Madcap Mosaic

About

"Madcap Mosaic" is a surreal puzzle-adventure game that challenges players to navigate a bizarre and ever-changing dreamscape. By solving increasingly complex mosaic puzzles, players unlock new areas and uncover the secrets of a mysterious mansion. With its unique art style, intriguing narrative, and innovative gameplay mechanics, "Madcap Mosaic" offers a fresh and unforgettable gaming experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

97%

Audience ScoreBased on 118 reviews

gameplay22 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

Madcap Mosaic offers a unique and innovative take on deckbuilding, combining strategic depth with engaging gameplay mechanics.
The game provides a satisfying challenge with a variety of tiles and traits that create distinct runs, encouraging players to adapt and strategize.
Despite its simplistic visuals, the game is highly addictive and has a strong potential for replayability, making it a hidden gem in the roguelike genre.

The game suffers from a heavy reliance on RNG, which can lead to frustrating experiences and unplayable scenarios based on random traits or tiles.
Many players find the execution lacking, with issues such as poor clarity on mechanics and a need for more polish in the user interface.
The art and sound design are considered subpar, which may detract from the overall experience for some players.

gameplay
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
66%
4%
The gameplay of "Madcap Mosaic" is characterized by its innovative mechanics that blend deckbuilding with spatial considerations, creating a unique and engaging experience. While the game may initially feel overwhelming and lacks aesthetic polish, it rewards persistence with a satisfying loop of strategic depth and varied challenges. Players appreciate the balance between tactical decision-making and the game's rich mechanics, making each run feel fresh and rewarding.
- “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.”
- “This game is the epitome of taking a simple set of core mechanics, then riffing on combinations of variants that make each play an interesting and challenging affair.”
- “If you like roguelikes with strategic depth, complex mechanics, and a challenging learning curve, this is the game for you.”
- “The art and sound design are practically non-existent, and the gameplay itself is exceedingly rough.”
- “It's a bit overwhelming at first and the visuals are only one step above programmer art, but the mechanics are quite deep.”
- “Some things could be better explained, like the enshrine mechanic, but for the most part the tutorial is effective (do not turn tips off until you start getting repeats).”
graphics
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
75%
13%
The graphics of the game are generally described as simple and lacking in aesthetic beauty, often compared to "programmer art" or reminiscent of the DOS era. However, many reviewers emphasize that the engaging gameplay and unique charm outweigh the visual shortcomings, making it a worthwhile experience for those who can appreciate its nostalgic appeal. While there is room for improvement in the graphics and communication of mechanics, they are not seen as dealbreakers, and the overall user experience remains strong.
- “Past the graphics, which have a charm of their own, the game is both simple and complex - the sign of a perfect gameplay loop.”
- “The graphics are simple, but not ugly.”
- “The visuals are very simple, but it's just so unique and charming and gets its claws into me better than a lot of fancier games.”
- “Definitely a case where all the effort was put into the user experience, rather than graphics.”
- “The graphics and tutorial have room for improvement, but are by no means dealbreakers.”
- “It's a bit overwhelming at first and the visuals are only one step above programmer art, but the mechanics are quite deep.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The story of "Madcap Mosaic" draws strong parallels to "Dream Quest," featuring a charming aesthetic and innovative mechanics that resonate with fans of the genre. Reviewers express a deep appreciation for its narrative and gameplay, likening the experience to the excitement of discovering a beloved classic. Overall, the game's storytelling is celebrated for its engaging and nostalgic qualities.
- “The dream quest parallels are real: a homespun look, a trailblazing suite of mechanics, and a positive blurb from Magic: The Gathering creator Richard Garfield. If you've found your way to this store page, if you're reading this review, you don't need to keep reading, you should just buy Madcap Mosaic.”
- “Dream Quest and Madcap are my two all-time favorite games.”
- “I feel like this must be what the first person to download Dream Quest felt like.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game offers significant replayability due to its diverse tile setups and traits, ensuring that each run feels distinct. However, some players note that the repetitive pacing of early enemies can slightly diminish this aspect. Overall, the combination of choices and the game's affordability contributes to a nearly endless replay value.
- “There is a lot of replayability in the game; every run has a very distinct feel due to different tile setups and traits. It would be nice to have some control over these, maybe 2x pick 1 of 3.”
- “There are so many choices and runs, and nothing is really up to chance, which enhances the replayability.”
- “There is a slight difficulty with the pacing of enemies, that you can sometimes get the same one repeatedly, and that the early ones which you see every run drives the replayability down slightly.”
- “This game is both cheap and drives almost endless replayability.”
- “There is a lot of replayability in the game; every run has a very distinct feel to it due to different tile setups and traits. It would be nice to have some control over these, maybe 2x pick 1 of 3.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game has received mixed feedback, with some players acknowledging the effort put into it but ultimately finding it unappealing enough to mute after a short period.
- “The art is an acquired taste and the music, well... the effort is appreciated, but I set it to mute after about a half hour.”