Fate Tectonics
- September 8, 2015
- Golden Gear Games
In "Fate Tectonics," players build a world by placing terrain tiles, appeasing god-like beings called Fates, and unlocking their powers for more advanced world-building. With easy-to-pick-up gameplay but deeper challenges for strategic players, this puzzle game features handcrafted pixel art, a 16-bit symphonic soundtrack, and two game modes. The Book of Fate tracks progress and chronicles your adventures.
Reviews
- Fate Tectonics features fun visuals and a charming pixel art style that enhances the overall experience.
- The game offers a relaxing and casual gameplay loop, making it perfect for players looking to unwind without intense mental investment.
- It has a unique blend of puzzle and strategy elements, where players must balance the demands of various gods while building and managing their world.
- The presence of the gods on-screen can be distracting and obstructive, making it difficult to see and manage tile placements effectively.
- The game suffers from bugs and a lack of polish, with some mechanics being cryptic and not well explained, leading to confusion during gameplay.
- Many players find the game repetitive and lacking in depth, with limited long-term appeal and a feeling of being unfinished.
- gameplay36 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Fate Tectonics is a unique blend of puzzle and world-building mechanics, where players strategically place tiles to create stability while appeasing various deities. While the core mechanics are engaging and offer a fun challenge, many players find the game's instructions and mechanics to be cryptic and poorly explained, leading to a steep learning curve. Despite some bugs and a lack of clarity, the game is praised for its charm, replayability, and the balance of its gameplay elements.
“Fate Tectonics is a beautiful game with a great core gameplay loop of generating partially random tiles and trying to stitch them together in some stable manner in order to please the pantheon of gods that allows you to build this world.”
“The simple title placement mechanics hide complex strategies as each additional deity layers on more requirements to keep them happy.”
“Gameplay is quite compelling, with immense replayability value.”
“The game throws many things at you at the same time; the aesthetic and UI are not suited to getting an overview. Many aspects of the game are cryptic or seem important when they really are not, and in general, it is poorly cobbled together in terms of gameplay mechanics and their introduction (or lack thereof).”
“The game's mechanics and goal aren't explained very well, and the 'fates' are unbalanced and needlessly cryptic in their various functions.”
“This game hasn't been worked on forever, and the developers seem to have moved on, despite plenty of bugs still existing and many mechanics either underused or flat out unexplained.”
- music21 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game is noted for its nice 16-bit style and ability to change with gameplay, enhancing the overall experience. However, many players criticize the lack of variety, as the limited number of tracks can become repetitive and even annoying over time. While some appreciate the thematic additions when unlocking new deities, others suggest muting the game in favor of personal playlists to maintain enjoyment.
“The music is really nice and changes as you do things.”
“The music is brilliant 16-bit style.”
“The art is absolutely stunning and the music really complements the game's style.”
“Who the heck puts one song in a game about building!”
“Mute it and play your own music for your own sanity.”
“Although the soundtrack contains 19 tracks, many of them are just the same song with small variations, not to mention that they are not remarkable and have a rather sad tone, which contrasts with the cheerful mood of the game.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming and adorable art style, particularly the pixel aesthetic reminiscent of 16-bit games. While the visuals are enjoyable, some players find the user interface and overall presentation can hinder gameplay clarity, making it difficult to navigate the game's mechanics. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point, especially given the game's price.
“The art style is lovely to look at, and all of the deities are adorable in their own way.”
“A mix between god simulator and puzzle game, with a very nice pixel aesthetic.”
“I love the 16-bit art style!”
“The game throws many things at you at the same time; the aesthetic and UI are not suited to getting an overview. Many aspects of the game are cryptic or seem important when they really are not, and in general, it is poorly cobbled together in terms of gameplay mechanics and their introduction (or lack thereof).”
“I love me some RPGs with intense graphics, in-depth story and dialogue, etc., and yet here I am, spending hours playing with these tiles to build a world and watch it fall apart -- it's mesmerizing!”
“The art style is pixelated and not to my liking.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is generally criticized, with many users reporting it as unfinished and buggy, reflecting a lack of polish due to financial issues faced by the developers. While some players experienced prompt responses to critical bugs during the beta phase, the overall sentiment suggests that the game suffers from significant stability problems that detract from the experience.
“It might have become an interesting game if it wasn't abandoned halfway through and released as an unfinished and buggy mess.”
“I love the game in concept, but it is unfinished, buggy, and ultimately just made me sad.”
“Forever unfinished, buggy, cryptic, and not worth buying (even at $1).”
- story5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's story provides a loose introduction to its world and the deities involved, with a clear objective of awakening every god in the pantheon. While the narrative is engaging, some players find the distracting elements in normal mode can hinder gameplay, and the initial menu lacks intuitiveness, making it difficult to recognize when missions begin. Overall, the combination of quests and powers contributes to an immersive RPG experience, despite some navigational challenges.
“There is a huge amount of quests and powers, several game modes, and a clear goal: wake every god in the pantheon.”
“I love RPGs with intense graphics, in-depth story, and dialogue, and yet here I am, spending hours playing with these tiles to build a world and watch it fall apart -- it's mesmerizing!”
“There's a loose story that introduces you to the world and the deities you're working with (or against, depending on one's perspective).”
“I love RPGs with intense graphics, in-depth story, and dialogue, yet here I am, spending hours playing with these tiles to build a world and watch it fall apart -- it's mesmerizing!”
“The initial menu is not intuitive, so much so that I did not realize I had started the first mission until the NPC god character started moving around.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its absurd and chaotic consequences of failing to satisfy the gods, leading to a comical chain reaction of disasters that humorously escalates the situation and adds a lighthearted tone to the gameplay.
“Failing to appease the gods will cause them to throw tantrums, creating pollution, plagues, earthquakes, floods, and general strife, which often displeases other gods, creating a raucous and hilarious chain reaction that destroys the planet.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the gameplay highly engaging, contributing to significant replayability value.
“Gameplay is quite compelling, with immense replayability value.”
“The variety of choices and outcomes keeps me coming back for more.”
“Each playthrough feels fresh and exciting, making it hard to put down.”