Unfortunately, I encounter a bug on level 6 which causes my graphics card (AMD) to bug out, which results in me having to smother my PC underwater (hold the hard power button down) to resolve.”
“It's upsetting and I'm sure it'll be fixed at some point, at which time I'll absolutely change this to a positive review - until that point I can't recommend you sinking a few hours in just to be halted by a massive graphical error.”
- music41 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many reviewers noting its beautiful art direction and fitting soundtrack. While some players appreciate the unique and immersive compositions, a few express a desire for more dramatic or varied music to elevate gameplay further. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong point, contributing positively to the game's charm and emotional depth.
“Visually, the game shines with beautiful graphics that enhance the overall experience, while the soundtrack complements the action perfectly, adding to the game's immersive quality.”
“The music and art fit well and elevate the game, creating a great vibe.”
“The soundtrack is really nice; it fits the vibe well and is atmospheric.”
“The sounds are bare-bone, and I really would want more music, instead of the constant ambiance.”
“Music could use a bit more work; I feel as if it was more dramatic it would elevate the experience of defending a large siege.”
“The music and sound are okay, nothing really special.”
- atmosphere40 mentions
- 68 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its captivating and immersive qualities, featuring a distinct art style and haunting soundtrack that enhance the overall experience. Many players appreciate the blend of charm and gloom, creating a unique, dark ambiance that complements the gameplay and storytelling. While some find the atmosphere occasionally heavy or inconsistent, the general consensus highlights its effectiveness in building tension and engagement throughout the game.
“Incredible atmosphere & graphics, interesting and engaging progression, and cool story which I am hoping is going to be expanding soon :)”
“Coupled with atmospheric sound design and a haunting score, the game creates a captivating yet unsettling mood that keeps the tension high during battles.”
“The setting, graphics, score, and general vibe really make this a very atmospheric game and the gameplay itself is absolutely on point, having a nice mix of complexity and simplicity.”
“The atmosphere seems a bit bland and gloomy.”
“The world is grim, filled with ominous ruins and eerie atmospheres.”
“I really like the art style and the atmosphere of the game, again incredibly similar to tab with an overwhelming dark and gloomy vibe.”
- replayability26 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
Overall, the game exhibits high replayability potential, particularly through its endless mode and procedural generation features, which many players find engaging. However, some users express concerns about the current limitations post-campaign, suggesting that additional content and mechanics, such as roguelike elements, could enhance replay value significantly. The inclusion of community workshops and level editors further supports the game's longevity, promising a rich experience for creative players.
“Endless replayability and a deep structure system that could take some people a hundred or so hours to truly master, I imagine.”
“Great game, tons of replayability; the LEGO building feature is very sleek.”
“With community workshops available and level editors, this game has the capacity to be endlessly replayable.”
“The only reason it loses two points is because there's not a ton to do after you complete the campaign, so replayability is not great.”
“Not sure about replayability yet - after the campaign there's endless mode, but it remains to be seen if there's enough variation run-to-run.”
“I will definitely come back to it, but the replayability and pacing aren't the right fit for me right now.”
- optimization25 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while many players report smooth performance and quick fixes for early bugs, issues arise particularly in endless mode where stuttering and frame drops occur during intense moments. Some users have experienced significant performance hits with numerous enemies on screen, suggesting that further optimization is needed, especially for high-stress scenarios. Despite these concerns, many players appreciate the game's art style and find it runs well on lower settings, indicating potential for improvement as updates continue.
“Performance is great for an early access game, except for issues when there were thousands of enemies on the screen.”
“Devs fixed early bugs quickly and it's stable and runs smoothly now.”
“Oh yeah, and by the way, always good to see an early access title with no bugs and no performance issues.”
“However, the performance in endless mode gets really bad.”
“However, the endless mode falls short of expectations due to performance issues.”
“Frequent stuttering and frustrating glitches, such as the red dots indicating enemy arrival not always appearing, detract from what could otherwise be a highly enjoyable experience.”
- grinding21 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, particularly in the building mechanics and resource management. While the gameplay concept is engaging, the lack of efficient systems like blueprints leads to a frustrating experience, especially during the campaign and in constructing larger structures. Many reviewers express that the meticulous nature of building detracts from the enjoyment, making it feel more like a chore than a rewarding challenge.
“There is a way around this which is rather stupid: you can simply put all your excess resources into building a giant tower that you then recycle parts of when you need resources, but I feel like this is a really tedious workaround to a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place.”
“You have to take advantage of every little thing which creates a tedious, annoying gameplay loop; definitely not worth the money.”
“The campaign is tedious at best.”
- stability13 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 85 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag; while many players report a generally smooth experience with minimal bugs, some have encountered frustrating glitches and visual issues, particularly with AMD GPUs. Despite being in early access, the game is considered more stable than many full releases, though occasional stuttering and brief freezes can disrupt gameplay. Players appreciate the fun mechanics and clean performance, especially on platforms like the Steam Deck, but hope for further improvements as development continues.
“Other than that, it runs great on Steam Deck too!”
“Loving it so far, runs great, beautiful art style, and smooth gameplay.”
“Frequent stuttering and frustrating glitches, such as the red dots indicating enemy arrival not always appearing, detract from what could otherwise be a highly enjoyable experience.”
“I got Cataclismo on 26/07/24, at the time I didn't know that there is a bug with AMD GPUs and the game where after some time playing, the game may break something in the software of the GPU, causing glitches in graphics even outside the game. Everything turns into a buggy mess, full of overlapping artifacts to the point I could not restart my PC because I could not see anything on my screen.”
“Sadly, the game was buggy and needed patches to play decently, and I probably played more than 10+ years ago.”
- humor5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its chaotic mechanics and creative building elements, providing players with a surprisingly entertaining experience. It combines elements of destruction and defense in a way that evokes laughter, making it a thrilling and amusing end-of-the-world scenario for those who enjoy a lighthearted approach to gameplay.
“Pretty funny mechanic to play around with, and it's even fun from a creative structure perspective.”
“Good if you like chaos, funny buildings, and destroying things.”
“If you ever wanted to build towering defenses while dodging doomsday, this game is your hilarious and thrilling end-of-the-world escapade!”
- character development3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers praise the game's character development for its appealing designs and engaging banter, highlighting the consistent beauty and thematic coherence of the character and UI illustrations. Overall, the character design contributes significantly to the game's enjoyable experience.
“I also loved the character designs and banter.”
“The character design, building design, UI illustrations, everything is consistently beautiful and on-theme.”
“This game is fun, it looks nice, it plays well, and things like the UI and character design are well crafted.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the game's integration of time and pausing mechanics into the narrative, which enhances the emotional impact and provides a satisfying sense of closure. The emotional resonance of the story, particularly in the final early access mission, has left a strong impression, contributing to a feeling of addiction to the game.
“Also, a big plus for making the time and pausing mechanics integral to the story. The emotional beat and closure of the beginning in the last early access mission really got me.”
“This game has an incredible ability to evoke deep emotions, making every moment feel significant.”
“The character development and storytelling left me feeling a profound connection to the narrative.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy has been criticized as a cash grab, particularly in the context of its early access status, suggesting that players feel exploited for their investment without sufficient value in return.
“Another early access cash grab.”
“The monetization system feels exploitative and heavily favors players who spend money.”
“It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls.”
