The Collage Atlas

About

"The Collage Atlas" is a hand-drawn adventure game where players explore a dream-like world and shape its growth and soundscape through their movements. With intricate details and hidden secrets, the game encourages exploration and discovery while touching on themes of agency, memory, and hope. The dynamic soundtrack, featuring vocals by Frankie Rose, adds an extra layer of immersion to the player's journey.

Genres & Tags

Indie

Play Modes

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

100%

Audience ScoreBased on 62 reviews

graphics8 positive mentions

grinding2 negative mentions

The game features stunning hand-drawn graphics and a beautiful soundtrack that creates a relaxing and immersive atmosphere.
It offers a unique blend of art and poetry, providing a thoughtful and emotional experience that resonates with players.
The gameplay, while simple, encourages exploration and appreciation of the intricate details in the art and story, making it a delightful journey.

The gameplay can feel repetitive and lacks complexity, which may not appeal to players looking for more challenging mechanics.
Some players found the narrative and messages to be vague or disconnected, making it difficult to fully engage with the story.
The game is relatively short, which may leave some players wanting more content or depth in their experience.

graphics
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
45%
15%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning hand-drawn art style and striking visuals, often described as having a unique papercraft aesthetic. Many players found the combination of the beautiful artwork and an emotionally resonant soundtrack to create a deeply immersive and reflective experience, capable of evoking strong emotions. Overall, the game's visuals are considered a major highlight, making it well worth the investment for those seeking a visually captivating and relaxing experience.
- “The power the soundtrack holds combined with the hand-drawn graphics is mind-blowing. Very few games have made me cry, and this game will make you feel things. You will cry when playing this game; I'm not sure if they're happy tears or sad tears or even a mix of both, but if a game can invoke that much emotion and awe...”
- “Absolutely beautiful game. I loved the art style and the soundtrack; it's really good if you want to play something relaxing - a dreamy world you can immerse yourself in and reflect.”
- “The artwork is stunning and well worth the price of admission.”
- “I was initially drawn to it because of the striking visuals which were so painstakingly created, and I wondered if that was going to be all it had to offer.”
- “Again, didn't finish it though so maybe that would have gotten better further on and I'd still recommend it for the visuals alone, just need a bit more patience than I have.”
- “I actually looked through the developer's social channels and Tumblr, and the amount of work that went into this, and its pure aesthetic and design work, is really something.”
gameplay
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
67%
17%
The gameplay is described as basic and somewhat repetitive, primarily involving following a narrative to reach the end, with minimal challenge and mechanics that feel more like interactive art. While some players appreciate the artistic direction and the natural flow of instructions, others find it lacking in depth and excitement, suggesting that it may not satisfy those seeking a more mechanically rich experience. Overall, the game encourages replaying for achievements, but opinions vary on its engagement level.
- “Well, it appears you're going on some sort of journey, and it's no mere walking simulator either, it actually has some gameplay!”
- “The instructions are built into the gameplay, so everything flows naturally.”
- “The game drops various mechanics that are easy to intuit, and there's enough here that it never gets boring.”
- “The gameplay is really basic, just follow the narration to get to the end, but to get all the achievements you will definitely have to replay it (luckily you can choose the chapters with the missing pages).”
- “The gameplay and challenge is very minimal and, as one other reviewer said, closer to interactive art.”
- “Visually stunning and I liked the sound, but I found the gameplay a bit too boring for my tastes.”
story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
63%
19%
The game's story, while brief, is praised for its beauty and poetic quality, reminiscent of a Robert Frost poem. Players appreciate the delicate mystery and personal narrative that unfolds, enhanced by simple puzzles that serve to advance the story rather than complicate it. Overall, the artistic direction and thematic message resonate well, despite some criticism regarding the repetitiveness of gameplay.
- “This game is pretty short, but what it lacks in length it makes up for in beauty and story.”
- “I was intrigued by the delicate mystery and the personal story that was being unveiled.”
- “And then there's the story, the message the game conveys, it's stunning.”
- “Like separate quote tiles in a store, rather than conveying a proper story.”
- “The story itself is like living a Robert Frost poem.”
- “There are simple puzzles to solve along the way as you journey through the story, nothing too hard or complex as the main focus of this game is the poem you are playing through.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
14%
The music in the game is widely praised for its emotional depth and ability to evoke strong feelings, often described as heart-touching and soothing. Reviewers highlight the combination of the soundtrack with the game's stunning hand-drawn graphics, creating an immersive and reflective experience that can elicit tears. Overall, the sound design is considered exceptional, enhancing the game's dreamy atmosphere and artistic style.
- “The power the soundtrack holds combined with the hand-drawn graphics is mind-blowing. Very few games have made me cry, and this game will make you feel things. You will cry when playing this game; I'm not sure they're happy tears or sad tears or even a mix of both, but if a game can invoke that much emotion and awe...”
- “Absolutely beautiful game. I loved the art style and the soundtrack; it's really good if you want to play something relaxing - a dreamy world you can immerse yourself in and reflect.”
- “Good lord, I could go on about that sound design and the music in general for a while; it's so good.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highly praised, with players noting its wholesome and uplifting message that lingers long after gameplay. The combination of a powerful soundtrack and beautiful hand-drawn graphics evokes deep feelings, often leading to tears—whether of joy, sadness, or a mix of both—making it a profoundly moving experience. Overall, it is described as an emotional journey that feels like being part of a poetic tale.
- “The message is wholesome and uplifting, leaving me with a warm feeling that stuck around long after I finished.”
- “The power the soundtrack holds combined with the hand-drawn graphics is mind-blowing. Very few games have made me cry, and this game will make you feel things. You will cry when playing this game; I'm not sure they're happy tears or sad tears or even a mix of both, but if a game can invoke that much emotion and awe...”
- “An emotional experience, a poem where you are part of the tale, intricately hand-drawn.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its cuteness and relaxation, creating a stunning and poetic world that enhances the puzzle-solving experience. Fans of games like "Dear Esther" are likely to appreciate its charming and tranquil ambiance.
- “Lovely atmosphere; if you liked Dear Esther, you should definitely try this one.”
- “Absolutely stunning world with a very relaxed, poetic atmosphere.”
- “This is a cute and relaxing atmospheric puzzle game.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally well-received, with most players reporting minimal performance drops from a stable 60 FPS, suggesting that significant performance issues are unlikely for the majority.
- “I only saw a few performance drops from 60.”
- “I doubt any players will have performance issues.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding in the game to be non-difficult and not tedious, viewing it instead as a relaxing sequence of events rather than a frustrating chore.