It’s wonderful but it might not be in the right category
Mon Apr 10 2023 yuppydoopydooI think I was just misled because this was in the games category. I think there is a certain expected amount of flexibility, autonomy, interactiveness, room to explore, or clarity (in terms of what the goal is) for games, but like many other reviewers say, this app lacks that in terms of game standards (in terms of what’s available in the current market). I think that’s mostly why people (me as well at first) got frustrated.
However, the graphics are amazing. You can see that each scene is delicately made and the many sound effects and music that go with them are great. Also it’s really beautiful how the cards turn when you’re pressing on them and they glide so gracefully. It’s such a great idea and initiative. I would love to see more and help the developer make additions to the game if they want that.
All in all, I think it would have made more sense to me if this was called an “interactive display” or like an “interactive exhibition series”. There is so much to be appreciated in terms of the beauty and flawlessness of what is presented, but the “game” side of it just doesn’t match the level of beauty or intricacy of the design.
Still enjoyed it a lot. I just wished I could do more with it!
Interesting Puzzler But Plagued with Broken Saves
Fri Jun 03 2022 D2YI like the simplicity of this puzzler of trying to guide the character to the final destination in each level. It has a feel similar to The Gardens Between, where it tells a coming of age story with minimalism and symbolism in its surroundings and short cutscenes. For QoL, the game could’ve benefitted with an undo button as the later stages if you happen to mess up or accidentally move the character off their position then you have to re-setup everything again which gets tiresome especially how slow the character moves. I haven’t fully grasped the story yet as it’s very subtle with its storytelling as you interpret what is happening since there’s no dialog, I was curious to see where it goes but...
My major factor to my score was that there is a major save bug with this game which I’ve lost my progress twice already after I was more than halfway completed. Not sure why it did as my local storage and iCloud has plenty of space available. But after the 2nd time, it’s not worth my time to redo it all over again a 3rd as the game isn’t compelling enough for me to repeat after this issue. Recommend to wait till this bug is fixed before playing this game.
More Confused Than Relaxed
Tue Apr 26 2022 SheSpeaks28I wasn’t expecting a whole lot of this game as I tend to lose interest in puzzle games pretty quickly. The graphics are beautiful and the music isn’t distracting. The gameplay? Annoying. Other than showing you how to move the cards and build houses and get hints, there are no instructions for this game. Want to know what this card does without clicking it? Too bad. Want to know what this random asset is? Click on it and figure out how you messed yourself up. Want to get further help? LOL - silly, that’s not what the help button is for! It just explains the mechanics of the cards.
Also, the “story” makes no sense! I get that it’s a slice of life/trip down memory lane kind of deal, but I have no idea what I’m looking at in the cutscenes. Who’s eyes are those? Why are they different colors? Is the main character aware of the eyes and therefore interact with them? Your guess is as good as mine because that’s not explained - ever. The whole thing feels pointless.
Where the cards fall, man.
Thu Jun 11 2020 TheyoyoBroBroOkay. So this game is very fun, and it is very relaxing. It has a very good storyline and I enjoy the game. However there are a few improvements that could be made. First, there should be customization options. Please add some feature into the game to where you can change the background color/design of the cards as this would make it very nice. Second of all, you should allow players to create their own characters and use them in the game as it would make the vibe and feel of the game more personal. Lastly, you should allow players to decide what to wear from a closet or bedroom or just a menu. Again this would make the game feel better. Please don’t add in-game currency though, as that would ruin the peaceful and puzzle-like vibes that run through the game. Other than this, I really enjoy the game.
Frustrating
Wed Aug 26 2020 McnibbletThis game looks great but is frustrating. The pace is slow. There are several things that look like they can be interacted with (household items, people, signs) and seem to invite action (ghost people reading a sign) but do nothing, leading to a lot of useless tapping to convince yourself that there’s nothing to be done. Then you might notice the icon in the lower left and decide to see if there is more info there. You might tap the card deck and see some individual cards. What happens when you tap these unmanned cards? Some explanation of what your doing? A detailed view of that card? No, your level gets reset to the beginning without warning, and that card disappears. Expecting other great random frustrations from this game, i think I’ll stop here at the beginning where its left me.
