Cataclismo Reviews

Legos + tower defense. Great game

This game has so much potential. Really loving it and looking forward to more!

This is an excellent game of the "I'll just play for an hour.. wait, why is the sun coming up?" variety. Can't wait for 1.0! If you like building stuff/engineering challenges/Lego and/or strategy games, I wholeheartedly recommend trying this one out.

After 24 hours of gameplay, beating as far as there is levels in the campaign, building a custom map for people to enjoy, and two skirmish levels. I would say getting this early access game on sale for $20 is good value. If that's all you want to know, then go forth adventurer. Otherwise here is my rambling review: I've listened to some critiques from some youtubers I keep hearing over and over again: 1. 'You spend hours building defenses only for them to be thrown away the next level.' I agree, it does suck to not be able to save your progression in the level. However, I also point out this is like any base builder or rts you don't get to keep your bases after each level. 2. 'There is something missing in gameplay', I do think there is something missing. The gameplay loop is very good, but I do feel like there is... Something missing. There is quite a challenge, but you can fall into a routine of using the same walls and structures to defeat the horde of horrors. Only in the 10th and 11th levels did I feel like my strategy needed to change which felt better fixing this critique. I also watched a speedrunner on extreme and saw there was more mastery for me to learn. I do feel like something is missing, maybe a melee infantry, or a shield basher/pusher. Something to force a different play style in the normal levels and not a special level. I would like to see supports be a little bit more forgiving, I made an archway only for the game to claim there is no supports to build up on, which is incredibly annoying since I know the design I am using is based off actual medieval architecture. If the campaign ended on the 10th Mission I would have thrown my computer out the window, as the story would have been entirely unsatisfying. Major Spoiler [spoiler] The 10th mission would have implied that anything you do is pointless, even with time loops. Which I hate those types of story and would have been a slap in the face of the player.[/spoiler] Luckily the story doesn't end there. As of writing there are 11 chapters in the game. A good variety if a bit lacking in number. Based upon details, I cam assume there is at least one more campaign mission. There may be more with the addition of the Depths, but Early Access Buyers should be prepared for one more chapter, imo. I do hope there will be at least five more chapters, more would make it much more enjoyable. Its a really interesting story and world building.

It is a well put together game and really fun. Any bad review is from like 4 hour game play and no attention span.

Great game love the building system and combat is great, not like its that complex other then placing and moving your units, but if you don't like pausing for 70% of your playtime then you aren't ready for this.

Quite a charming game with a beautiful art style. Not without its jank and occasional bug. Definitely worth a pick up if you like games akin to Castle Story.

Nice storyline, art & gameplay

Played over 100 hours - absolutely loving the game. It's a great time-passer and the graphics are very fulfilling. I am inlove with the building mechanics, it's so easy and no tutorial needed. I don't play the campaign so I can't judge - but the endless waves in skirmish is my cup of tea. Very challenging and happy they are still updating the game. Can't wait to see the potential fulfilled in this game. It's a fantastic foundation, hopefully they can improve and make it multiplayer somehow. 100% recommended.

