Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a video game tie-in based on the film of the same name which is also based upon the 1978 children's book of the same name. The game allows the player to control Flint Lockwood, the film's hero, as he must save his town and the world from the rain of food, fighting highly mutated food enemies and using his gadgets to help him on the way.
Cast
- Eric Artell as Flint Lockwood
- Anndi McAfee as Sam Sparks
- Fred Tatasciore as Tim Lockwood
- Khary Payton as Earl Devereaux
- Phil LaMarr as Cal Devereaux
- Josh Keaton as Baby Brent
- Jim Connor as The Mayor
- Georgina Cordova as Steve the Monkey
Gameplay
Players control inventor Flint Lockwood, using six different weapons to traverse food-covered landscapes and defeat sentient food creature enemies to complete missions. Many hazards exist within each level, from vicious food creatures to environmental hazards such as water (Flint cannot swim and instantly drowns) to burning chili. However, losing all health is only a minor setback, as Flint respawns in a similar location to where he died, and the player loses no progress on Hydronic Foodpods or level objectives, and the player does not lose any collected Hydrons. After dying, enemies and blockades such as ice pops or chips are respawned.
The PSP and Nintendo DS version of the game has much more confined and boxlike environments than the PC version. The platforming is much more limited as well, only allowing the player to jump across certain platforms. This version of the game is also anatopic at times, with ice cream snowballs appearing in Restaurant Row, and also introduces enemies in a different order than in the PC version.
Hydrons and Hydronic Foodpods
A red hydron, which restores Flint's health
From the PC game's manual:
| “ | Hydrons are water molecules in an excited state, produced by the F.L.D.S.M.D.F.R. when it turns water into giant food. Their energy can be used to upgrade your gadgets. Hydronic Foodpods have the highest concentration of Hydrons, so collect as many as you can find!
By breaking all Hydronic Foodpods, it’s rumoured that Flint can then harness the energy required to successfully build his secret ultimate invention! Now, if only anyone knew what this ultimate invention could possibly be used for… |
” |
In addition to the blue Hydrons that drop when destroying Hydronic Foodpods, there are also red Hydrons (or green, for the PSP version) scattered across the levels. These Hydrons restore a bit of Flint or Steve's health.
In the PSP version of the game, Hydrons are scattered across the level and Flint must walk over them to collect them. They can also be collected by defeating enemies and destroying Hydronic Foodpods. Unlike the PC/Xbox versions, every Hydronic Foodpod displays a bar showing how much damage it takes from each hit from Flint's inventions.
Keys
In the PSP version of the game, collecting 3 keys hidden in each level unlocks concept artwork.
Plot
See also Transcript
Act I: When Good Food Goes Bad
It was a dark time for Swallow Falls. Nobody came, nobody went, and nobody cared. I created the FLDSMDFR, or Flint Lockwood Diatonic Super Mutating Dynamic Food Replicator, and food began to rain from the sky. For a time, it seemed like a great idea. Everyone was amazed and the island became famous. But then, things began to go bad...
| Level | Inventions | Hydronic Foodpods | Enemies and Hazards |
|---|---|---|---|
1-2: Ice Cream Tundra  Clean up 90% of the chili on the ground. |
Hot Enougher, Outtasighter | Ice Cream Scoops | Ice Cream Snowmen, chili, ice pops,Marshmallows (PSP/NDS) |
1-3: Italian Street Fair 
|
Forkamajigger | Ravioli | Broccoli (PSP/NDS), water |
1-4: Road to Jelly Castle 
|
Chopper-er | Strawberries | Gummy bears, cliffs |
1-5: Restaurant Row 
|
Upsucker Plus | Sugar Cubes | Gummy Bears, falling steak, water |
1-1: Bait Shop Boulevard
(unlocked after completing all other levels in Act I)  |
Bigacious Pow | Cheesy Puffs | Tortilla chips, chili, Gummy Bears, giant meatballs, meatball rain |
Act II: Tourist Trouble
After the giant meatballs, I went back to my Lab to shut off the FLDSMFR... but the FLDSMFR Control Unit was gone! With the danger-o-meter in the red, and tourists arriving hourly, I realized I had to control of things myself.
| Level | Inventions | Hydronic Foodpods | Enemies and Hazards |
|---|---|---|---|
2-1: Power Plant Perimeter  |
Bigacious Pow, Upsucker Plus, Outtasighter | Cheesy Puffs | Tortilla chips, billboards, burritos, falling steak, chili, Gummy Bears, water, Onions (PSP/NDS) |
2-2: Ice Cream Tundra  |
Hot Enougher, Bigacious Pow | Ice Cream Scoops | Ice Cream Snowmen, chili, Marshmallows, ice cream rain, ice cream sandwiches, ice pops, ice cream cones (PSP/NDS) |
2-4: Road to Jelly Castle 
|
Chopper-er, Forkamajigger | Strawberries | Gummy bears, Broccoli, cliffs, Pomegranates, bubble gum (PSP/NDS) |
2-5: Stadium Exterior 
|
Upsucker Plus, Bigacious Pow | Sugar Cubes | Gummy Bears, Cream Puffs, cookies, Scallops (PSP/NDS) |
2-3: Cheesewedge Way
(unlocked after completing all other levels in Act II)  |
Forkamajigger, Hot Enougher | Ravioli | Chili, giant hot dogs, gorgonzola, Spaghetti Twisters, meatball rain |
Act III: FLDSMDFR Goes Bananas!
