{"id":251905,"date":"2024-07-12T16:34:55","date_gmt":"2024-07-12T20:34:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/?p=251905"},"modified":"2024-07-12T16:34:57","modified_gmt":"2024-07-12T20:34:57","slug":"cataclismo-smartly-mixes-lego-with-rts-tradition-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/cataclismo-smartly-mixes-lego-with-rts-tradition-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"Cataclismo Smartly Mixes LEGO With the RTS Genre [Preview]"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Real-time strategy games have been trying to make a comeback for a while now. Indie studios are at the center of this expansion, and it feels like <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalsungames.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Digital Sun<\/a>\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/1422440\/Cataclismo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Cataclismo<\/em><\/a><em> <\/em>could be one of the key 2024 releases in that space when all is said and done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arriving after the success of <em>Moonlighter <\/em>and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/the-mageseeker-action-rpg-league-of-legends-moonlighter-dev\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story<\/em><\/a>, <em>Cataclismo <\/em>marks the studio\u2019s first foray into strategy games. While much of the marketing and buzz surrounding the upcoming early access release (available on July 22) has focused on its LEGO-like building mechanics and the relentless onslaught of deformed monstrosities players have to survive night after night, it turns out more is happening under the surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Cataclismo_1.png?w=1024&#038;resize=1200%2C675\" alt=\"An image from Cataclismo showing blueprints, as part of a preview of the game.\" class=\"wp-image-251906\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Screenshot by The Escapist<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>After spending a few hours with the game, prioritizing its campaign over the skirmish offerings and the endless mode that everyone would\u2019ve asked for had it not been there, I\u2019ve been surprised by how much it owes to RTS classics once you look past its main blocky attraction, and I mean that as a compliment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Without getting into spoilers at this stage, the world of <em>Cataclismo <\/em>feels like a mix of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/against-the-storm-highlights-and-breaks-the-limitations-of-modern-roguelites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Against the Storm<\/em><\/a> and <em>Demon\u2019s Souls<\/em>, with an added touch of <em>Attack on Titan <\/em>and <em>Dead Space<\/em> for good measure. Before the current post-apocalyptic state of its fantasy world, a bunch of mysterious objects the humans called \u2018Perlas\u2019 descended from the heavens and everything seemed good. A bit later, however, the Mist showed up and engulfed all that mankind had built and turned anyone it caught into deformed monsters. Now, only the cities that are above the Mist \u2013 or can push back against it and the horrors it creates \u2013 stand tall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019d expect <em>Cataclismo <\/em>to play things relatively safe and focus on the basic resource management we\u2019ve come to expect from similar indie games and on siege defenses that are literally built with LEGO, but it goes the extra mile to create its own voice and make a stronger impression. At least during its early levels, it manages to present the flurry of systems and interlinked mechanics with ease. That said, only a few of them come across as truly novel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Cataclismo <\/em>appears to be one of those indie games that excels at reusing and refreshing old parts that have never been put together before, or at least not exactly like this. When coupled with the striking art style and easy-to-understand flow of the levels, it starts to shine. You\u2019ll be tinkering <em>a lot<\/em> with your base builds, defined by the planning done in a preparation and gathering phase, to survive past the early scenarios though. This is no walk in the park by any means. I personally went with the default Medium difficulty, but even in this early access build, <em>Cataclismo <\/em>invites players of all skill levels and experience with RTS games into its cursed world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Cataclismo_2.png?w=1024&#038;resize=1200%2C675\" alt=\"Cataclismo - defense phase\" class=\"wp-image-251907\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Screenshot by The Escapist<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>After a few tutorials about movement, combat, and exploration that won\u2019t be news to anyone who\u2019s been playing RTS in the past, things quickly shift to base defense and improving the location\u2019s weakest spots as best as you can with the resources you have. On a basic level, you\u2019re just picking up different blocks and putting them together to create sturdy walls, bridges, stairs, and even items that boost the performance of the warriors you\u2019ll have to train as well as the main character, who\u2019s a playable hero of sorts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Resource-gathering is automatic, but much like the blocks used to build up defenses, gatherers can be optimized to collect more rocks and wood (among other things) and faster. This might not seem very important early on, but you\u2019ll soon appreciate every new drop that comes into your main building. I was expecting <em>Cataclismo <\/em>to be more limited in its scope, yet the town management aspect eventually becomes as important as building the right walls and traps plus equipping them with defender units. As things get even more complicated, it\u2019ll be interested to see whether the complete loop becomes a chore or things remain frenetic and interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watching the carnage unfold is equally satisfying regardless of the outcome, as entire structures can crumble if the foundations are trashed and the game never becomes visually cluttered, and while the enemies that attack the bases early on seem pretty basic, we do know things get more savage the further we move into the wilderness. Soon, the ability to save entire builds (and Steam Workshop support is there) with a couple of clicks for easy redeployment becomes as crucial to the experience as the protagonist\u2019s in-universe save-scumming capabilities (yes, really).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Cataclismo_3.png?w=1024&#038;resize=1200%2C675\" alt=\"Cataclismo - building phase\" class=\"wp-image-251908\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Screenshot by The Escapist<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Hooded Horse, a publisher who\u2019s been making waves in recent times with titles such as <em>Against the Storm<\/em> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/manor-lords-reaches-massive-all-time-player-peak-day-one-sales-pass-a-million-copies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Manor Lords<\/em><\/a>, could have another winner in its hands with Digital Sun\u2019s latest, yet I\u2019m remaining cautious, as much of <em>Cataclismo<\/em>\u2019s appeal in the long run will depend on how much each map shakes things up and what new building blocks are added to my collection. For now, I&#8217;m going to go add another layer of rock cubes to my exterior walls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/1422440\/Cataclismo\/\">Cataclismo<\/a> is launching in early access on July 22 via GOG and Steam.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1165,"featured_media":251909,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"article_type":"","gamurs_wordpress_blocks_hide_tags":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[7806,11587,10],"tags":[54369,13133,50944],"internal-label":[53131,53297],"invoiceable_action":[52815],"article_type":[52793],"coauthors":[{"id":1165,"display_name":"Fran 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Ruiz is a freelance writer for The Escapist as well as other gaming, entertainment, and science websites, including VG247, Space, and LiveScience, with a strong focus on features, listicles, and opinion pieces. His wordsmith journey started with Star Wars News Net and its sister site, writing film, TV, and gaming news as a side gig. Once his bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees in English Studies (University of Malaga, Spain) were done, he started collaborating with more and more sites until he became a full-time freelancer on top of an occasional private tutor. There\u2019s no film genre he\u2019s afraid of, but sci-fi and fantasy can win him over easily. Star Wars and Jurassic Park are his favorite stories ever. He also loves the entirety of Lost (yes, even the final season). When it comes to games, Spyro the Dragon and Warcraft III are his all-timers, but he\u2019s the opposite of tied to a few genres. Don\u2019t try to save him from his gargantuan backlog.","url":"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/author\/franruiz\/"}]}},"apple_news_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Cataclismo_main.png?fit=1200%2C675","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251905"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1165"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251905"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251905\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":251951,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251905\/revisions\/251951"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/251909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251905"},{"taxonomy":"internal-label","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-label?post=251905"},{"taxonomy":"invoiceable_action","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/invoiceable_action?post=251905"},{"taxonomy":"article_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_type?post=251905"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=251905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}