Cloudheim News

[p]We're happy to announce that Open Beta for Cloudheim is this weekend!!

Playtest period: Friday, July 18th 12pm ET - Monday, July 21st 12pm ET

Oh, and check out this trailer we made 👀
[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]We will share more details on how to join the playtest on Steam soon! To stay up to date with the latest playtest details, join the community on the official Discord server.

We look forward to seeing you try out our game!

- Noodle Cat Games[/p]

[p]Hey there, fine felines![/p][p][/p][p]Our newest trailer premiered at IGN Live recently, but in case you didn’t see it, take a look here:[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]This blog is all about the vibrant world of Cloudheim! Discover new lands as you and your friends explore the islands and delve into monster-filled dungeons. Let’s get into it![/p][p][/p][p]At the heart of every adventure lies your base. Perched atop Odin Shell, it’s where you’ll gear up, make plans, and set off through the mysterious Bifrost gate to explore the islands below.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]When your journey ends, it’s time to bring it all back — and it's a good thing loot is automatically collected, isn’t it? Once you’re home, you can refine materials, craft new weapons, and stock your shop with goods to sell. This is where your progress takes shape and where the next journey begins.[/p][p][/p][p]Cloudheim takes place in a world broken apart by the events of Ragnarök. As such, the overworld maps in the game are separated as islands, which you travel through thanks to the powerful magic of the Bifrost Waygate.[/p][p][/p][p]You’ll explore grasslands overtaken by grobb tribes and their wooden encampments…[/p][p][/p][p]…a desert where an ancient god slumbers…[/p][p][/p][p]…and a winter domain full of abandoned mines and castle ruins.[/p][p][/p][p]As you explore the islands, you’ll discover entrances to dungeons brimming with both enemies and treasure alike.
[/p][p]Encounters are often layered with puzzles, environmental hazards, and locked areas that call for clever use of your tools and skills.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Treasure chests packed with valuable loot are scattered throughout, rewarding curious explorers who stray from the beaten path. In Cloudheim, it’s not just about reaching the end; it’s about everything you uncover along the way.[/p][p][/p][p]We brought in some folks from the team to chat about level design and world-building.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]When it comes to world-building, what does “show, don’t tell” mean to you?[/p][p][/p][p]Ian: It means treating the player intelligently. I'm always considering how to balance the guidance the player needs for their goals against the least amount of guidance needed to make things feel vast and immersive. Exploration is my favorite aspect in games, so I know how good it feels to slowly piece together an understanding of an area and the lore surrounding it. It's like a giant puzzle![/p][p][/p][p]John: To me, “show, don’t tell” is about making the world feel lived-in through its design, not its dialogue. A ruined bridge can suggest a fallen kingdom. A sun-drenched clearing after a claustrophobic cave can imply safety or relief. Good world-building invites the player to observe, speculate, and feel—not just listen. When done right, even the quietest corner tells a story that feels personal, because the player discovered it rather than being told about it.
[/p][p]Wojtek: It's the best method of storytelling, whether you're a writer, a filmmaker, or a game designer. It's also the most expensive, as it requires scripting sequences, animating objects, adding visual and audio effects, and other similar tasks.[/p][p]To get a little technical, in Cloudheim, we designers have a fantastic tool at our disposal—the signal system. This in-house technology allows us to script a sequence of events quickly, visualize all the connections, and debug them efficiently. The system lets us create building blocks and reuse them.[/p][p]We've developed modules that detect player presence, track where the player is looking, switch effects on and off, change materials on objects, and more.[/p][p][/p][p]How do you account for different player behaviors, like those who like to rush through versus the ones searching every corner?[/p][p][/p][p]Ian: I do my best to make areas multifaceted but still cohesive. Giving a clear goal, adding a puzzle, unique combat encounters, and a ton of little secrets ensures that everyone has something to do, but they can still run straight to the end of an area if that's their playstyle.
[/p][p]John: It’s a question of rhythm and affordance. Some players want to express mastery through speed. Others want to express it through thoroughness. As designers, our job is to ensure both feel seen. That can be through visual signposting, branching flows, or soft pacing shifts—moments where the game invites a deeper look without demanding it. Ultimately, it’s about respecting player agency while still guiding the experience.
[/p][p]Wojtek: Always need to ensure we have things for both player types - ideally a golden path that is easy to find and follow for people who want to rush through, and many cool things and secrets to discover for people who enjoy exploring.
[/p][p]What are some things to consider when designing a dungeon, especially for a co-op game?
[/p][p]Ian: I want dungeons to hold value for players because they feel like truly different experiences, so it's important to me that dungeons have a unique theme for their gameplay, story, and art. Everything from the enemies that spawn to the foliage on the walls should make a space feel unique and satisfying to explore. My hope is that the variety is something players will notice and appreciate as a team.
[/p][p]John: A couple things come to mind, but perhaps most importantly, you want moments that test the group as a group. Not every challenge needs to be hard individually, and some of the most rewarding moments come from timing, coordination, and shared tension. A great co-op dungeon lets players feel like they pulled something off together.
[/p][p]If you had to pick just one favorite area (without too many spoilers!), what would it be?
[/p][p]Ian: There is a particularly bouncy corner in our desert with a lot of destruction and a unique puzzle. I love that place![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Wojtek: (Had the same answer as Ian.) It is a perfect mix of an interesting space with a lot of movement options, dynamic combat, impressive visuals and challenging puzzles.[/p][p][/p][p]John: Without spoiling too much? It’s an area where the environment shifts in a way that changes how players move through it. It’s got a strong silhouette, an offbeat mood, and a moment where the party usually stops and says, “Wait, what just happened?”[/p][p]I love spaces that catch players off guard—not with difficulty, but with personality. The ones where the world surprises you a little, and you remember it not because it was the hardest or the biggest, but because it felt different. That’s where the magic is.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]This is just a glimpse of what goes into creating a world like Cloudheim’s, and we can’t wait for players to begin their adventures and discover what’s in store![/p][p][/p][p]Did you know we’ve been running some playtests? Here are some (actual) comments left by our testers:[/p][p][/p][p]“A beautiful blend of action, adventure, crafting, and creativity!”[/p][p]“They have an entire area dedicated to frogs.”[/p][p]“Ever wanted to Sparta kick something so hard it flies into orbit? Play Cloudheim.”[/p][p][/p][p]We’ll be doing more tests, so it’s not too late to join in on the fun![/p][p]SIGN UP HERE[/p][p][/p][p]Look forward to our next blog as we cover the different characters and wonderful creatures, both friend and foe alike, that you can meet on our journey.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Stay tuned![/p][p][/p][p]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]Coming soon, open beta testing will start for Steam! Make sure to sign up and be first in line:[/p][p][/p][p]Sign up for the Open Beta here! [/p][p][/p][p]For the latest playtest news, join our Discord![/p][p][/p][p][/p]

