User:TrademarkedTWOrantula/Clustertruck

Clustertruck is a 2016 platformer game developed by independent Swedish studio Landfall Games and published by tinyBuild. In the game, players jump on trucks to avoid touching the ground and other obstacles. In 2015, Wilhelm Nylund formulated the concept of Clustertruck when he was stuck in traffic; on his way home from Gamescom, Nylund pictured himself jumping on trucks to escape it. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in September 2016 and for the Nintendo Switch in March 2018. Clustertruck has been met with a mixed reception.

Gameplay
Clustertruck is a first-person platformer game. Throughout nine worlds with ten levels each, the player must finish a level by jumping across trucks moving towards the goal. During a level, the player may sprint or slow down time, and trucks may tip over. Touching the ground or any obstacles triggers a game over. In each world, a new obstacle is introduced, thereby increasing the difficulty. They can earn bonus points by skipping trucks or staying mid-air, which can be can be spent for powerups including grappling hooks, double jumps, and speed boosts.

Development and release
Development began in 2015 and spanned one year. While traveling home from Gamescom, Wilhelm Nylund, the lead designer and CEO of Landfall Games, was in traffic, and trucks surrounded his car. Nylund imagined himself jumping on the trucks as a way to get home faster, inspiring him to develop the prototype of Clustertruck. Each additional 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, as well as obstacles including lasers and wheel spokes. After a few months in development, an early public alpha build released. 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 was released for Windows, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It had garnered 65,000 sales by 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; similar to the original game, time in the game will only move forward when the player does so. The studio had asked permission to the development team of Superhot before producing it.

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.