Madcap Mosaic
- August 15, 2022
- 1classydude
Get on Steam"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.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Madcap Mosaic offers a unique and innovative take on deckbuilding mechanics, combining strategic depth with engaging gameplay.
- The game provides a satisfying challenge, with a variety of tiles and traits that allow for diverse strategies and synergies in each run.
- Despite its simple graphics, the game is highly addictive and has a strong gameplay loop that keeps players coming back for more.
- The game suffers from a heavy reliance on RNG, which can lead to frustrating experiences when luck doesn't favor the player.
- Many players find the visuals and sound design lacking, which detracts from the overall experience.
- The learning curve can be steep, and some mechanics are not well explained, making it overwhelming for new players.
- gameplay37 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
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 have a steep learning curve and lacks polished visuals, players appreciate the depth and variety of strategies available, making each run feel fresh and challenging. Overall, it offers a satisfying gameplay loop that rewards persistence and exploration of its complex systems.
“Has an interesting and unique way of progressing your build through the game; it 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 and 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).”
- graphics12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
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 appreciate the unique charm and nostalgia they evoke, suggesting that the engaging gameplay and user experience outweigh the visual shortcomings. While there is room for improvement in the graphics and communication of mechanics, they are not seen as dealbreakers for enjoying the game.
“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, I think the game could do with a lot clearer communication of mechanics in places... 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.”
- story3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
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. Enthusiastic endorsements from notable figures, like Richard Garfield, further elevate its appeal, making it a must-try for players who appreciate unique narrative experiences.
“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 guy to download Dream Quest felt like.”
“The story feels disjointed and lacks depth, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“The characters are one-dimensional and fail to evoke any real emotional response.”
“The plot twists are predictable and do not add any excitement to the overall narrative.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game offers significant replayability due to its diverse choices and unique experiences in each run, despite some pacing issues with enemy encounters. While players may encounter familiar enemies frequently, the variety in tile setups and traits keeps the gameplay fresh, making it an engaging experience. However, some users expressed a desire for more control over trait selection to enhance this aspect further.
“There is a lot of replayability in the game; every run has a very distinct feel due to different tile setups and traits.”
“There are so many choices and runs, and nothing is really up to chance.”
“There is a slight difficulty with the pacing of enemies, as you can sometimes encounter the same ones repeatedly. The early enemies that you see in every run slightly diminish the replayability, but there are so many choices and runs, and nothing is really left to chance.”
“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 due to different tile setups and traits. It would be nice to have some control over these, maybe allowing players to pick 1 of 3 options twice.”
- music1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed feedback; while some appreciate the effort put into it, others find 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.”
“The soundtrack is repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“The music feels out of place and doesn't match the game's atmosphere, which detracts from the overall experience.”
