A Game of Changes

About

A Game of Changes is a single player casual puzzle game. It was developed by Nuno Donato and was released on June 2, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"A Game of Changes" is a single-player puzzle game with elements of strategy and symbolism. Players must shift and rotate tiles to create patterns based on the I Ching, an ancient Chinese divination text. With no time limits or score system, the game encourages a meditative and contemplative experience as players progress through its 75 levels.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

61%

Audience ScoreBased on 83 reviews

graphics3 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and interesting interpretation of the I Ching, providing players with a glimpse into ancient philosophy and puzzles.
Many players find the game to be a relaxing experience, enhanced by its calming soundtrack and zen-like atmosphere.
The core concept of the game is creative and engaging, with multiple level exits that add depth to the gameplay.

The game suffers from frequent bugs, crashes, and technical issues that significantly detract from the overall experience.
There is a lack of clear instructions or tutorials, making it difficult for players unfamiliar with the I Ching to understand the gameplay mechanics.
The controls are clunky and uncustomizable, which can lead to frustration and hinder the enjoyment of the game.

gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The gameplay has been criticized for being boring and confusing, particularly for those unfamiliar with the source material, as it lacks a tutorial. Players have noted that the mechanics are undermined by bugs and an awkward analog control system, detracting from the intended relaxing puzzle experience. Overall, while the developer attempts to introduce unique elements, the execution falls short, leading to a frustrating experience.
- “The gameplay offers a unique experience, but it can be confusing for those unfamiliar with the source material, especially without a tutorial.”
- “The developer attempts to create something unique, but the gameplay ultimately feels disconnected from its intended themes.”
- “While the game tries to be innovative, it struggles with bugs that detract from the overall puzzle experience.”
- “Gameplay: analog raising and lowering undermines its relaxed puzzle play.”
- “I see that the developer tries to do something unique with the I Ching references, but overall, the gameplay feels irrelevant to it and seems like a forced correlation.”
- “There are too many bugs in the mechanics for a little puzzle game.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews; while some players find the zen-like soundtrack soothing and fitting for the gameplay, others describe it as boring and note the lack of proper audio controls, making it difficult to manage the background music. Although the main menu music is relaxing, it can be frustrating that volume controls are only available during gameplay and do not carry over to the main menu.
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “A game of changes has such lovely music and endearing graphics, and the gameplay is so intuitive and simple, I think that rage is pretty much out of the question.”
- “It's worth mentioning that the game has a very nice zen-like soundtrack that fits very well.”
- “Bewilderingly, the game doesn't include proper audio controls, so you can't turn off the annoying background music; you'll need to alt+tab out and stop the music using the Windows sound mixer.”
- “There are volume controls, available only after starting a level, only for music, but they are completely ignored when going back to the main menu.”
- “The soundtrack: some might like it, but I found it boring.”
graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The graphics of the game receive mixed feedback; while some users praise the high quality and charming visuals, others criticize the lack of customizable settings and resolution options, which limits the ability to enhance the graphics further. Overall, the game's visuals are noted for their appeal despite the technical limitations.
- “10/10 graphics”
- “10/10 storage, only 80MB; now an Android game requires more, but this game with so many levels has such good graphics that require so little, just amazing!”
- “A game of changes has such lovely music and endearing graphics, and the gameplay is so intuitive and simple; I think that rage is pretty much out of the question.”
- “There's no option to change the resolution for the game or customize the graphics settings.”
- “There's no way for gamers to improve the low-quality graphics.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with users reporting frequent bugs, crashes, and freezes that hinder gameplay, often preventing progress beyond early stages.
- “The game is too buggy.”
- “This review is only negative because the game freezes and crashes so much for me that I haven't been able to make it past the fourth stage.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and boring, with puzzles lacking in challenge, which contributes to a less engaging experience.
- “The grinding in this game feels endless and monotonous, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I find the repetitive tasks to be tedious and draining, which takes away from the overall enjoyment.”
- “The lack of variety in the grinding mechanics makes it feel like a chore rather than a fun challenge.”
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
The story presents a fundamental choice between pursuing missions or engaging with a less developed narrative, ultimately conveying a moral about resilience and the unpredictability of life.
- “Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
- “The basic options are either mission or half-assed.”
- “The moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as exploitative, with reviewers labeling it as a cash grab that relies on copying existing game templates and assets rather than original content. This approach is seen as a form of shovelware, raising concerns about the integrity and value of the product.
- “These guys do nothing but copy premade game templates and game tutorials, fill out a few things, stamp out basic levels using the construction kit templates, slap on an asset-flipped set of sprites/assets, and dump them on Steam and into daily indie game bundles as cash grabs.”
- “Trying to get paid for someone else's game templates and assets... at best, this is shovelware; at worst, it's a scam/cash grab.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users note that the game offers higher replayability compared to traditional 3D platform games, suggesting that its design and mechanics encourage players to return for multiple playthroughs.
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's "hands off" approach to instruction enhances its atmosphere, allowing players to immerse themselves in the experience at a natural pace. This design choice contributes positively to the overall ambiance, fostering a sense of exploration and discovery.
- “The game feels very 'hands off' in terms of explicit instruction, which I think fits the atmosphere and the pace of the game quite well.”