Cloudgazer: A Game About Watching Clouds
Un lugar al que siempre puedes volver
Cloudgazer proposes something as simple as looking at the sky and identifying figures among the clouds. Without menus, rush or distractions, a relaxing experience that you can return to when you feel like disconnecting.
Introduction
Cloudgazer: A Game About Watching Clouds is quick to explain what it wants from us. From minute zero we are looking at the sky, following the movement of the clouds and trying to identify the shapes that appear in them. There is no long presentation or systems to learn. They are not necessary either.
We have completed all his achievements and we have continued to relax with the sky, with the excuse of “one more figure and we will go to sleep.” It may seem like a very short duration, but measuring this experience solely by that data would be half way. The game can end there if our goal is to complete the list of achievements, but in our opinion, that is not what the game intends. It is one of those experiences that we leave in a drawer and recover occasionally to take a break from dense or frenetic games.
Figures in the sky
The proposal is very simple: we look at the clouds and click when we recognize a shape. It is the same imagination exercise that anyone can do lying in the field, transferred to a screen and turned into a small observation game.
The figures stand out quite a bit when they come to form, so Cloudgazer does not intend to test our eyesight with impossible silhouettes. The system responds accurately and the search is never difficult or complex. Nothing guides us, but it doesn’t need it either. Just pay attention and let the clouds do their job.
This simplicity is precisely its greatest virtue. There are no urgent objectives, timers or a progression that forces us to maintain a certain pace. Cloudgazer is a game without pretensions, without menus and without tricks: it is exactly what it says it is.
A loop without rushing
As we play, time moves forward and the sky changes. When it gets dark, the clouds give way to another small activity: we can click on the shooting stars that cross the screen. Then dawn comes again and the loop begins again.
The cycle does not completely transform the experience, but it provides enough change for us to maintain attention. And it works well since it prevents us from getting distracted and slightly breaks the continuity of the search for shapes. Even so, the sensation remains intact. We are here to relax.
This also makes its duration relative. Achievements can be completed in just over an hour, as they were for us, but the game doesn’t really end with them. We can continue observing the sky or return any other day. The experience will be as short or as long as we decide.
Just you, the clouds and the mouse
On PC there is no conventional interface. As we have mentioned, we do not have indicators occupying the screen, task lists or windows to consult. There is only us, the clouds and the mouse. The absence of additional elements fits with a proposal that tries to reduce any distraction to a minimum.
The other control available is the ESC key, and its behavior is somewhat abrupt: pressing it sends us directly to the desktop. No menu or confirmation appears before closing. It is not a serious problem, but it is good to know to avoid leaving it by accident.
Sound and location
The sound section is discreet. We will mainly listen to the wind and the effects that sound when we find a figure among the clouds. It is a correct and coherent accompaniment with what the game proposes.
The original text is in Spanish and is also translated into English, but in any case, the absence of a complex interface and the direct nature of the proposal mean that the language has less weight here than in other games.
A very concrete experience
Cloudgazer depends entirely on whether we feel like doing precisely what it proposes. If we want to relax looking at clouds from time to time, it fits very well. If we are looking for marked progression, challenges or a large number of systems, we will probably fall short.
Its final price is 2.99 euros, a figure that seems appropriate to what it offers. The game fulfills its objective by offering a quiet space to return to when we need to disconnect.
The good
- A simple and relaxing proposal that does exactly what it promises
- The day and night cycle introduces small changes and maintains attention
The bad
- You can quickly tell if you don’t connect with a relaxed or contemplative experience
- The ESC key abruptly closes the game without asking for confirmation
Conclusion
Cloudgazer: A Game About Watching Clouds is a game without pretensions, without menus and without tricks. We look at the clouds, look for shapes and let time move forward until night comes and shooting stars appear. Then dawn breaks and the loop begins again. It can last an hour or accompany us for much longer, because its end depends less on the achievements than on the desire we have to continue watching.
The experience is simple, precise and truly relaxing. If we need to disconnect for a while, we know where to go.
Recommended for
- Those looking for a short, contemplative, pressure-free experience
- Players who enjoy identifying shapes and small visual details
- People who want a quiet game to return to from time to time
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