Madcap Mosaic

Bonjour. Comme toujours, en préambule, je rappelle que je ne suis qu'un joueur occasionnel, et donc cette revue est rédigée de ce point de vue. Langue utilisée : Anglais (VO) Ce jeu est basé sur un principe simple, mais simple ne veut pas dire qu'il manque de richesse. Ce principe est que le personnage va agir en fonction des cases (généralement masquées au début, et disposées aléatoirement) sur lequel il se déplace, sachant qu'il a un nombre de déplacement par tour limité, et que le but est de vaincre le monstre avant d'être vaincu soi-même. Comme dit, rien de compliqué dans l'objectif. Evidemment, si ça s'arrêtait là, l'intérêt serait très limité. Mais pour chaque run, votre personnage va avoir 2 capacités aléatoires, ainsi que la possibilité de changer 2 cases de sa grille par 2 autres obtenues sur une autre grille générée aléatoirement (une fois par run, pas après chaque combat) où certaines capacités sont visibles (et donc fixes) et d'autres sont masquées (et donc surprise quand vous les prenez). Bien sûr certaines combinaisons fonctionnent bien entre elles, et c'est donc à vous de vous arranger pour atteindre les cases qui vous intéressent. Il est à noter que le jeu est très très aléatoire, donc il est tout à fait possible de se retrouver avec des choses peu intéressantes, même si les effets des cases, eux, sont déterministes. Il semble exister quelques "métastratégies", mais le côté aléatoire limite quand même des applications exactes de celles-ci. Côtés négatifs : il n'y en a pas vraiment, sauf si vous êtes du genre à exiger d'un jeu qu'il soit beau. On ne va pas se mentir, les graphismes, à l'image du principe du jeu, sont simples, mais pour ce genre de jeu, honnêtement, ce n'est, de mon point de vue, pas un problème. Pas eu de bug ni de crash. Au pire, si on veut chipoter, on peut dire que l'interface n'est pas toujours très lisible, surtout si le menu général. Côtes positifs : - simple à comprendre et à utiliser. - grosse rejouabilité. - parties "courtes" (un run ne devrait pas vous durer plus de 2 heures, je pense), et vous avez la possibilité de sauver et quitter entre 2 combats, au pire, si vous n'arrivez pas à finir d'un trait. De toutes façons, il est probable que vous serez battu avant d'arriver au bout... - le développeur suit le forum et est plutôt réactif, ce qui ne nuit pas. En conclusion, c'est un très bon jeu si vous ne voulez pas vous lancer dans un jeu à rallonge, avec suffisamment de variété et de difficulté pour vous garder accroché, et un format court qui rend le fait de ne pas atteindre la fin beaucoup moins gênante et plus supportable que d'autres jeux plus longs qui confondent challenge plaisant avec inutile difficulté. Et n'oublions pas un prix tout à fait acceptable pour un jeu de cette qualité, ce qui ne nuit pas, surtout ces temps-ci... Bonne journée.

cool game

Actually really good! Very clever game, fun to play. Definitely a case where all the effort was put into the user experience, rather than graphics. Would definitely recommend.

Pretty fun puzzly roguelike. Has an interesting and unique way of progressing your build through the game, takes some getting used to but allows the right level of tactical vs strategic gameplay and getting a really good combo feels great.

I hate whoever came up with this game. It's got strategy, romance, deception, hope, peace, war, feelings, lore. Stop it.

Very unique deckbuilder with surprising depth. Well worth the asking price!

Honestly, yes - despite what you may think of it's art, it's such an inventive/unique entry into the genre. It's not for everyone, but if you like deckbuilding, don't mind playing imperfect characters or decks, and can laugh in the face of randomness - this might be right up your alley. It's twist is that your deck is also your board, which is 'dealt' at the start of each game. The additions and removals you make over the course of your run matter, quite visibly so - but there's also a lot of flexibility as a result - you don't feel pigeonholed into needing to commit (or even create) a particular build, if you don't want to. Additionally, you can shuffle your board during the game an unlimited number of times (at the cost of spending movement), which refreshes your board (layout), as well as refreshes each cards use - you'll need to explore it again, but you'll also be able to renew your spaces and get different board layouts. It's not an easy game, and requires a lot of improvisation - but when it all comes together and you make your crazy plays/combinations, definitely a great feeling. ----- Each run starts you off by giving you a character with two random abilities; you don't need to worry about picking a character, and instead focus on playing your current game. After each battle, you choose two tiles in your 'deck' to be replaced with - two tiles from the Mosaic. The way the mosaic works is that you start in the very center, and around you is a grid of alternating unrevealed and revealed 'cards'. You can pick any 'card'/space adjacent to one of your current spaces; while you might be dissuaded by the unknowns out the gate, you can just as easily direct yourself along a particular path (by searching the board, which is also made super easy to find more copies of a card/similar effects). If you get cards you don't like/think you want, you can replace them after your next battle - you don't need to hold onto them for long. There's a wide variety of effects and triggers; some cards want to be revealed, others want to be hidden - some are visible/reveal spaces from the get-go, some reveal or drain other tiles, some create new tiles/replacements (and some affect your deck+board permanently!). There are also cards that have effects based on which direction you move/moved onto it from, which creates even more fun and thoughtful situations. Also displayed on the post-battle mosaic is a listing of the enemies you'll be facing as well as the boss itself - each enemy can play extremely differently and/or demand certain playstyles. They're all listed out the gate, so there are no surprises, and you can plan your future that much more meticulously. At the end of a game, depending how far you progressed, you might earn one or more coins. These coins can be spent to open an array of closed chests during the main menu - each chest can be new cards, abilities, or cosmetics. There's a determinate number of chests, all of which are visible from the get-go, along with how much they cost; there's no 'loot box' type openings (where you might need to open a large number of chests just to roll something new).

This is a hidden gem. The core gameplay is exceptional: - Incredibly addictive - Tile-based mechanics add a huge strategic dimension - Great variation between runs - Skill can overcome bad luck (I guess a perfect player could achieve 95%+ win rate) - Surprising depth with diverse build options But the peripheral elements are lacking: - No proper difficulty curve makes early experiences very frustrating - Basic visuals (While slightly better than shown in the store screenshots - please update them!) If you don't mind pushing through the learning curve, you'll discover something special here. Recommended.

Neat idea! Bad execution. No idea why there aren't more negative reviews. Read the community page, not the reviews, I guess. This is a game designed so that lots of strategy is required just to have a small chance of winning. The RNG very regularly just kills you. (Or politely suggests that you restart your game, if you'd prefer to win, based on opening random traits or tiles that are *obviously* unplayable.) If that still sounds good to you, by all means, go ahead.

For 7 USD I cannot complain. There are small QoL things I wish existed, but none of these things prevent the game from being a good time. A fantastic little gem that really scratches the problem solving/strategy itch.