Cloudpunk trailer looks like a super-chill Cyberpunk 2077 alternative

No one can deny that Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most anticipated games of 2020. CD Projekt Red's next major release after The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt seems incredibly ambitious and exhilarating, but any cyberpunk fans out there looking for a chill alternative or something to fill the void after its recent delay from April to September can say hello to Cloudpunk.

Sony released an official announcement trailer Thursday for Cloudpunk, along with an accompanying blog post. Coming to PC and consoles later this year from Ion Lands and Merge Games, Cloudpunk is an open-world cyberpunk indie game where you play as a delivery person in a futuristic city with a major focus on narrative and story.

An exact release date has not been set yet, but Cloudpunk will launch on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in addition to PC. Especially for Nintendo Switch gamers, Cloudpunk should be all the more enticing when you remember that Cyberpunk 2077 won't be coming to that platform anytime soon — unless Saber Interactive can pull off what they did with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's Switch port. Though, considering some reports that Cyberpunk 2077 is reportedly struggling to work on current-generation consoles, that seems pretty unlikely.

As an indie game, Cloudpunk is required to tackle exploring a vast, futuristic city in a very different way than Cyberpunk 2077. While Cyberpunk 2077 will have players mainly trotting and shooting around the lower levels of a dystopian city, Cloudpunk seems like a chill flight simulator that mainly focuses on driving with a few short on-foot sections. The whole vibe seems very chill.

Players control Rania, a woman who works for the titular delivery service "Cloudpunk" in the city of Nivalis. Like other indie darlings Kentucky Route Zero and Neo Cab, this title's focus is on telling an engaging narrative while players cruise around. Ion Lands claims that Nivalis is inspired by the likes of Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Seoul in the press release unveiling the console ports, and also highlighted the focus on verticality in its design.

The first trailer, which you can watch below, does an excellent job at setting up Cloudpunk's overall vibe, making it all the more exciting during this drought of new Cyberpunk 2077 information. A fitting synth soundtrack permeates the trailer, Raina's commentary is both soothing and intriguing as she spouts exposition about herself and Nivalis. If the colorful city, story, and soundtrack all come together well, we may have a nice, relaxing cyberpunk game on our hands:

In an industry where games, even within the sci-fi genre, continue to get more and more bombastic, Cloudpunk seems like it will be a good palate cleanser in between the biggest video game releases of 2020.

If it is released before Cyberpunk 2077, it may do a solid job of scratching that cyberpunk RPG itch. The official press release for Cloudpunk teases that the player's "decisions will have a lasting impact on the inhabitants of Nivalis," and that the world will be littered with hidden places and items that contain interesting new story content. Cloudpunk has a tall order going up against Cyberpunk 2077, but this indie game's ambition allows it to stand its ground.

Cloudpunk will come to PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2020.