Clustertruck

Clustertruck is a 2016 platformer game developed by independent Swedish studio Landfall Games and published by tinyBuild. The game consists of nine worlds in which the player must navigate through by jumping on moving trucks to avoid obstacles and the ground, culminating in a boss fight. The concept of Clustertruck originated from Landfall Games founder Wilhelm Nylund's experience while stuck in traffic after leaving Gamescom; in there, he pictured himself leaping across trucks to escape. Clustertruck was released for Microsoft Windows, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in September 2016, followed by a release for the Nintendo Switch in March 2018. While praised for its gameplay, graphics, and original soundtrack, Clustertruck was criticized for its Nintendo Switch port.

Gameplay
Clustertruck is a first-person platformer game. Across nine worlds with ten levels each, the player navigates by jumping across trucks with real-time physics to reach a designated goal. During a level, the player may sprint or slow down time, while trucks tip over. Touching the ground or any obstacle triggers a game over. Each world introduces a new obstacle, culminating in a boss fight in the final world. The player may earn bonus points by skipping trucks or remaining airborne, which can be spent for powerups, such as grappling hooks, double jumps, and speed boosts. Outside the main campaign, the player can use the level editor to construct and share custom levels.

Development and release
The development of Clustertruck began in 2015 and spanned one year. While traveling home from Gamescom in 2015, Wilhelm Nylund, the lead designer and CEO of Landfall Games, conceptualized the idea for the game while being surrounded by trucks in traffic. Nylund imagined jumping on the trucks to get home faster, inspiring him to develop the prototype of Clustertruck. Each new feature would be playtested and discussed within the team on whether or not it would be implemented into the game. Landfall Games ultimately added powerups—such as double jumps, air dashes, and a jet pack—and obstacles, including lasers and wheel spokes. After a few months in development, an early public alpha build was released. During the alpha phase, playtesters discovered that they could finish levels early by reaching to the front of the truck line. Feedback from Discord users made the game more optimal for speedrunning.

Landfall Games planned to release Clustertruck by April 2016. However, Nylund clarified that the team had extended development due to the game's popularity during alpha testing. At PAX South 2016, it was announced that Landfall Games had signed a publishing deal with tinyBuild. On 27 September 2016, the game released for Windows, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, with 65,000 sales within its first month of release. In October 2016, Clustertruck was updated with a Halloween-themed map. On 15 March 2018, the game was released for the Nintendo Switch.

For an April Fools prank, Landfall Games created a parody of Superhot called Super Truck in 2016; similar to the original game, time would only move forward when the player does so. Permission was obtained from the Superhot development team prior to its production.

Reception
Clustertruck received a "generally favorable" score on Metacritic for the PC version and a "mixed or average" score for the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch ports. On OpenCritic, the game holds a 50% approval rating.

Critics generally praised the gameplay, likening it to the children's game the floor is lava. Other reviewers commended how the gimmicks in each world and stressful gameplay kept the game fun. Emily Sowden of Pocket Gamer noted the sudden increase in difficulty, stating that the game is "brutal" and "unfair at times" but also "super simple to pick up" for any player. Nintendo Life 's Gonçalo Lopes described Clustertruck as an "arcade first-person action" and "physics puzzle", praising the game for "masterfully [implementing]" casual and hardcore gameplay and giving the player choices on how to beat a level. Nintendo World Report Donald Theriault felt satisfied after finishing a challenging level, citing his experience with the ice physics in the tenth level of the third world, and HobbyConsolas 's Alberto Lloret praised how the game's variety in worlds captivated players. While Peter Bathge of PC Games stated that high score lists incentivized players to purchase power-ups, Theriault felt that the double jump was only necessary. Writing for Destructoid, Peter Glagowski found the first world "disappointing" with a "weird", repetitive gimmick, adding on that the game's boss level was "too long", goes against the game's concept, and "sucks the fun out".

Clustertruck was praised for its original soundtrack and three-dimensional graphics. Lopes felt that the "catchy tunes" fit with the chaotic gameplay, and Theriault appreciated how the music did not restart with the game. Lloret compared the graphics to Mirror's Edge Catalyst, with Lopes noting that the game's use of flat, shaded polygons helped to maintain performance.

The Nintendo Switch port faced criticism for its controls and performance. Some critics stated that turning the game's camera with the right Joy-Con's analog stick was too sensitive. While Theriault thought the game "ran fine" on the console, Bathge found it "almost impossible" to jump and rotate the camera at the same time. However, Lloret justified the game's short levels fit with the console's "portable nature" due to their length.