Pareidolia is when you can spot patterns, shapes, or objects in seemingly random things. When I was a kid, my ink-splatter wallpaper was perfect for this, as I could make out people, faces, and weird shapes in the random splats and blobs. Cloudgazer: A Game About Watching Clouds takes the idea of Pareidolia and translates it to clouds. It is a minimalistic, cosy, and quiet experience that feels genuinely fresh to play.
Cloudgazer has a day/night cycle and a constant stream of clouds. The clouds are layered and constantly blow in different directions up the screen. As the clouds move, you’ll start to spot certain shapes that need to be clicked on to collect. There are 200 in the game, and they range from animals to monuments to emojis. There are a disproportionate amount of crabs and scorpions to collect, and the objects are unthemed and somewhat random. Spotting them is often easier than it should be because when the object forms, the cloud glows slightly, and I feel like that gives away some of the game’s unique charm. This becomes more obvious at night time, when alongside clouds, you can click on shooting stars for a few other Steam achievements.
With no music and just wind ambience, Cloudgazer is very focused and minimal. You can’t move your head, and randomly clicking and missing a shape will let it puff into thin air. It’s satisfying to play, but also completable within 90 minutes. It’s not the kind of game I’d return back to either. Others may find replayability in Cloudgazer because it’s such a focused, zen experience, but once was enough for me.
I really appreciate that this game exists. It feels stylish and fresh to play, yet also very limited by its design decisions and direction. The very tiny attempt at a narrative doesn’t amount to anything concrete or learnable either. I’d love to see this concept expanded upon in a future iteration with different environments, themed clouds per location, and a cohesive narrative to tell. There’s something quite compelling here that is just out of reach this time around.
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