This 90s platformer throwback revived a long-forgotten childhood memory I didn't know I had

I never expected to be moved so much by a simple platformer game that I tried out at Gamescom, but this ended up bringing up a long-forgotten childhood memory that I had completely forgotten about.

Cursed Clouds 64 is a retro 3D platformer where you play as a cat magician who travels through various worlds collecting various balls of yarn.

Using a mixture of magical abilities and its unique acrobatic skills, the goal of Cursed Clouds 64 is to collect as much yarn as possible, as well as finding various crystals which can help you to unlock each new level.

These magic powers give you new powers, such as being able to create a bridge between two ledges, or raising a platform to help you reach high places. In essence, the game is a pure throwback platformer in the traditional sense, and one that I found to be quite charming.

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Cursed Clouds 64 is a great retro throwback to the 1990s

Using a low poly graphics style, the game is clearly inspired by platformers of the 1990s such as Super Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, and Spyro the Dragon. Games that dramatically transformed the 3D gaming landscape.

For me though, it also brought back memories of a game I had completely blocked out of my mind. A little-known Sony PlayStation game called Jersey Devil.

Cursed Bytes

I’m sure I’m not the only person to have heard of this game, but considering I haven’t heard about it over 20 years, I was really surprised by how much Cursed Clouds 64 reminded me of it.

Jersey Devil was a 3D platformer from 1997 in which you play as the titular Jersey Devil, a mutated cryptid that has the characteristics of a bat.

In each level, you use a variety of punching, gliding, and jumping to defeat enemies and reach the end of each location. You also have to collect five letters that spell out the name of the game’s antagonist, Dr. Knarf, in order to proceed.

Like many games of that era, Jersey Devil was by all accounts pretty average. It was glitchy, prone to awkward controls, and didn’t quite flow as well as some of its inspirations. But it is something I held dear to my heart for a long time.

Playing through Cursed Clouds 64 really brought me back to the memories of playing this with my dad, who would often rage when a specific jump didn’t land or an enemy would sap the last bit of life from our health bar.

This was in the days when you couldn’t easily look up a hint on the internet, and you just had to get on with what you were trying to do. Those were some of my favourite childhood experiences that I had with him, and something that I appreciate Cursed Clouds 64 for bringing up.

For gamers at a similar age as me who also have fond memories of playing 3D platformers in the 1990s, I imagine that games like this may invoke a similar kind of nostalgia.

Developer Cursed Bytes did not reveal to me when the game will be released, but we’ll be keeping an eye out for Cursed Clouds 64 when it drops on PC at some point in the future.