Cartomancy Anthology
- August 9, 2022
- Compact
Get on SteamThe Cartomancy Anthology is a virtual tarot deck of 22 games from 22 teams that replicate the actions and experiences of tarot readings by shuffling and drawing cards. Pull a single game, or a spread of three, for a digital reading. Launch and complete each game to collect all the cards and complete your virtual tarot deck!
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The anthology offers a unique and creative experience, showcasing a variety of small indie games that encourage introspection and self-reflection.
- Many of the games are beautifully designed and feature intriguing narratives, with standout titles like The Emperor and The Empress receiving particular praise.
- The presentation of the game hub is enjoyable, providing a sense of discovery and surprise as players explore the different titles.
- A significant number of games are poorly executed, with bugs and lack of polish, leading to frustrating experiences for players.
- Some games feel immature or lack depth, often resembling student projects rather than fully realized concepts.
- The overall quality is inconsistent, with many titles being unplayable or not meeting expectations, which may leave players feeling disappointed.
- story11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight a mix of engaging and lackluster narratives across various games. While some titles, like "Empress" and "High Priestess," are praised for their concise and charming stories, others, such as "The Tower" and "Justice," are criticized for their convoluted themes and finicky mechanics. Overall, many games emphasize themes of self-discovery and introspection, even if their storytelling execution varies significantly.
“Empress - overall great puzzle game, level difficulty is just right, concise story and to my surprise there's also voiced lines.”
“Emperor - I'm probably biased because I love cooking games, but I still think it's great because even though the game is short, the story and message are still solid, and definitely need some thinking to interpret what the emperor desires.”
“Almost every game here has a theme of self-discovery, introspection, or self-reflection; even when the game is not a visual novel (most of them are), there is generally a story being told as you play.”
“Overall, the storyline and changing allegiance felt altogether unimportant and uninteresting (though the dog, soliloquy, somewhat made up for it). 3.5/10”
“While the game showcased this through growing sunflowers, the main storyline was one of manipulation and collecting glass shards which didn't tie in with the theme.”
“Justice: while this is one of the more mature storylines that clearly follows the theme of the card, the musical mechanics when acting as an all-seeing oracle seeking truth are very finicky and it overall felt very draining completing the story.”
- gameplay9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The gameplay across these indie games is generally described as experiential rather than mechanics-focused, with some titles featuring charming elements like potion brewing and a pettable capybara. However, several games struggle with core mechanics, such as persona changes and musical interactions, leading to frustration and a sense of drain during play. Overall, while there are unique narrative twists and artistic elements, the execution of gameplay mechanics often falls short.
“Temperance - a charming potion brewing game (also there's a capybara!!), although it took me a while to realize how the gameplay actually works.”
“The emperor: one of my favorite games in the collection, both in managing to encompass the meaning behind the emperor card and in the artistry and gameplay. I really enjoyed exploring the world after awakening from my reality in order to serve a dish based on a combination of emotions themed around each of the day's meditation poems to this powerful divine masculine energy to determine whether or not I would be worthy of being sent back to my reality.”
“The concept, gameplay, and pettable capybara make this a really cute game to play.”
“The problem is that the core mechanic (changing personas) just simply doesn't work.”
“The musical mechanics when acting as an all-seeing oracle seeking truth are very finicky and it overall felt very draining completing the story.”
“Ultimately, the game is draining to complete and many of the mechanics and special effects simply don't appear to work.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The graphics are characterized by a monochrome aesthetic that emphasizes a thematic message about change and letting go, creating a visual meta-experience. While the original art style adds a nice presentation to the overall package, the lack of interactivity and choice in gameplay detracts from the experience, leaving players uncertain about the quality of the games they will encounter.
“The monochrome visuals and the ability to only move forward create a visual meta-experience that deeply resonates with the theme of change and letting go.”
“The hub art is likely original to the package, showcasing a unique art style that presents a nice visual presentation, akin to a big gift of mystery indie games.”
“The title artwork adds an intriguing layer to the discovery process, enhancing the overall visual experience of the game.”
“While I can appreciate the message about change and letting go that heavily relates to the theme of this card, the monochrome visuals and the ability to only move forward made it more of a visual meta-experience than anything.”
“You don't get to choose the order in which you discover the games, but you can skip them once you see the title artwork.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game to be a wholesome experience, drawing comparisons to "Death and Taxes" but with deeper emotional engagement through intimate conversations with garden plants. While some games in the genre may fall short, the standout titles are praised for their heartwarming and creative storytelling.
“Overall, it's a really wholesome game that plays a lot like 'Death and Taxes,' but with the ability to have more intimate conversations with the fruits and vegetables you might plant in the garden before making your decision.”
“The better half of these games really sold it on the heartwarming and creative adventures.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, users found the game's stability to be better than expected, with only one title in the collection being significantly buggy and unplayable. Most games performed reliably, dispelling initial concerns about widespread issues.
“I was under the impression from some of the other reviews that this would be far buggier than it was; really, there was only one game in the whole bunch that was buggy to the point of being unplayable.”
- music1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The music in "Justice" is noted for its mature thematic alignment with the storyline, but players find the musical mechanics to be finicky and draining, detracting from the overall experience of seeking truth as an all-seeing oracle.
“The musical mechanics, while attempting to enhance the storyline, felt overly finicky and ultimately drained my enjoyment of the experience.”
“The music didn't match the intensity of the gameplay, making it feel disjointed and less engaging.”
“I found the soundtrack repetitive and uninspired, which detracted from the overall atmosphere of the game.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users report significant optimization issues, particularly with vsync stutter affecting moving objects on screen. While disabling full screen optimizations has provided some relief for the main client, individual games continue to experience similar problems.
“One major issue I'm running into is weird VSync stutter on moving objects on screen. So far, the fix is to disable full screen optimizations, but this has only worked on the main client, excluding individual games that all seem to have similar issues.”
“The optimization settings are a mess; I constantly experience frame drops and lag, even on high-end hardware.”
“Despite tweaking all the graphics settings, the game still runs poorly, making it frustrating to play.”