We just hit a major milestone: 100,000 wishlists! 🥳💯

Seeing this level of support for our first game as a new studio means so much to us, and we can't wait to show more! From everyone on the Noodle Cat team, thank you for supporting Cloudheim. 💙

Hey everyone!

We just shared our latest trailer, showing the heart of your base: the crafting and shop system that takes place on Odin Shell.

In case you missed it:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


What’s unique about the crafting in Cloudheim is that there are no menus! All the loot you’ve collected while out on your adventures is stored in a magical chest. From there, you interact directly with stations: toss ores into the forge, drop meat on the grill, or line your shelves with finished goods to sell. All of this happens in-world.



Loot is shared party-wide, and this applies to anything you craft as well. Newly forged weapons are unlocked for everyone, so no need to worry about fighting over that rare dagger or crafting it three times over. As you discover more items, you’ll get stronger, learn new skills, and improve your combat capabilities — just in time for your next expedition!




Crafting isn’t just for equipment: you’re also running a store and meeting the needs of visitors from distant lands. Customers will come and go with various requests, and fulfilling them earns you more gold and reputation.

Expand out your base with new areas such as the garden, which can grow herbs, and then use those plants in the alchemy nook to craft potions to sell. Or maybe build out the kitchen, cooking up tasty dishes like tomato soup and grilled skewers to serve to your hungry patrons.


Keep your store well-stocked and word will spread. Soon enough, you’ll have a bustling little corner of the sky to call your own.



For this Q&A, here are the folks whose work helped shape this portion of the game:


[h3]It’s interesting that this game has a shopkeeping component. Was this always the vision?[/h3]

David: We always knew we wanted to make a game that had both combat and shopkeeping, but it wasn’t clear how much of a mix it would be.

Kim: As a design goal, we wanted to focus on content that was fun to play with a group of friends. As we continued developing the game, the shopkeeping aspect evolved to complement and enable more fun combat.

[h3]How does the crafting portion of the game fit with the action and exploration side?[/h3]

Kim: Exploring and defeating enemies is the “gathering” phase of the game, while crafting is the “production” side that allows for personal and team-wide improvements, both materially in the items you can equip, but also passively via stat increases from certain upgrades and expansions. So, crafting improves your future expeditions by making you more efficient at defeating enemies and faster at exploring.

Crafting also supports player agency in our game. As you craft and unlock more gear, you can choose to bring exactly what you want into battle and explore different playstyles and loadouts. You can also choose to be an efficient shopkeeper with a system in place, oooor you can just throw things on shelves and call it a day!


[h3]How do you approach designing a crafting system with no menus?[/h3]

Kim: It can be a challenge for sure! As designers, we’re constantly thinking about things like, “Does this match with what players expect with the systems of this world?”, “Are the crafting stations intuitive enough to use without too much instruction?”, and “Are players able to get what they need in a balanced way?”

David: Sometimes you’ll come up with something that seems fun on paper, but ends up being more of a chore when implemented.

Kim: When done successfully, it’s great to see players enjoy something when “It Just Works(™).” No need to look up a guide or wiki. The way our crafting works matches our combat — both are very hands-on and keep you involved with the game world.

[h3]How do these features add to the cooperative feel of the game?[/h3]

David: So, we didn’t intentionally go about making a no-menu crafting system. It came out of trying to figure out a way to allow friends to craft together. Menus tend to conflict with that.

Kim: There’s an old story called “Stone Soup” where everyone is throwing together ingredients. Our crafting system is like that, where a group of people can work together to make cool stuff. With multiple crafters, you can coordinate who takes on what, and make lots of different items as a result.

Also, your store isn’t the only thing on Odin Shell. I encourage exploring every nook and cranny in our game! As a designer, I love being able to hide little treasures, puzzles, and other activities throughout the map. I want to give players the ability to play together and have fun in interesting ways.


Whether you're out adventuring or crafting back at your base, Cloudheim is what you make of it, especially together with friends!



It’s not too late to sign up for our Closed Beta Playtests! The first wave of invites will be going out SOON™…





With our next blog, we'll be covering the vast biomes and maps that you can explore in Cloudheim. From frosty castles to sandswept tombs, we can't wait to show more of this world.


See you then!