I Saw Black Clouds (2021)

I Saw Black Clouds is a good idea with a terrible implementation, where a good cast plays at the level of a school play.

It wants to be a choose-your-own-adventure movie template while consistently disrespecting player choice. This poisons player investment in a story that rarely elevates to fun B-movie shlock, despite some acting & musical talent.

I Saw Black Clouds is awful. The story is stupid and confusing. Halfway through the game, you’ll be treated with this bizarre twist completely negating the first half of the story, and then the final half is a rushed mess that ruins anything the first half of the story had built up. The filming is brutally amateurish. I can’t help but think this mess could have been saved by a director who had a better understanding of camera angles, movement and so on. The only redeeming quality is that when you replay the game, you can skip any scenes you’ve previously watched – this will allow you to experience alternative scenes faster. Ultimately, there really is nothing here worth recommending. I Saw Black Clouds so you don’t have to. You’re welcome.

Unfortunately, the shotty editing and hap-hazard final act leave something to be desired. It's a benefit to know that it can be completed in a single sitting, which might make for a fun, suspense-filled evening activity. Be prepared, though: it's going to be a bumpy ride.

Bringing together all the main techniques of the FMV genre, I Saw Black Clouds is a title that focuses on sensitive topics in a perspective of terror and tension that offers an acceptable gaming experience within its own limitations. Allowing the plot decisions to be made by the player, the main objective is to tell a story of friendship and personal overcoming that can be understood from different points of view causing impacts and emotions at specific moments, but that do not take the game to another level.