Cataclismo: The First Preview

ign.com:

Digital Sun’s previous outings, The Mageseeker and Moonlighter, were both fun games, but Moonlighter delighted me not only with its quality, but also its unusual genre combination. In this, Cataclismo is shaping up to be quite the worthy successor. While Moonlighter was half classic Legend of Zelda and half shopkeep simulator, Cataclismo is half tower defense and half base-building real-time strategy (with base-building inspired by LEGO). It’s also loads of fun, based on the hours I’ve already spent playing it. If the studio nails the landing with the full release, I’ll be spending far more time in its eerily charming world.

While a combination of base building, resource gathering, and RTS combat might not seem unusual, Cataclismo stands apart because of both the precise, granular control you have over building your base, and a ‘tower defense’ feel created by your units, which automatically attack approaching enemies.

Set in a world where a magical mist covers the land, transforming humans into pale, misshapen horrors, the surviving remnants of humanity have fled to the highest reaches of the world, taking refuge atop mountain peaks. Building and rebuilding structures and defenses during the day, and defending the last remaining strongholds from waves of horrors each night, Cataclismo simultaneously expands upon and streamlines the base-building process, trans forming the tedium sometimes associated with builders into an almost zen-like flow state, letting you get right to the fun; crafting bases and getting to battle.

You’ll slowly build your base, gathering resources you’ll use to construct your defenses brick by brick, focusing on whatever gives you the advantage you need at the time. Walls of stone are much stronger than wood, and the higher the wall, the more resilient it is. You’ll need to gather stone, wood, iron, and even oxygen, but it’s all very easy to grasp and manage, with clear indicators and notifications for what you need and whether your resources are