Clustertruck

ClusterTruck
Developer(s)	Landfall Games
Publisher(s)	tinyBuild
Director(s)	Wilhelm Nylund
Designer(s)	Wilhelm Nylund
Programmer(s)	Petter Henriksson Wilhelm Nylund Philip Örum Westre
Artist(s)	Wilhelm Nylund
Composer(s)	Karl Flodin
Engine	Unity
Platform(s)	Linux, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One
Release	Linux, macOS, PS4, Win, XONE September 27, 2016 Switch March 15, 2018
Genre(s)	Platformer
Mode(s)	Single-player

Clustertruck is a 2016 platformer game developed by the independent Swedish studio Landfall Games and published by tinyBuild. The game consists of nine worlds the player must navigate through by jumping on moving trucks to avoid obstacles and the ground, culminating in a boss fight. This concept originated from Landfall Games's founder, Wilhelm Nylund, picturing himself leaping across trucks to escape traffic. Clustertruck was released for Linux, macOS, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in September 2016, followed by a release for the Nintendo Switch in March 2018. While praised for its gameplay, graphics, and original soundtrack, Clustertruck's Nintendo Switch port was primarily criticized for its controls.

Clustertruck is a platformer game in the first-person perspective.^[1] Across nine worlds with ten levels each,^[2] the player navigates to a designated goal by jumping across moving trucks with real-time physics that collide, flip, and tip over.^[3][4][5] During a level, the player may sprint or slow down time.^[4] Touching the ground or any obstacle triggers a game over.^[1][6][7] Each world introduces a new obstacle;^[2] for example, the third world has ice that causes trucks to be slippery, the fourth world adds lasers, and the sixth world adds a boulder that the player must run away from.^[8] The game culminates in a boss fight in the final world.^[1][8] The player may earn bonus points by skipping trucks or remaining airborne, which can be spent on powerups,^[6] such as grappling hooks, double jumps, and speed boosts.^[9] The player can use the level editor to construct and share custom levels.^[10][11]

The development of Clustertruck began in 2015 and spanned one year. While traveling home from Gamescom in 2015, Wilhelm Nylund, the lead designer and CEO of Landfall Games, imagined escaping traffic by jumping on trucks to get home faster, inspiring him to develop the prototype of Clustertruck. New features were playtested and discussed within the team on whether it would be implemented into the game. Building the game in Unity, Landfall Games ultimately added powerups—such as double jumps, air dashes, and a jet pack—and obstacles, including lasers and wheel spokes. After a few months in development, an early alpha build was released. During the alpha phase, playtesters discovered that they could finish levels early by reaching to the front of the truck line. They messaged the developers on Discord to make the game more optimal for speedrunning.^[12]

Landfall Games planned to release Clustertruck by April 2016.^[5][11][13] This was postponed as the game's early popularity led the team to extend its development.^[5] At PAX South 2016, it was announced that Landfall Games had signed a publishing deal with tinyBuild.^[14] On September 27, 2016, the game released for Linux, macOS, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One,^[3][15] with 65,000 sales within its first month of release.^[12] In October 2016, Clustertruck was updated with a Halloween-themed map.^[16] On March 15, 2018, the game was released for the Nintendo Switch.^[17]

For an April Fools' Day prank, Landfall Games created a parody of Superhot called Super Truck in 2016;^[18] similar to the original game, trucks would only move forward when the player does so.^[19] Permission was obtained from the Superhot development team prior to its production.^[20]

Clustertruck received a score of 76 on Metacritic for the PC version, a 74 for the Nintendo Switch port, and a 69 for the Xbox One edition.^[21] On OpenCritic, the game holds a 50% approval rating.^[22]

Critics generally praised the gameplay, likening it to the children's game the floor is lava.^[4][10] Other reviewers commended how the gimmicks in each world and stressful gameplay kept the game fun.^{[1][2][10][15]} 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.^[2] Nintendo Life's Gonçalo Lopes praised the game for "masterfully [implementing]" a combination of casual and hardcore gameplay and giving the player choices on how to beat a level.^[4] Nintendo World Report's Donald Theriault felt satisfied after finishing a challenging level,^[1] and HobbyConsolas's Alberto Lloret praised how the game's variety in worlds captivated players.^[23] While Peter Bathge of PC Games stated that high score lists incentivized players to purchase power-ups,^[15] Theriault felt that the double jump was only necessary.^[1] 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".^[10]

Clustertruck was praised for its original soundtrack.^[4][14] Lopes felt that the "catchy tunes" fit the chaotic gameplay,^[4] and Theriault, while critical that it "isn't all that memorable", appreciated how the music did not restart with the game.^[1] Lopes noted that the game's use of flat, shaded polygons helped to maintain performance.^[4]

The Nintendo Switch port faced criticism for its controls. Some critics stated that turning the game's camera with the right Joy-Con's analog stick was too sensitive.^[2][15][23] While Theriault thought the game "ran fine" on the console,^[1] Bathge found it "almost impossible" to control the player's jump and rotate the camera simultaneously with the same controller.^[15] However, Lloret justified the game's short levels fit with the console's "portable nature" due to their length.^[23]

• Official website
• Clustertruck at MobyGames