Image via Ion Lands
Nivalis Nights is a cozy, slice-of-life cyberpunk sim that lets you carve out a life in what’s usually a pretty bleak setting. With the game launching so soon, September 29, I thought it was high time to yell as loudly as I can that you should play the game’s spiritual predecessor if you want to immerse yourself in its world.
So, what game is this, you ask? It’s Cloudpunk. Another cyberpunk slice-of-life sim game set in the same city, Nivalis. It’s unlike other cyberpunk titles that are filled with high-octane action, shooting, swearing, and body mods, and instead focuses more on the complex dilemmas that such a world presents, and it does so beautifully.
The City Of Nivalis Was Born In Cloudpunk
Cloudpunk was released by developer Ion Lands in April 2020 and framed that whole year for me in many ways. In it, you play as what equates to a cyberpunk delivery driver. The title is derived from the delivery company you work for, and the whole game is built around the jobs you pick up throughout the story. What begins as a straightforward package delivery sim quickly escalates into a deep and intriguing story that sees you travel the length of a sentient, growing city, making decisions along the way that have far-reaching consequences.
Most of the consequences of your actions are etheric, taking place outside of your sphere of influence. You have to imagine what happens based on how you feel at the time and what you hope the outcome is. Other consequences have more direct results, leading to you adopting a pet, a child, getting a new engine, or seeing a head in a jar get snooty about being outranked by a hoover and wanting to move up in the world to the lofty position of washing machine.
It’s a strange game in many ways, and I know people who really didn’t enjoy it. I think it’s wonderfully written and does the best job I’ve ever seen of bringing those hardcore cyberpunk themes to life in a way you’re directly interacting with, but without ever making you pull a trigger or get into fights. It’s so incredibly cozy and perfect to cuddle up with when you need a little something to play on the Switch 2 or Steam Deck.
However, as I’ve alluded to, the true star of this game isn’t the protagonist, it’s the city of Nivalis. This setting is a colossal city that spans continents. It continues to grow, self-replicating as it spreads through whatever land masses stand in its way. It’s also tall enough and large enough that it has its own climate and ecosystem, with clouds blotting out the sky, causing it to always be raining. You can head up above the clouds if you get a good enough job, but not many ever make it that high in Nivalis. You’re more likely to descend to the tunnels below and be a moisture-sucking tramp.
Don’t let the sorry state of some of its citizens put you off of Novalis, though. For every downside, there are two upsides. For example, the people are, mostly, lovely. When not looking out for themselves, you’ll find groups of individuals seeking a better life for themselves in a sustainable way, or a building filled entirely with trapped androids looking for a way out to see if they can survive outside of their prison. Sometimes, people just want to make life better for their parents, so they take shady jobs, and other times, ancient androids run out of luck just after they manage to help one last person get away from a terrible life.
In Cloudpunk, you can stop at many different parts of the city and explore it in first person or from a diorama point of view. It’s stunning and really gets you into the mood of the city. It’s not pretty to look at, but the noodle bars are bright, and the company isn’t half bad. It manages to blur the worlds of Cyberpunk 2077, Blade Runner, Total Recall, and The Fifth Element into a place you’re not sure you’d want to be all the time, but you’d be happy to call home as long as you had the type of apartment the protagonist has.
That’s the dream Nivalis Nights is trying to sell you on. The spiritual successor is far more of a simulator than anything else, at least from what I’ve seen. You run a bar/restaurant and must build it up into a successful business. The NPCs all have something to say, and speaking to them may well create a story everyone else misses because they didn’t chat to that exact passerby.
You can live out a life with a sub-par bar while exploring Nivalis by day, or really hone your business into somewhere even the corporate elite come down to sample. If you want to see your food through from start to finish, you can buy it from the source or catch/farm it yourself. The game wants you to be as involved as you want to be. There’s no massive pressure to min/max in this title, it’s all about how much you want to put in and get out of it.
Nivalis itself is still the same city across both games. There’s an event at the end of Cloudpunk that could have an impact, but I don’t think we’d notice if it did. The city is still the same towering monstrosity filled with interesting people to befriend and help out. It’s still a cyberpunk city with the dark underworld and money-grabbing high-fliers. However, it’s also a place you can etch your name into as you find a way to call it home.
I truly believe that Cloudpunk is one of the best games I’ve ever played, and I’ve played some real bangers. If you’re at all into cyberpunk themes or are looking forward to what Nivalis Nights has to offer, please do give it a try. I promise you won’t regret it.
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