The mayor didn't keep his word and I had to get that FLDSMDFR Control Unit back! Then, CRAACK! We had broken it into a thousand pieces. I panicked. Now there was no to communicate with the machine. And the FLDSMDFR was still going bananas!
| Level | Inventions | Hydronic Foodpods | Enemies and Hazards |
|---|---|---|---|
3-1: Cannery Court  |
Bigacious Pow, Upsucker Plus, Chopper-er | Cheesy Puffs | Tortilla chips, Pomegranates, cliffs, water, chili, Gummy Bears, carrots |
3-2: Ice Cream Tundra  |
Hot Enougher, Bigacious Pow, Upsucker Plus | Ice Cream Scoops | Ice Cream Snowmen, chili, Marshmallows, ice cream rain, ice cream sandwiches, ice pops, Roast Chickens |
3-4: Road to Jelly Castle  |
Chopper-er, Forkamajigger, Bigacious Pow | Strawberries | Gummy bears, Broccoli, Onions, Spaghetti Twisters, chili |
3-5: The Stadium  |
Upsucker Plus, Bigacious Pow, Hot Enougher, Outtasighter | Sugar Cubes | Gummy Bears, Cream Puffs, cookies, chili |
3-3: Sardine Circle
(unlocked after completing all other levels in Act III)  When he arrives, a massive Spaghetti Twister spits out multiple waves of enemies. |
Forkamajigger, Hot Enougher, Chopper-er | Ravioli | Chili, giant meatballs, gorgonzola, Spaghetti Twisters, Gummy Bears, Ice Cream Snowmen, Onions |
Act IV: Mount Foody
I used the Outtasighter to pile the food behind the Swallow Falls dam, but the pile soon became a mountain. Sam calculated that things wouldn't for hold very long. And so did lots of other people.
| Level | Inventions | Hydronic Foodpods | Enemies and Hazards |
|---|---|---|---|
4-1: Food Falls Freeway  |
Bigacious Pow, Forkamajigger, Chopper-er | Cheesy Puffs, Strawberries | Tortilla chips, Pomegranates, cliffs, Roast Chickens, giant hot dogs, chili, Gummy Bears, carrots, Ice Cream Snowmen |
4-2: Swallow Falls Dam  |
Hot Enougher, Bigacious Pow, Upsucker Plus, Outtasighter | Ice Cream Scoops, Sugar Cubes | Ice Cream Snowmen, chili, cookies, ice cream sandwiches, ice pops, Roast Chickens, Ice Cream Snowmen |
4-3: Mount Foody  |
Forkamajigger, Hot Enougher, Chopper-er | Ravioli, Ice Cream Scoops | Chili, giant meatballs, Spaghetti Twisters, Scallops, Onions |
Act V: A New Plan
Well, the mountain of food swallowed the island whole... and I got seriously down on myself. My dad was nice enough to remind me not all of my inventions were disasters... and that's when I had my most brilliant idea ever... Flying Car II!
| Level | Inventions | Hydronic Foodpods | Enemies and Hazards |
|---|---|---|---|
5-1: The Cannery  |
Bigacious Pow, Forkamajigger, Upsucker Plus | Cheesy Puffs, Sugar Cubes, Ravioli | Tortilla chips, cliffs, Roast Chickens, chili, Gummy Bears, Ice Cream Snowmen |
5-2: Swallow Falls Dock  |
Forkamajigger, Bigacious Pow, Hot Enougher | Ice Cream Scoops, Cheesy Puffs, Ravioli | Ice Cream Snowmen, chili, cookies, water, ice cream sandwiches, ice pops, Gummy Bears, Scallops, Ice Cream Snowmen, Marshmallows, Spaghetti Twisters |
Act VI: The Meat-a-Roid
With Sam and Brent's help, we took off in the Flying Car II, past the clouds, up to the wayward FLDSMFR. It had cranked so long and so high up, it had formed a giant meat-a-roid. Objective: Get onto that meat-a-roid! Penetrate crunchy exterior, tunnel into chewy center, and destroy the FLDSMDFR once and for all!
| Level | Inventions | Enemies and Hazards |
|---|---|---|
Meat-a-Roid Crust  |
Hot Enougher, Forkamajigger, Chopper-er | Pomegranates, cliffs, meatball rain, giant meatballs |
Meat-a-Roid Subterrain   |
Forkamajigger, Bigacious Pow, Upsucker Plus | Cliffs, chili, Pomegranates, alphabet soup, Gummy Bears, tortilla chips, Spaghetti Twisters, giant hot dogs |
Meat-a-Roid Mantle   |
Bigacious Pow, Upsucker Plus, Chopper-er | Giant broccoli, Gummy Bears, chili, giant meatballs, pea soup, ice cream sandwiches |
The FLDSMDFR
The FLDSMDFR dangles above a bottomless pit, held aloft by a gelatinous sac. Sam and Brent stand on opposite sides of the level, offering Flint a set of three of his inventions. Flint can swap between these weapons at any time, allowing him to strategize against the enemy food creatures guarding the path to the FLDSMDFR. The FLDSMDFR must be reached and attacked four times: the first three times, drops of honey, oil, chili, and guacamole guide Flint along preset paths to reach the FLDSMDFR.
