Yes, I’m doing it, I’m writing about a megastructure game for the second time this week because come on, HELENA : Cloud District just looks stunning, don’t it? Admittedly there’s a chance you’ve not heard of it, that be the way of things in this algorithmically dominated world, but allow me to tell you about its big, scary world and the strange camera you’re equipped with to capture all the sights it holds.
In the world of HELENA : Cloud District, you have come across a rotting megastructure that appears to be long abandoned, all sorts of strange flora dotted throughout it. In one part, it’s something of a precision first-person platformer, as you navigate its intricately layered world with drops so steep you’d probably die before you hit the bottom. At the centre of it all is a computer, and it’s here where you must bring all of your photographs in order to learn more about the history of the place.
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The in-game camera itself is a fascinating thing to look at, completely impossible, alien and ancient in its design. From what I can tell it’s a sort of metallic helmet, these insect-like segments snapping into place when you’re gearing up to take a snap. You only appear to have three photo slots at any given point in time, meaning you can’t just go gallivanting around the place all trigger happy like. There’s an amount of care you have to put in positioning yourself and subsequently finding your way back to the central computer.
It’s non-linear too, there’s no set path you have to take, and it seems like there’s some neat movement mechanics too. “Slide, hover, and glide through the structure in your own creative way in order to reach every level and get deeper into the slumbering Cloud District,” explains the game’s Steam page. Sounds like you don’t have to worry too much about that falling to your death thing, then. I’m quite enthused by what HELENA : Cloud District is putting down, and it has a release date now too: October 29th. Same day as Hypnos! I now dub October 29th megastructure day. There will not be a vote on this matter. Ahead of HELENA’s release, make sure to give it a wishlist on Steam.