Developer: Prideful Sloth
Publisher: Prideful Sloth
Platforms: PC, PS4
Tested on: PC
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles – Review
Polution might be some of the biggest problems in the world, especially when it changes the environment. In Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles, you must find your family in a land that has been infested by a poisonous substance. Of course, you will need to tackle several obstacles along the way. Are you ready to dive into the world of Gemea and get your profession skills updated?
Story
At the start of the game you are greeted by a short introduction. Your parents have sent you away to protect you from the poison that started to taint the lands. Of course, you don’t know what happened to your family, so you have the Celestial Compass to guide you to your home Gemea. Not too long afterwards, you’re on your way to find the long lost isle. The boat you’re on gets stuck into a rather feisty storm, destroying the vessel. Don’t worry though, as everyone is safe and sound while you are also getting an audience with Aaerie. She is one of the protectors of the land and sends you on a mission to recover the lands to their former glory by removing the poisonous Murk. This is where the story kicks off and your adventure starts.
As this is an action RPG, it is rather normal that there is a more profound narrative attached. The biggest part of the info is gained at the start of the game rather than while playing. It’s still a rather great plot though and you will have to get your wits and skills together to master everything this game throws at you.
Graphics
The game has a rather profound graphical style and might not be something you like. For example, the environment is rather empty, with some salvageable loot as an exception. It does give you a feeling of freedom, but extra elements would have been nice. The characters or animals have rather rounded shapes, making them quite special. For instance, the housing feels comical-like, while the rocks are small fluffy clouds and the people have unnatural shapes. In the end, everything fits together nicely and you’ll be in for a treat if you’re into this special style.
Sound
When you start Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles, you are greeted by a beautiful song and this immediately sets the tone for the rest of the game. While you venture the lands, you are guided by a rather nice and tranquil melody which change during the cycle of day and night. Don’t expect electro beats, but jolly tones that will lift your spirits fast.
Not only the music is important but also the effects and voices make it complete. You will always hear something buzzing in the background like the clips on your backpack, crickets in the grass or the meows of a stranded cat. Always something new to discover, making it rather enjoying to listen to. There isn’t full voice acting, but some murmuring or other vocals. It just adds to the rest of the setting and really fits the game.
Gameplay
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is an action RPG where you must do several things to get to your goal. You can actually see it as a more diverse Harvest Moon game where you can also be a carpenter or a fisherman (or -girl). You need to restore the balance of Gemea and get rid of all the Murk. Of course, you can’t do this on your own, so you need to gather several Sprites. Some of them are found by just roaming the lands while others can only be detected by fulfilling certain quests. You will need to make a character before you can start your exploration, which is a fun aspect. Don’t expect much possibilities though, but enough to give you a bit of an own personality. Afterwards you have more than enough options to customize your toon and make it your special character.
Before you can actually tackle some requests, you need to have some skills. For instance, one of the professions that is rather important is farming. You can keep several animals on your farm, if you have housing and a fodder area of course. Animals do leave behind a mess that you must clean up as well. Combined with exploration, they might feel rather abandoned but you can hire a farmhand if you give people enough presents. Some of the other jobs can be fishing, tailoring or even brewing. You can’t just jump into these professions though. First of all, you need to find the right person and start the initiation quest. This will lead to several other missions, easing you in and preparing you for the job.
The day and night cycle is also rather important as you can fasttravel by using a sort of sun- and moonstones. As it is a long way to go between towns at times, these stones are rather useful but only accessible during day or night. Sometimes it’s also easier to spot sprites at night, while materials are more visible during the day. A lot of the items can be salvaged and used in your different trades, so it is a good idea to stack up on everything.
Don’t worry about heights, as you have a nifty umbrella that will pop open when you’re falling. The same can’t be said for swimming though, as you sink almost immediately when you’re in deep water. If you ever get lost, you can also use your compass to guide you the way. You can select which quest you want to track, but it might not always lead to the next point but just to the quest giver. Also, during your travels, you might hear some meowing here and there. This is actually a fun addition, as there are several cats hidden all around the area. You can collect these little feline creatures by getting close and interacting with them, which is a great aspect.
One of the more downsides is that you will have to discover a lot on your own. You’re just pushed inside a world and you have some quests and small tutorials you can start with but there will come a time you might be running circles without any idea what to do. This might seem a good challenge for some people or might let you lose your interest.
Conclusion
With Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles you will be able to try several jobs and find something you love while also helping to restore the lands by finding hidden sprites. Gemea is a beautiful country with a lot of rounded shapes, making it a rather profound graphical style while the music will take you on a trip as well. Although you might be stuck at times or you just don’t know what to do, you will find your way eventually.
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles - Review,
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[…] Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is a game created by Rocksteady veterans and the Activision producer. The game has just been released digitally on the Nintendo Switch, and will come to retailers on the 15th of June 2018. So if you aren’t a fan of digital downloads, then you can just purchase the cartridge then and there. The game had previously been released on PlayStation 4 and PC. That review you can read here. […]