TLDR: I like Cataclismo. It is an ultimate expression of creativity, when it comes to castle building. By combining several elements of, "They are Billions", "Age of Darkness", "Diplomacy is not an Option", and similar games like those, it presents an interesting format with which you can cultivate your own outpost. It is not overly complex and allows you to enjoy the game at your own pace, without having to count every second. (Either thanks to the lower difficulty or pause button.) But it does not shy away from a punishing difficulty either, for those who enjoy a good challenge. It would be unfair to say that it has no issues. It certainly does, but not enough to be given a negative review for an early access game that has strong bones/foundation. The Positives: Units: A decent roster of units, combined with a tech tree and in-mission upgrades, makes for an interesting dynamic. Especially if you like one particular unit. Of course, certain missions will require more than one type to succeed, but at large, you are not punished for playing the way you want to, in regards to said units. IMPORTANT: There are no melee units. Only ranged. You will not be able to play out a heroic melee last stand, like in "Diplomacy is not an Option" or "Age of Darkness: Final Stand". The economy: It is simple and straightforward. Find a resource node, build a mine/logging/air collector camp and passively collect the resources you need. You can however improve these buildings, by either upgrading them directly, or building separate addons that increase their efficiency. It does not bog you down with unnecessary complexity. Defenses: This is where the game shines the most. Unlike other strategy survival games, this one requires you to invest time and creative thinking into building your defensive walls or castles/towers. Stone-by-stone. One could say that this is where the complexity of the game shows itself. Specifically, the symbiotic relationship between the wall and the units. Each unit has an optimum height and tile count for maximum efficiency. (Like an archer that should be placed on a tall tower, while mortar and globadier, on the average height wall). Some units however, require more than 1 tile to be placed upon a wall. And all of them can be improved with additional defensive options, like fire arrows, palisades, roof overhead(to protect from rain debuff.) and so on. Every stone piece, contributes to the entire height of the wall. With a very clear transformation that shows you how good of a wall you have. (If you want strong walls, you must build high!) Additionally, you can place spike traps and explosives to either slow or wither down the monster wave. Structures: This one is my personal favorite. Being the casual gamer that I am, I often built houses(for additional population), in a straight line, or perhaps around the capital building, to make it look pretty. Like in most strategy games. In this one, you're allowed to build vertically. You can connect walls to your buildings and place units on top of them. You can stack several houses or workshops together, or on top of each other. Further enhancing your creative/immersive experience. Blueprints: The game is fairly slow, when it comes to building up your defenses. You spend a lot of your time in 'Pause', just so you could build a semi-decent wall. Luckily enough, you can save all of your creations. And even with a new and unusual terrain, it doesn't take much for you to adjust it with additional bricks, before planting your favorite tower/home on top of it. Performance: So far? I haven't had a single hiccup or a crash. The game runs flawlessly and doesn't seem to be slowing down from the overall amount of enemies. (But of course, that is my personal experience. Take it with a grain of salt.) Stable and above 60fps. The Neutral: Tech tree: This one might be a hit or miss for some players. The supposed tech tree is only available in the campaign mode and not in the sandbox. Because in the sandbox or endless survival, you already have everything you need. (thus removing the aspect of choice.) You can only further improve your structures or units within the in-game session. Units: As mentioned before, there are no melee units. I understand the concept here, and it is a personal gripe of mine, but it would be entertaining to see highly stylized melee infantry, same as all other ranged units. Solo missions: I personally don't mind them, and there are not many of those, but I know that some players do not like individual missions, where you operate as a campaign's hero. Trudging along the map, in search of some clue or units or messages. But at least it still offers you interesting ways of going through those. By collective scattered supplies and building makeshift bridges over obstacles. Sometimes even smaller outposts. Voice acting: The voice acting is clearly designed with a heavy accent in mind. In some cases, actors under deliver on the urgency of the situation(sounding too relaxed or passive, when there's a new horror in sight), while in others they sound interesting and clearly alien to our world. The Negatives: The lack of opposition: Outside of your castle/outpost, you will rarely find a monster spawn camp, besides a small log that is easy to take out. Perhaps it's a hiccup of an Early Access release, but so far, there's not much you can do, besides roaming, killing a few stragglers and building isolated mining camps. I recommend adding more open spaces where you can encounter previous expeditions or perhaps remnants of other cities, that -you- have to besiege, in order to get through. (maybe even allow building upon the destroyed bases of your enemies! Since this game is all about building, and being creative, let us be creative with our enemies and their buildings too.) (You can also give enemies, ranged units too. Corrupted expedition members or some such). And my personal favorite idea that they could implement: Add surviving expedition camps, that you can liberate and fortify. Lack of oompf: Right now, the story is moving steadily forward, where you try to uncover the secrets of [insert in-game lore stuff here], and build outposts along the map, with occasional challenges here and there. The boss unit that is featured in the trailers is certainly interesting-looking, but not much beyond that. I would recommend something more mobile than that boss-mob. Something that doesn't just spawn additional monsters, but also creates conditions that the player needs to deal with. (like casting fog of war, causing all these ranged units to miss their shots.) Maybe spreading corruption on walls, that allows these creeps to climb over(thus we could have a reason for melee units), or creating some sort of a spitting tower, that damages your walls from afar). I'm sure there will be more to experience and explore in the full release. But for now, it's lacking.