Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is the first game from Prideful Sloth on PS4. Is it a must-have or one to avoid? Read our Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles review to find out!

 

Prideful Sloth is a team of veteran AAA developers who decided to do something different. Their first title is incredible and highly addictive: Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles. The game has hints of The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, and some Harvest Moon – three very fun series.

There is zero violence in the game – you won’t even get to swat a single fly. The closest to violence is some tree chopping here and there! I can’t think of many 100% violence free games, and that is not a bad thing! Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is all about exploration, with a little fishing, a little farming and many collectibles and quests. You can do absolutely anything you want at your own pace, and none of the trophies are missable so that you can achieve them in any order you want. If you have 35+ hours then you’re going to have a great time working towards this Platinum trophy. I aim to make this one my 50th Platinum trophy!

The game is alive with sheer beauty and personality. It is set in a huge open world, with a pretty vast map. You have complete freedom to do whatever you want and go wherever you want. There is no handholding and no tutorials, but the controls are very easy and there are no complicated menus. Anybody can pick up and play Yonder!

The premise is simple: it is your job to help the inhabitants of Gamea to make the world happy again. You can take care of this by clearing away the Murk clouds, the dark purple clouds that cover parts of the island. You will also help the inhabitants grow and prosper by crafting, cooking, building, and farming. There are many quests you can get from the citizens of Gamea as well as from notice boards. Some quests are simple and easy, while others are a little more time consuming – like finding 55 cats for a woman! These cats are scattered all around the world and finding them is no easy task. I have only found 18 of them so far. It is probably one of the hardest quests in the game. Finding them all will reward you with a Gold trophy!

One of the biggest things you can do in the game is joining guilds. There are seven guilds and completing all of their tasks grants you the opportunity to do the Master Guild trials. There are a lot of fun activities in carpentry, cooking, tailoring and more, so you’ll always have something to do with your time.

Instead of money, trading seems to be the way of life. If you want something from a merchant, then you have to offer him something of the same value (or higher), or else you won’t be able to complete the trade. The things you can trade and the values of trades vary depending on the location you are in. If you need items for a quest, then visiting one of the many traders is the easiest way to go. The only thing I found to be a bit annoying is the backpack inventory since it can quickly fill up.

Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles is a beautiful game that is highly addictive and very relaxing. You have complete freedom to do as you wish. The controls are easy to pick up and learn, and you will be jumping from quest to quest with ease. If you ever get lost, you have your trusty compass to lead the way. Yonder is certainly one of the best indie games of the year, and one of the best overall games of the year!

Disclaimer
This Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles review is based on a PS4 copy provided by Prideful Sloth.