Actually, Vali is not a big city person. But to the titular cyberpunk metropolis of the Cloudpunk makers, even he would move: Nivalis, which entices with an atmospheric game world.
Full lanes, sweaty heat, the unmistakable smell of urine and vomit – one likes to pay far too much money for life in the big city. But it can also be easier if you take a look at the latest game by the Cloudpunk developers: Nivalis.
Because I don’t have to taste or smell the life simulation in a cyberpunk setting planned for 2023 – I can simply marvel at it. And the developers of Ion Lands promise features that I would also like to see in genre representatives such as Deus Ex, Blade Runner or Cyberpunk 2077.
But it’s best to get an idea of Nivalis for yourself first: In the dewy trailer from the Xbox/Bethesda Showcase 2022, the cloudpunk makers revealed for the first time exactly what we can expect in the game:
What kind of game is this going to be?
Nivalis is not really new or unknown. After all, the cyberpunk metropolis was already the setting of Cloudpunk, through which I either piloted my flying Uber or walked from a kind of isometric perspective. Nivalis, however, now provides a new perspective on … Nivalis. Because the spin-off to Cloudpunk will be noticeably different from the previous adventure.
So in Nivalis I not only switch to the first-person perspective, but the genre at the same time. The developers at Ion Lands see Nivalis as a life simulation in which I work my way up the career ladder like in Stardew Valley, for example. So I manage bars, restaurants or other shops with a cyberpunk-esque twist. I meet new friends and maybe even my (virtual) love for life and show off my wealth by moving into increasingly decadent flats.
Nivalis in the process, I can explore not only on foot but also behind the wheel of a flying hover motorbike. During my walks, I enjoy the city life, which is quite multi-faceted thanks to a dynamic day/night change. And like almost every current video game, Nivalis also has a relaxing fishing mini-game – let’s just hope that the mutated sea creatures don’t bite.
But Nivalis can also be a damn rough place, as anyone who has ever dealt with the cyberpunk genre knows, for example. For example, like in CD Projekt Red’s role-playing cousin, I have to watch out for washed-up characters who are after my kidneys or augmentative enhancements. Anyone who has ever woken up in a bathtub full of ice will only recommend a comparable experience to a limited extent.
Nivalis is pretty damn atmospheric in the first scenes of the game. This is hardly surprising, after all, the Berlin studio Ion Lands has already shown a real knack for this with Cloudpunk. NPCs scurry everywhere through the neon-lit game world, the night sky is overflowing with the flying cars of busy commuters and, of course, the cyberpunk-typical (toxic) rain is not to be missed. Nivalis already promises a game world that I would have liked to see from titles like Deus Ex or even Cyberpunk 2077.
When does the journey to Nivalis start?
There is currently no release date for Nivalis. The developers at Ion Lands haven’t even roughly narrowed down the release date yet. If your fingers are already itching like mine, you’ll have to be patient. At least there is a Steam page for Nivalis online, where you can put the game on your wishlist.
By the way, we talked to the creative minds behind Nivalis and Cloudpunk back in mid-2021: In this video you can find out why there will be no Cloudpunk 2 (for the time being) and what else could be in store for us with Nivalis.
Editor’s conclusion
I don’t really like life simulations that much. I already work in real life, so why should I slave away in my spare time? My first contact with the genre was Animal Crossings: New Horizons, which definitely helped me understand the fascination with life simulations. But it wasn’t enough to take the next step in the direction of games like Stardew Valley.
But Nivalis could change that. The gameplay scenes and screenshots of the setting and game world shown so far promise a truly atmospheric experience with great freedom of play. If the gameplay doesn’t keep me interested in the long run, I would at least like to soak up the cyberpunk atmosphere like a sponge. But maybe it’s high time to finally catch up with Cloudpunk. After all, I’ve only heard good things about it from my colleagues.