Unique and foggy
Thu Jan 14 2021 DrtrueblueJust finished. Worthwhile level of challenge. Beautiful artwork. Peaceful and engaging. Definitely worthy of high marks if you like challenging but not excruciating puzzle games.
Opportunities for improvement.
1. Agree the cut aways are not everyone’s cup of tea, but I liked them. Eventually, you enjoy the creative artwork and get the unique storyline, albeit melancholy. However, I was a little ticked off with the ending being less than anti-climactic. For all of that effort, something a little bit more celebratory in both a graphic and storyline perspective would have been just rewards. Sadly, without more punch in the end felt cheated of my time. If it not for the artful puzzles, I would have given it a lower rating for that reason alone.
2.Please give the user the option of opening and closing the deck of cards with different movements or clicks. Having to pinch Open and close was extremely cumbersome. Most importantly, if you made an error, it could send your character to places you didn’t want to go and completely mess up all of your hard work on that level. I almost stopped playing because of it.
Pretty but muddled – DNF
Mon Dec 19 2022 Colin AlcarzThe visuals and sound are lovely and the card folding/unfolding feels nice, but I quit very early. It feels like the aesthetic and the attempted story work against the game's puzzle nature. The detailed environment makes me want to explore and try things, but it's not that kind of game — you expand, collapse, and rearrange boxes to unlock cutscenes, and that's it. And all I got out of the few cutscenes I watched is that some people talked — no sense of the content, mood, or importance.
The narrative aspect also frustrates me because I have no clear sense of why I'm moving thru the levels or why buildings and doors made of cards are a thing. If the game were more purely a puzzler, this wouldn't matter — the goal is to solve the puzzles and the card-buildings are just a quirky choice. But half burying the puzzle nature under the story and aesthetic changes my expectations and leaves me disappointed.
Enjoy the premise but a little frustrated
Sun Nov 28 2021 _KaMi BoO_<3I really like this game, it’s relaxing and the quality of the graphics is awesome.
My only qualm is that the game is inconsistent with where I leave off every time I exit and re-enter the game. I have progressed a bit but I’m taking the game little bits at a time and there have been instances where the game opens up and I’m WAAAAY behind in levels that I have passed a few days ago with no way to get back to where I was. And then other times it plops me right back into where I was. I just don’t love playing roulette every time I open the app.
iCloud box is checked and it logs into my Apple account when the app opens so I’m really not sure how this keeps happening. Bummed out and hope this is fixable.
Well Made Game.
Thu Feb 25 2021 JaiLove7It’s peaceful and has an unique take. I haven’t played a game like this one before. The scenes are beautiful; the music and game are very enjoyable. I would not say that the premise or anything about the game is frustrating.
If you’re looking for a fast-paced, get-to-the-point game, I’m afraid this isn’t the one for you. The adolescent scenes are enjoyable and calming. I enjoy the reminiscent feel. I don’t think this is a game for everyone, but the controls are simple and easy to follow. The ones who commented that it was “frustrating” or “confusing” simply haven’t played a lot of games. A layman can understand it. You’ll know right away after the first two levels if it’s a game that you’ll enjoy.
Not a perfect game, but it is exquisitely realized
Tue Nov 22 2022 KeybordzThe game mechanic here is original and quite satisfying to interact with. I can't imagine how this works on a PC as the touch interface seems ideally suited for how it's presented. At first I thought the game was going to be rather short, but then the scenes kept coming and new intricacies are introduced at a reasonably modest pace.
I wish I could say I was getting a lot out of the story, the made-up "gibberish" language seems rather pointless and I have no idea what the disembodied eyes are supposed to represent.
The save issue as described by others is present...i.e. if the app closes down due to memory management it's possible your progress can be reset to an earlier level. I discovered that if I immediately close and relaunch the app it returns me to the latest level I'm playing. Amazing that the sophisticated gameplay and graphic design can be so well-executed, but these simple housekeeping tasks present challenges.
All in all, the game has me hooked and I would be interested to see a sequel.
