Today, a few Capsule Computers editors managed to gather a few members of our fantastic and loyal community, head down to the Ubisoft offices in Sydney and participate in a very special event. We were all there to try out Cloudberry Kingdom (check out the review here), and see who would come out on top of the great little platformer; the guys who work for Ubisoft, the journalists from Capsule Computers, or the amazing community. The night was all about fun, and that vibe definitely resonated amongst the group in attendance. Everyone was laid back, relaxed and most importantly; ready to get their hands on a game that almost no one in attendance had played before.
The tournaments were run as 1v1 single elimination brackets, with the first player in each match to make it to the end of a level moving up to the next bracket. The first tournament was made specifically for our 8 community member VIPs for the evening to test their skill against one another. The first two competitors, calling themselves ‘TipsyToes” and “IceTray” jumped into Cloudberry for the first time ever, and were immediately faced with the realisation that the game’s difficulty setting of “Unpleasant” wasn’t just a cute joke, but a really apt description of the challenge ahead.
After being unable to successfully make their way through the gauntlet of obstacles, the difficulty was switched down to “Training,” where the two competed against each other in a sudden-death race to the finish. It was a close call, but eventually IceTray managed to pull out in front to win himself the first round.
The joy of Cloudberry Kingdom is that the levels are randomly generated, so you will never see the same level twice. It also means that even at the same difficulty setting, one level may be substantially harder than another. Round after round took place, and eventually we had reached the finals. It came down to IceTray, who after his stumbling start in the first round had managed a strong semi-final. Opposing him was DimSim, who had seemingly breezed through her first level only to stumble in her own semi-final. With the title on the line, the two charged through their level with vigor.
IceTray proved himself a gentleman as he made sure DimSim was ready for her respawn as he hit the checkpoint and progressed into the final section of their level. Unfortunately for him, the old saying of “nice guys finish last” reigned true. Both competitors were neck and neck as they reached the goal, but IceTray’s brief fumble of the controller at the finish line allowed DimSim to sneak in, claiming victory. DimSim and IceTray shook hands as a show of good sportsmanship, and were both rewarded with a $50 and $25 voucher respectively for their choice of PSN, XBLA or UbiShop.
After our community champion was crowned, it was time for Ubisoft and Capsule Computers to go toe to toe with each other. After two hard fought battles, the Capsule Computers Crew members; Andrew Day and Luke Halliday managed to triumph over the Ubisoft employees, literally “beating them at their own game,” and setting up for a Capsule Computers final.
It was a hard fought battle, but eventually Andrew (who was actually responsible for reviewing Cloudberry Kingdom a few weeks back) managed to break away and reach the finish line for not only the win and all the bragging rights associated with it, but also the right to challenge DimSim for the title of “King or Queen of Cloudberry Kingdom.”
Everyone in attendance agreed that “Unpleasant” was not good enough for the ultimate showdown, so the game was amped up a whole other level; to Abusive. After wishing each other good luck, the game began. Andrew and DimSim were ducking and weaving around lasers, spikes, spike-balls and fire balls as they made their way through the level. In the end though, it was Andrew who emerged victorious and took the crown as the King of Cloudberry Kingdom (actually I think you will find they awarded you the title of Queen of Cloudberry Kingdom).
As the night progressed, everyone in the crowd had found someone to cheer for and get behind. The jovial smack-talk from players and spectators a like was rampart, and everyone was getting involved and having a good time. Some of the more memorable character’s were Andrew’s “Pope of Cloudberry” in his white suite and mitre, or the Ubisoft-created “Monopoly Guy” wearing a Tophat and Monocle that screamed “I deserve to rule Cloudberry, because I am wealthy.”Despite its difficulty, Cloudberry Kingdom proved itself a hit with the group in attendance, who all left the Ubisoft offices with a smile on their face.
The night was also recorded by the guys over at Ubisoft, so you can watch our failures and triumphs in the very near future. If you haven’t done so yet, then you should definitely check out Cloudberry Kingdom, and be sure to like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, because you never know when the next community event will arise. So, for all the Cloudberry Kingdom news as it becomes available, and for all the awesome community involvement, be sure to stay tuned to Capsule Computers.
Check out the video gameplay from the tournament below courtesy of  UBISOFT Australia.
