Cloudheim Preview
I’ve seen a lot of commentary online about Cloudheim being a funky Zelda variant. Personally, I’m getting Fortnite vibes. There’s a version of Cloudheim, maybe still somewhere down the line, where all the pieces click. A vibrant, physics-driven co-op survival-crafting ARPG where combat feels reactive, exploration is dynamic, and chaos becomes strategy. But based on this early beta build, I’m not sure we’re there yet.
So Much Promise
The concept still holds promise. Set in a post-Ragnarok world torn apart and scattered across floating islands, Cloudheim has players customizing their gear, crafting weapons, and taking on enemies either solo or in four-player online co-op. Your base of operations? A massive flying turtle called the Odin Shell. The pitch is wild, creative, and fun. The execution, though, feels more like a sketch of what’s to come than a playable realization of it.
Starting with the placeholder IU, menus look functional but unfinished, like someone set the bones and forgot to dress the skeleton. Fonts, button prompts, icons, it’s all serviceable, but clunky, with no sense of cohesive visual design yet. It’s the kind of interface that reminds you constantly that you’re playing something still deep in development.
Then there’s the much hyped physics system. In trailers, it’s a standout: enemies flying, barrels detonating midair, players working together to chain attacks into elaborate combo sequences. In practice? The “physics” mostly boil down to either aggressively being shot off somewhere by a random plant or getting too much hang time from jumping. Or watching enemies ragdoll from a lucky TNT toss. Sure, there’s fun to be had. Launching a some freaky creature skyward with a kick while your co-op buddy swats it midair with a heavy weapon is hilarious the first time. Even though Cloudheim promises chaos, there’s a difference between that and actually being able to play the game.
Fight, Fight, Fight!
Combat overall feels…okay. Not bad, not great. Animations have weight but not much rhythm, and hit feedback is inconsistent. Targeting can get finicky, especially when things get crowded which they often do. Good for you if that’s exactly what you’re looking for. Explosions, particle effects, bouncy physics, flying mobs it can quickly turn into a visual mess. It’s like one giant pinball machine. At times it got hard to even see what I was even doing. The underlying systems seem to support flexibility different classes, build options, and crafting paths but none of it feels quite impactful yet. You swing, kick, stuff dies, and it’s fine. But “fine” doesn’t match the energy the game is trying to sell.
The co-op experience, at least, has some bright spots. Shared progression is a huge win whatever you unlock, your whole crew gets access to. That alone helps soften the grind and encourages experimentation with different playstyles. Coordinating to trigger environmental chain reactions doesn’t quite feel slick but you can see the potential for real co-op synergy. But more often than not, it feels like you’re surviving the game’s chaos instead of mastering it.
Oh, So Close
Outside of combat, you’ve got crafting systems and home base on the Odin Shell. Again, really cool in concept. You’re building gear from loot, customizing your loadout, even selling crafted items in a shop system. But like the rest of the game, these systems feel pretty early. There’s a charm to it, especially the idea of a freaking turtle base carrying your progress from one floating island to the next, but not much in this build feels deep enough to really latch onto.
Visually, Cloudheim’s got a quirky, cartoon-fantasy aesthetic that’s rough around the edges but clearly intentional. The tone is lighthearted, sometimes outright goofy. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, which works in its favor. But when the polish is this low, that cartoony look starts to feel more like a cover for incomplete assets than a stylistic choice.
Still, this is a beta. There’s time for refinement, rebalancing, and cohesion. The bones are there. The potential is there, but right now, Cloudheim feels like a big idea stuck in it’s ambition. I want it to succeed. I want to see it sharpened into the vibrant, kinetic co-op experience it could be.
***PC code provided by the publisher for this preview***
