Cloudheim: A physics-fueled viking adventure on the back of a flying turtle.
Cloudheim is a multiplayer action role-playing game developed by NoodleCat Games, a company known for unique ideas and solid gameplay. The game first showed up in early access with the promise of open-world exploration, physics-heavy fighting, and deep co-op interaction.
It is available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S in 2025. Even though NoodleCat Games is a small independent studio, they took a big risk with Cloudheim by combining cave crawling, physics-based action, crafting, and even running a shop all in one game.
Procedural and AI-assisted tools were used to help make the game’s content, but the end product shows how creative the team was. This disclosure is clear, if a little vague. It shows that the developers are ready to try out new technology while still having control over the end experience.
Cloudheim got a lot of attention right away for its unique look and way of building a world: the main hub is a huge flying turtle named Odin Shell, on whose back players build their base, make weapons, and run shops. This instantly makes it different from other open-world RPGs and gives players a fresh look at exploring and how the game works.
The game already has smooth movement and responsive fighting, even though it’s still in early access. Some rewards let players quadruple jump, double jump, triple jump, and even run. This gives the game a sense of freedom that makes it feel like Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The team’s focus on fluid, combo-based combat and interacting with the environment makes movement feel like it has value instead of just being for looks.
Cloudheim takes place in a world broken into flying islands left over from other realms. Players want to take back these places and bring back the gods that used to live there. Each island has its own foes, obstacles, and natural risks, and they also have a different theme, such as a frozen tundra or a desert wasteland.
The story mostly happens through conversations with NPCs and stories told by the surroundings, which lets players explore while slowly learning about the history. Making shop management a part of the story is one of its unique hooks.
NPCs from other worlds come to Odin Shell’s market to buy the things you’ve made. People will come to your town more often if you sell things and improve your image. This will keep you exploring, gathering materials, crafting, and trading. Exploring the world while running a shop gives the story a unique and interesting twist.
Also, you are told to gradually improve their base. Odin Shell is more than just a house; it’s a place that changes as you gather resources and build new things, making you feel like you’re making real progress. You are actually shaping your world as you clean up, put furniture in place, and set up crafting stations. This makes the story more personal and interactive.
Exploring Cloudheim feels like reclaiming lost worlds while building your own legend on the back of a flying turtle.
It’s easy and quick to move around in Cloudheim. The game can be played with either a computer and mouse or a controller, giving players options. You can run, dodge roll, triple jump, and even find secret ways to move, like the ability to bounce or do four-jump moves. These different ways to move make exploring fun and make players want to look in every part of the islands.
The combat is physics-based and very participatory. Players can capture enemies, kick items, use things in the surroundings that are dangerous, such as barrels that explode, and link combos together. The four major classes are Ranger (assassin), Ruin Blade (spellcaster), Survival Specialist (tank/shield), and Breaker (brute force). They all have different weapons, skills, and movement styles. Changing classes is as easy as putting on a new weapon, so you can try new things without having to start over.
Every swing, kick, and spell interacts with the environment, making combat feel alive and chaotic in the best way.
It is possible to knock enemies off balance and even kick them into obstacles or other enemies, leading to unexpected fights. The combat system works pretty well most of the time, but sometimes small camera problems make it hard to hit your targets precisely. This is more visible when there are a lot of enemies around. Combat in the game rewards creativity; if you use the environment well, you can take out multiple enemies at once, which is very rewarding.
Cloudheim’s puzzles are a lot like Zelda’s. They gently teach players how to move objects, flip switches, and perform platforming tasks. They aren’t overly hard, but they fit nicely with the landscape and make players engage with it instead of just fighting foes. When players try new things, platforming and secret chests often reward them, adding a little adventure to the fights.
It was already said that physics and variety are important for combat. Mastery is linked to using weapons—often using weapons opens up new skills and combos. This method makes it easy to try out all four classes and the weapons they use. Because action and puzzles work well together, players are never just fighting. They have to think about where to stand, when to act, and how to move around in the world.
Combat in Cloudheim is chaotic but rewarding, with environmental interactions adding layers of strategy to every encounter.
The bad thing is that the camera might not always work right for some players, especially during fast-paced scenes with a lot of enemies. This is a small problem, but the fun of chaining combos, bouncing enemies into dangers, and using the environment usually makes up for it.
In Cloudheim, there are different ways to move up. As weapons are used, they gain experience, which lets you use new skills, combos, and powers. As you level up, your class’s stats also get better, which makes fighting more effective. Crafting and running a shop give you resources to make your base stronger or your gear better, which is a secondary way that they help you gain experience and move up.
Dungeon fragments and rewards also give players lasting stat boosts that change the way they play by making them more durable and damaging. Random loot from crafting stations and Neser, a creature that eats unwanted things for random rewards, make the game fun and unpredictable. Players always have goals, whether they are short-term or long-term, because the game has a mix of grinding, exploring, and creating.
Progression is tied not just to combat but also creative problem-solving and resource management, making every action meaningful.”
Cloudheim is beautiful to look at. The islands are bright, can be destroyed, and are full of details. As you fly around the world on Odin Shell, you can see beautiful views of floating islands, portals, and tunnels. The enemies and characters are animated well, and the effects on weapons look real and lively. Multiple physics events happen at the same time, but the frame rates stay the same. This is a big deal for an independent game.
Details in the environment, like barrels that can be broken, bounce pads, and buildings that can be broken, make the experience more immersive. All the environmental material feels polished, and the art style is both cute and useful, making it easy for players to find things in the world that they can interact with.
Cloudheim manages to look gorgeous without sacrificing performance, even with complex physics-based interactions everywhere.
The sound goes nicely with the images. Combat feels heavy, with satisfying hits and responses from the environment. This kind of music makes you want to explore, no matter if you’re in a frozen wasteland or a sunny forest island. The world feels alive thanks to the voice lines and sound effects that are used by NPCs and shop activities.
Sounds from crafting and cooking make the experience more realistic, and even small things like catching fish or working at a forge have their own sounds. The sound system puts a lot of emphasis on feedback, which makes both fighting and exploring feel responsive and rewarding.
Every swing, kick, and crafted item has a satisfying sound, reinforcing the game’s tactile feel.
Cloudheim is an ambitious indie RPG that does a good job of blending exploration, fighting, crafting, and running a base into a single experience. The physics-based combat is creative, letting the game and its world connect in ways that feel real. Simple puzzles are fun to solve, fighting is smooth and fun, and mastering weapons, getting rewards in dungeons, and upgrading your base all make progress feel real.
The best parts are moving around and exploring. The triple and quadruple jumps make crossing the levels fun and freeing. Managing a shop adds a new loop that makes creating and interacting with the world outside of battle more fun. The pictures are cute and detailed, and the sound design helps make the game’s world feel real.
Some small problems exist, such as camera issues during battle and making RNG that isn’t completely clear, but they don’t really take away from the experience as a whole. The game also pushes players to work together, with shared progress and a level of difficulty that works well for both solo and group play.
Cloudheim isn’t a copy of Breath of the Wild; it’s its own weird, physics-based world. But it has the same sense of freedom, exploration, and finding. There is already a strong base in the early access version, and the promise of more islands, quests, weapons, and base upgrades in the full release makes it look like it will be even better.
