Clustertruck Review

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Having first seen Clustertruck played on a certain green-haired Youtuber’s channel, I never thought it would be a game for me. I could not have been more wrong or more happy to be wrong. After being given a code for the game, I was hesitant to load it up in case I didn’t like it. Once I actually loaded it up however, I quickly fell in love with how fast-paced and chaotic the gameplay was. Since the whole game is in first-person, all the action feels even more ridiculous than it actually is. Whether it be jumping, sprinting, climbing, or using any of the game’s power-ups, Clustertruck keeps the action going nearly all the time.

The entire goal of Clustertruck is to get from the start point to the ‘Goal’ area to end the level. Since the game has such a simply goal, it is really easy to pick up and start playing whenever. With 10 levels in each of the 9 worlds, it would make sense for the game to feel a little long. Unfortunately, some levels are so short (or easy) that I felt like I blasted through certain worlds a little too quickly. Although, I feel like I could have gotten through the game even faster if I hadn’t challenged myself to beat the game without using any power-ups.

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This challenge wasn’t just me being a masochist, it is actually one of the game’s achievements. I personally enjoy hunting achievements and I plan on 100%ing this game soon after this review goes up. Unfortunately most of the achievements in this game are simply for completing each of the game’s nine worlds, which feels a little unoriginal. Either way, each world in the game sports a new theme with new challenges and effects. These levels range from a snow-covered world with lots of trucks driving different directions to a sci-fi world that has bounce pads and missiles. Like most platformers, Clustertruck has several levels that are simply annoying (basically most of the ones with lasers) while also having several levels I’d play over and over again (basically the entire medieval world).

Most of the annoying levels are only annoying because of how hard it is to get used to the size of the player character. Since the whole game is in first-person and originally designed for the PC, it seems like Clustertruck doesn’t want to be played on the Xbox. Maybe others will have a better time than I did, but I never really got used to the exact size of my character. This odd sensation of not knowing where my character’s feet were was only made more disorienting with the art style the game brings. The game looks very sharp and crisp while being bright and colorful, which compliments the crazy gameplay.

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While the game looks great, it does suffer from repetitive sound effects (especially honking). Besides the sound effects, Clustertruck has world specific songs that compliment the worlds they play over. With each world being individual and special, players will find themselves with more and more to discover as they work they way through the game. Besides having unique worlds, each power-up is unique and makes the game completely different when any of them are used. These powers include double jump, air dash, epic mode, slow time, and a power that allows players to kickflip trucks that they jump off of. With or without these powers, Clustertruck can easily keep players busy for several hours.

Other than not knowing how big the player character is, replay fatigue could potentially be an issue that many players will face. Clustertruck’s levels are short and fast while being difficult, so players will have to replay levels time and time again to finally beat them. To be fair, these are the only real issues I ever experienced with the game and can say I’d suggest that other people pick up the game to try out the craziness that is Clustertruck.

rating-8

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Microsoft Xbox One code was provided to Brash Games for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to editor@brashgames.co.uk.

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