The fourth time, either Sam or Brent will give Flint Spray-on Shoes. Spraying the FLDSMDFR will trigger a cutscene of it going berserk and falling into the pit below.
In the NDS/PSP version of the game, Tim accompanies Sam and Flint instead of Brent. This is also the final level of the NDS/PSP version, and the FLDSMDFR is destroyed once and for all after beating the level.
Act VII: The Ultimate Weapon
Flint in his backyard at the beginning of Act VII
Jumping into the Flying Car II, Sam, Brent, and I made a heroic escape from the meat-a-roid. And the FLDSMDFR stopped spreading its monstrous meals on the island below. And the next day, for the first time since this nightmare began... all was calm...
The credits roll, and at the end, Flint is standing in his backyard next to his (fully intact) lab. Sam, Cal, and Tim all congratulate and thank Flint before the door to the lab opens and Flint can go inside.
Upon entering the lab, I noticed something disturbing... the dange-o-meter was still in the red. I grabbed the blueprints for the FLDSMDFR and it was soon very clear: the auxiliary back-ups had taken over and the machine was cooking up another batch of disaster! It would take more than my Spray-on Shoes to seal the mouth of the beast. There was only one hope left, find all the missing parts of my original blueprint and revive my most ambitious invention ever: The Super Spray-on Shoes.
The blueprint for Super Spray-on Shoes
Players can revisit past levels and destroy any Hydronic Foodpods they may have missed (or were unable to obtain because their inventions were not fully upgraded). Upon obtaining all the blueprints, the Unlockables menu reveals a model of the Super Spray-on Shoes. Flint returns to the core to fight the FLDSMDFR once again.
This time, Sam and Brent are not present and Flint is equipped with the Super Spray-on Shoes, which obliterates any enemies that get caught in its spray. Flint clears a path to the FLDSMDFR, and this time, when hitting it, the FLDSMDFR goes berserk, a cutscene shows Flint's shocked face, and the meat-a-roid starts to crumble.
Flint must navigate back out through the mantle, subterrain, and crust, retracing the steps taken to get there in Act VI. However, the player must move quickly: chili falls to cover the path and Flint must stay ahead of it to survive. Flint is equipped with the Super Spray-on Shoes until he reaches the crust, where he gets the Forkamajigger to help him rappel up spaghetti ropes to scale the steep cliffs of cheese.
Well, the FLDSMDFR was finally destroyed, leaving a glorious nimbus (that's Sam's word) high above the world. And except for the occasional Ratbird, the people of Swallow Falls were happy once again. Oh, about Sam and I... If you get out your telescopic see-farrer, you might just catch a glimpse of us some night, sharing from view from above, and eating a very large ice cream.
The End
Music
| Song Title | Level | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| Bait Shop Boulevard | 1-1 | |
| Good and Creamy | 1-2 | |
| Italian Street Fair | 1-3 | |
| Road to Jelly Castle | 1-4 | |
| Restaurant Row | 1-5 | |
| Power Plant Perimeter | 2-1 | |
| Ice Cream Tundra | 2-2 | |
| Cheesewedge Way | 2-3 | |
| Road to Jelly Castle 2 | 2-4 | |
| Outside the Stadium | 2-5 | |
| Cannery Court | 3-1 | |
| Operation Rescue! | 3-1 | |
| Sardine Circle | 3-3 | |
| Survive the Tornado! | 3-3 | |
| The Jelly Castle | 3-4 | |
| The Stadium | 3-5 | |
| Food Falls Freeway | 4-1 | |
| Swallow Falls Dock | 5-2 | |
| Meataroid Crust | 6-1 | |
| Meataroid Subterrain | 6-2 | |
| Meataroid Mantle | 6-3 | |
| FLDSMDFR Part 1 | 7-1 | |
| FLDSMDFR Part 2 | 7-1 | |
| Escape the Meteorite | 7-1 |
Trivia
- The Power Plant Perimeter level was available to play as a demo downloaded from Ubisoft's website for the game. The gameplay in the full game is exactly the same as in the demo (although the demo had a few tutorial screens that were not necessary in the final version of the level).
- There is a secret location in 1-5 which is reached by jumping at a specific angle towards the window where the mayor can be seen. Standing in certain areas in this location will turn Flint invisible and, while invisible, if the Upsucker Plus is used, it will spin. Honey will also stick to the ground in this location.
- Sam calls Flint "indefatigable," which means "showing sustained enthusiastic action with unflagging vitality."[1]
Gallery
Concept Art
