Cloudberry Kingdom Preview

For nostalgic gamers, there will always be a special place for platformers. It’s the genre that built video game empires, and capturing the essence of those landmark titles is no easy task. Over the past three years, a group of independent developers working under the title Pwnee Studios have been working tirelessly to properly honor the platformer genre they all love. They are now closing in on final preparations for launching the cumulation of all their work, Cloudberry Kingdom. From the looks of it, it will not disappoint.

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Get ready for platforming madness with Cloudberry Kingdom

For nostalgic gamers, there will always be a special place for platformers. It’s the genre that built video game empires, and capturing the essence of those landmark titles is no easy task. Over the past three years, a group of independent developers working under the title Pwnee Studios have been working tirelessly to properly honor the platformer genre they all love. They are now closing in on final preparations for launching the cumulation of all their work, Cloudberry Kingdom. From the looks of it, it will not disappoint.

Citing classic titles like Mario and Sonic as well as modern favorites like Meatboy as inspirations for their project, Pwnee Studios has constructed an incredibly adaptable artificial intelligence that has the ability to build unique levels on demand. The result is an AI algorithm capable of creating abundant amounts of levels. As of their latest build the game contains a possible 1096 levels, which the Pwnee team brags is “more levels than particles in the known universe.” Add to the fact that the developers can randomly drop in new elements when they please and the AI will pick up on how they are used and integrate them into gameplay, and it could easily be construed that these developers are trying to change the definition of infinity to “Pwnee Studios.”

Cloudberry Kingdom is still in its beta form, and will remain as such until its full launch on Steam and Xbox Live Arcade later this summer. While the current beta shows off the algorithm and some of the insane combinations of level design that players will encounter, it really doesn’t even scratch the surface. The team is planning to have a major animation studio–which they plan to name in the near future–take a crack at designing the cut scenes and animations within the game to give it that extra layer of polish. This includes bringing to life a list of heroes that will be playable in game and the unique powers that they’ll be equipped with. The Pwnee crew have also managed to score the rights to insert one of their muses, Meat Boy, into the game, and are expecting to add other stars from beloved IPs in the future.

Cloudberry Kingdom
Cloudberry Kingdom

For a game that is planning on channelling a genre that is renowned for simplicity, there is a whole lot being promised with Cloudberry Kingdom. The game is garnering plenty of attention within the gaming community, and rightfully so. The team at Pwnee Studios are working on making something really special.

While the game won’t be out for a few months, you can get involved right now. They’re currently running a Kickstarter campaign in hopes of funding the project, specifically to pay their design team for its work and to bring in an animation studio to bring the game a bit of a facelift. The current goal is to secure $20,000, and every pledge goes to making the promise a reality. This is definitely looking like a title that is worth getting in on the ground floor with. There’s no better bragging right than telling your friends you helped make one of the most memorable titles in recent memory.

Bring us back to the platforming glory days, Pwnee Studios. If Cloudberry Kingdom is half as good as it looks, you’ve got a hit on your hands.