Mosaic of the Strange

if it's got strange I'm in

Mosaic of the Strange was an impulse purchase due to me having a soft spot for mosaics. I remember as a child playing with the different blocks and following the patterns to create the various shapes. And I'm both a bit dissatisfied and pleased with this game. Let me explain: The game follows 2 FBI agents who get called in to investigate a mysterious murder. A man was found in the middle of a forest tower with the door locked from the inside. So how did he die? And who did it? Let's be real: the plot isn't that good. I can't tell you any information that separates the characters from each other as they're mired in archetypes. From the X-Files. I'd be lying if the atmosphere isn't good. Reading about the various weird and unusual things from around the world is interesting. The other main pull are the puzzles. The idea of creating mosaics is what grabbed my attention. And in a way, you are as once the puzzle is completed it turns into a colored pixel artefact to read about. So each puzzle is essentially a game of Minesweeper (minus the pressure): each 3x3 grid has a set filled and empty set of boxes. As you fill in the grids, they'll eventually form an image. So the goal is to figure out how each part of the various grids comes together to form an image. And each part can be completed with logic. And if you get stuck or lose track of where you need to go next, there's a handy hint button that'll take you to a spot that you can solve. There were times that if I slowed myself down a little bit more, I would have solved them without assistance. However, it isn't a very good adventure game. Plot elements are rewards for completing puzzles. There's no additional puzzles to solve to move things forward. As such, I felt very disconnected from the game's world. Furthermore, finding the puzzles to complete can be a little hard to find as they typically blend in with the environment. Graphically, the game is solid pixel art. There's some animations, but there isn't a lot. It isn't anything special. It is done in service of the gameplay. Sonically, there's like 1 track. And it's a little too serious compared to the mellow gameplay. It isn't bad. I will give them credit for the sound of the tiles as they're satisfying to put down. In conclusion, Mosaic of the Strange is not a bad game. It is a solid puzzle game. I enjoyed sitting down with it after work due to how mellow the gameplay is. The only reason it took me 34 hours to complete is because there's a lot of puzzles to complete and some of them are rather large. Solving each puzzle is satisfying. The game isn't worth the full price. Pick it up on sale.