Where to get it

2024 · Real-time strategy · Strategy

Cataclismo

The Cataclismo left us broken. Construct fortresses and defend against waves of Horrors in this mix of tower defense and real-time strategy. Lead an expedition beyond the gates of the last city, and reclaim mist-shrouded ruins as you rebuild humanity—stone by stone.

Released: 22 July 2024
Platforms: Windows
Genres: Real-time strategy Strategy Tower defense
Developers: —
Publishers: Hooded Horse
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Bird view / Isometric Side view
Themes: Fantasy Survival
Country: Spain
Languages: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Czech, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil) and 4 more
Copies sold: 250,000 as of 2025-04-08
Time to beat: 17hmain story39hcompletionist

About

Cataclismo is a 2025 real-time strategy tower defense video game developed by Digital Sun and published by Hooded Horse. The player is tasked with collecting resources and constructing a stronghold using a building system inspired by Lego during daytime, while defending against large hordes of enemies at night. It entered early access in July 2024 for Windows and was released in full on March 20, 2025.

›Story

Lead the last survivors in the aftermath of the Cataclismo as a corrupted world seeks to destroy all that remains of humanity. Build fortresses brick by brick, designing intricate, towering structures of wood and stone to fend off waves of Horrors as they attempt to overwhelm your band of survivors. Command powerful units in their stalwart defense, coordinating their varied capabilities as you race from breach to breach. Lead forays into the unknown to secure the vital resources needed to grow your military might and construction capabilities as you hold fast against the ever-growing onslaught – siege after siege, night after night.

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The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Cataclismo is a real-time strategy game with elements inspired by tower defense games. The game is set in a post-apocalyptic world in which a magical cataclysm created a suffocating poison mist that has spread all over the world. During daytime, players must explore and collect resources, construct fortresses and strongholds as well as training various types of troops. The game features a building system in which players can freely mix and match more than 100 building pieces to create towers, walls, and other defensive structures.

Different environments and landscapes also provide various architectural challenges for the players. During daytime, players must also invest in technology to unlock new troop types, and expand their strongholds with new buildings, traps and facilities. Oxygen management is also important for maintaining a sustainable base.

Development

Cataclismo was developed by Digital Sun, the studio behind Moonlighter and The Mageseeker. Lego significantly influenced the game's building systems. According to the developer, Catalismo features 13 traditional buildings, but players can freely craft their building using the smaller building pieces, each of which has their own rules of stability. Height of a structure and the choice of materials also affect the sturdiness of a building.

Following feedback from playtesters during Catalismo's early phase of development, the team made an effort to ensure the most effective buildings were also aesthetically pleasing by implementing a system that allowed players to place decorations which provide additional gameplay perks. The art styles of the game was inspired by works of Romanic painters such as Caspar David Friedrich and the works of Mike Mignola and Studio Ghibli, while the high-fantasy setting was inspired by Dark Souls. The RTS gameplay was inspired by Age of Empires II, Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, and They Are Billions.