We’re all different on some level, and just like clouds in the sky… there isn’t always a single way to accurately define someone or describe them. But what actually matters is how they define themselves. That goes for clouds too, although the only definition of a cloud is the one we attach to each viewing as, well, have you tried asking a cloud about its appearance vs. identity? Something to try next time you go cloudspotting.
According to its creator, hellodri, cloudspotting is ‘a nonbinary date’. At first, I didn’t quite understand how that terminology applied to either the story portrayed here, its characters, or perhaps even both. Then little by little, one cloud at a time, it started to click (and I realized just how lacking my knowledge is on this topic).
See, even low-resolution art like that of most games made with bitsy can work perfectly fine as a backdrop for interesting storytelling without feeling, you know, like a pixel hunt for information in order to make any sense of it. In this case, you are – as the name suggests – cloudspotting, orange dots acting as interactable hotspots for clouds, an arrow of the same colour leading to a new area.
Why would you actually want to do all that legwork just to… interact with clouds? Well, the experience in cloudspotting revolves around that very thing, and how else are you going to find out what the lovely couple who, for some reason or other, have allowed you to control them on their date? It’s actually an interesting bit of commentary on how people tend to focus on defining something based on how they – and only they – see it.
Either that or I’m reading way too much into it and it’s actually just a cute date for a nonbinary couple with their thoughts on clouds that sometimes fit under the LGBTQ+ umbrella. Also possible. Either way, the comments section is open, awaiting any thoughts you might have on this. My thoughts? A relaxing, enjoyable experience, and one that wraps up nicely.
cloudspotting is available on itch.io for free.
