Code provided thanks to Plan of Attack.
Cloudheim – Kicking it Into Early Access
Cloudheim really took me by surprise. Jumping into its early access build felt like stepping into a world that already knows exactly what it wants to be: colourful, myth-tinged, physics-chaotic, and absolutely brimming with personality. Within minutes, I was hopping around, single jump, double jump, triple jump, thinking, “Alright, this is my kind of game,” and settling in for an afternoon that quickly became several.
A Post-Ragnarok Playground
The premise is immediately intriguing. Ragnarok has come and gone, the world is shattered, and the gods, still snoozing after the whole apocalypse thing, are waiting for someone to wake them up and help put everything back together. You play as a young warrior blessed with special powers, trekking across these Norse-inspired islands, reviving old gods and batting away creeping corruption. The game doesn’t drown you in exposition; instead, it sprinkles lore in as you explore, letting you decide whether to follow the story threads or just run off and bonk monsters. Both are valid life choices.
A Vibrant, Breath-of-the-Wild-Adjacent Feast
Visually, Cloudheim hits immediately. It has that vibrant, painterly style, somewhere between cel-shaded and storybook, but what impressed me most was how lively the world feels. Big skies, rolling clouds, lush greenery, and distant ruins peeking over the horizon. It’s the kind of place you want to wander around in just to see what’s behind the next hill.
Enemy designs lean into Nordic energy without ever dipping into gloom. Even the more monstrous creatures feel somehow upbeat, like they’re having a nice time being angry. And your playable characters? Fantastic variety. From Viking-like warriors to various mythical creatures (some locked behind paid supporter content) there will no doubt be someone here that you want to take on your epic adventure.
Exploring and Adventuring
Exploration is simply fun. The islands are full of chests to puzzle out, loot tucked in strange corners, resources to gather, and secrets scattered everywhere. Everything you pick up slips straight into your backpack without fuss, which makes hoarding ingredients dangerously easy. Eventually, you bring your collected loot back to your cosy hub on the back of a giant flying turtle, yes, really, and that’s where management kicks in: smelting, crafting, storing, selling, and occasionally just vibing.
There’s an MMO-like rhythm to the loop, but without the intensity or time sink. As someone who does not have the hours (or patience) for MMOs, Cloudheim hits a sweet spot, busy and rewarding. The game drip-feeds new mechanics at a comfortable pace, making everything feel intuitive even as your toolkit expands.
Combat and Gratuitous Kicking
Combat is where Cloudheim really kicks, literally. The physics-based chaos is joyful from the first encounter. You start with basic weapons, but it doesn’t take long before the game hands you a magic lasso and a mighty kick and tells you, “Go nuts.” Pull enemies off cliffs, yank items down onto their heads, fling exploding barrels, other enemies….. it all feels wonderfully unhinged.
You’ve got dodges, special abilities, multiple weapon types, and different classes that change up your style, melee bruiser, mixed-style ranger, and more. The only real gripe I have is that when the screen gets extremely busy (and trust me, it does), it can be hard to tell when you’re getting hit. Sometimes I realised I’d died only after seeing my ghost appear. But even then, the combat loop feels so good that I shrugged it off and jumped straight back in.
A Sky-High Hub Full of Heart
Your base, perched on the back of Odin Shell, the giant flying turtle, is one of Cloudheim’s standout features. It’s part workshop, part shopfront, part chill-out zone. You can craft weapons, upgrade stations, refine materials, and literally throw resources into various machines to let them do their magic. It’s tactile, quick, and never bogs you down. You can also run your own little sky shop, filling shelves and serving customers who float in from across the realm. It’s simple and a surprisingly relaxing break from monster-kicking. Though for me, that honesty didn’t get old either.
Built for Friends, Even If You’re Flying Solo
Cloudheim supports up to four-player online co-op, and while I played it solo for impressions, it’s clear the game is built with teamwork in mind. Big enemy waves, combo-driven abilities, and the sheer amount of destruction suggest that playing with friends would be a riot. Still, as a solo experience, it never felt lacking. If anything, it made me excited to eventually rope someone into the chaos. I’m looking at you, my American friend.
Final Thoughts: Early Access But Already Special
As with all early access games, there are rough edges, occasional pop-in, some performance hiccups, and the odd moment where visual clarity slips during big fights, but nothing that dimmed the fun. There’s already so much to enjoy, and the developers clearly have ambitious plans.
If you’re into vibrant action-adventures, crafting systems that feel friendly rather than exhausting, and physics combat that encourages you to be a menace, Cloudheim is absolutely worth jumping into, especially if you’ve got a friend or three who’ll come along for the ride. I enjoyed it solo, but I can easily see it becoming a favourite co-op hangout. And hey, there’s even a free demo if you want to dip your toe into the clouds first.
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