Clustertruck
Overview -
The cleverly named 'Clustertruck' comes to us from Swedish-based Landfall Games as their first release. They describe it simply as "a chaotic game about not falling off trucks", which is very true. It is available now for PC, XB1, and PS4.
Video Review
The game has a minimalist presentation, with simple art style and low-impact textures. The explosions are cartoonish and there are few other effects, just trucks driving in the same direction and crashing into things. It works well with Landfall's "gameplay first" design philosophy, and I never found myself concerned with the visual quality. The engine is able to keep up with all of the action, try as I might to blame my performance on stutters (the 'Rock Band' effect).
Audio Review
There is a light, looping soundtrack that takes a backseat to the truck honking, and that's about it for the soundscape. That makes for a great game to play muted while playing other music in the background.
Final Thoughts
'Clustertruck' does for jumping what 'SUPERHOT' does for shooting. It boils down the genre into a distilled form, with very few bells and whistles. It doesn't really need the bells and whistles, and manages to more or less avoid the tedium for a long time solely by virtue of its immaculate platforming.
