Cataclismo Early Access Review – Surviving The End

It’s been said for a few years now that the strategy genre is past its peak. While once the staple of PC gaming, we rarely see new strategy titles released by AAA studios. But the indie scene has managed to keep the strategy genre alive, and even innovate and improve upon some of the oldest video game tropes and mechanics.

Cataclismo, developed by Digital Sun and published by Hooded Horse, combines elements of Real Time Strategy, base building, and tower defense genres into a dark and intriguing game with a rich backstory and engaging gameplay. With the game being released in early access in a well-polished state, the expectations for the full release are even higher, and I’m hopeful that it reaches them.

Cataclismo, exploring the dark environments in isometric view.
The environmental design of Cataclismo is captivating even from the initial tutorial level.

As the name suggests, Cataclismo occurs in a world after a devastating cataclysm. The world is swallowed by a suffocating and corrupting mist. Those who survive struggle not only to find safe breathable air, but also against the onslaught of creatures corrupted by this mist, called the horrors.

The protagonist, Iris, is a scholar and a prophet, who receives a vision of an ancient artifact that can undo the Cataclismo and save her people. So she is sent on an expedition to explore the land, establish bases, and uncover the mystery of this artifact. The story is deep and well-written, and with decent cutscenes and captivating voice-over, I couldn’t help but be drawn into the world immediately.

Cataclismo protagonist, Lady Iris and her white bird companion.
In classic RTS campaign fashion, Lady Iris is a hero unit that we find at the end of the tutorial.

A great trick that the game pulls off very neatly, is adding in-universe explanations about game mechanics such as fog of war, saving, and reloading the game. The mist acts as a literal fog that covers the ground if our troops and buildings aren’t near them, making this iconic game concept come to life within the game’s world. Through the vision she sees, Iris is bestowed with a gift to have glimpses into the future and reverse time if her people are defeated and try again, adding an extra layer to the act of saving a loading the game if things go wrong. A lot of titles have tried to explain similar mechanics in the game’s lore, and Cataclismo is one of those rare cases where it doesn’t come off as silly and actually fits the setting.

The gameplay of Cataclismo converges elements from multiple genres, but they all fit together and offer a cohesive experience in the end. The day-night cycle and waves of enemies that attack our base feel similar to tower defense games. The resource gathering and army building feel like classic RTS macro gameplay. The modular and expansive base building lets us pause the game and spend hours perfecting our defenses and our base layout. And to top it all off, the map designs and the atmosphere encourage exploration while we are waiting for other tasks to be completed.

Cataclismo archers defending a settlement from atop a stone wall.
A horde of horrors dead bellow our stone walls. But a simple wall can only hold out for so long, the game offers many tactical additions to building defenses when the waves become more difficult.

All of these mechanics create a fascinating gameplay loop where you always have something to do. Even though we have the option to skip time to the next wave of enemies, I rarely felt the need to use this feature and preferred to look around and finish up small touches around my settlement. In fact, I often preferred to pause the time and do everything without the stress and rush of time running out. Cataclismo can be a very relaxing game during the daytime, but to contrast this, the enemy waves and combat prove expertly challenging in the way I wished more strategy games were. The pathing of enemies creates a real challenge in the base-building portion of the game, and their numbers and the difficulty of combat stretch our resources and army supplies to the limit. After the first few levels in the campaign, or a few nights in the endless mode, the difficulty spikes, and the need for a well-thought-out strategy and build order becomes clearer. And even if you do find yourself struggling with the challenge or find it too easy, there are multiple difficulty options to tailor the game to your preference.

What ties all of these different mechanics together is the presentation and polish of Cataclismo. The art style and the soundtrack provide just the right combination of unsettling and inviting, the UI design is informative, accessible, and consistent with the atmosphere, and the animations and the controls add up to a smooth and immersive gameplay experience. I only encountered one minor bug during my time playing the game, but the overall feel was so polished that I had to double-check that this was the Early Access version of Cataclismo.

Cataclismo Level Editor
The level editor in Cataclismo offers a lot of tools to create interesting layouts to share with other players.

The cherry on top of all the praises I’ve given Cataclismo is the built-in level editor and community features that allow players to share maps and blueprints. These were iconic features of older strategy games and I’m so glad it is present in a modern game. I can’t wait to see what players will come up with once the game is released to the public.

Cataclismo in Early Access was more fun and polished than some full-release titles. With complex and challenging gameplay, a gripping story, atmospheric and artistic visuals, and a decent soundtrack and voice acting, the only way to go is up, and I can’t wait to see what the finished version of the game has to offer.

Nima played Cataclismo on PC in Early Access with a review code.

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TS7
TS7
6 months ago

Well said. Im looking to play full version
I only played the demo version which was 3 toturial mission. Belive it or not i played last mission about 5 time that night.and when i finaly defend my sattlement the sun was coming up IRL.the game was draging me so hard that i didnt even go hungry.
The fact that you should keep the ways open for your troops to pass or make stairway for every single building was so fun and challenging considering limitation of space and material to work with.