Mosaic: Game of Gods Reviews

Simple, visually pleasing game, meditative gameplay. Loved the different stages with different puzzle piece textures and interaction sounds (fabric, paper, marble). Intuitive interface. If there's a way to scroll through the pieces rather than having to figure out where the ones you are shown go - I didn't find it, but the puzzles were still doable due to their simplicity. Another review mentioned that the description feels like it's suggesting the existence of a plot - and that not being the case. I agree with that person. I forgot all about there supposedly being some sort of story to the game until I completed it and got a cut-scene out of nowhere. I do not regret buying this game, I enjoyed the puzzles. Probably wouldn't play again myself - but would install to entertain a guest or relative.

Nice mosaic puzzle game. Relaxed mode gives you a nice way to arrange the puzzles without pressing time limits. Achievements are fair, excluding the one where you have to use 100 hints. Only thing I didn't like about this game was the music. There is only 2 tracks, that play repeatedly, and they include some horrible new age chant singing, which I cannot stand at all. When I turned the awful soundtrack off and launched my own playlist from Spotify, the gaming experience improved a LOT. Otherwise, it's very nice.

Very relaxing game, with plenty of puzzles. Wish it was a bit more difficult in places but oh well. Enjoyable anyway.

Cool game. Doesn't work offline. Fix it and it'll be a positive review.

[u]In short:[/u] This is a very simple and relaxed mosaic-based puzzle game. The artwork is beautiful and the various materials well implemented. There are some tone-deaf decisions trying to push players for timed challenges, but thankfully this is almost entirely optional. The pricing is more than adequate for the amount of content. The sequel is not quite on par, but you may still want to consider buying the bundle for even more content. [u]In long:[/u] The [b][u]mechanics[/u][/b] are simple but well implemented. Each level starts with some of the irregular tiles already in place. A side-bar holds 5 randomly picked tiles so there is pretty much always some kind of adjacency available. Picking up a tile attaches it to your mouse pointer, meaning you don't have to hold down the button while trying to fit it in on the board (smart!). My only gripe is that hovering pieces are slightly larger than in final placement (they are "above" the puzzle and slot in when placed), which makes it sometimes hard to gauge where it fits, especially towards some edges of the playing field, when the hovering tiles bump against the edge and you can't really see the outline of what has already been placed. The last level of each of the 6 level packs has a strange mechanic where you have to rotate the board to make tiles fit. It's not great and doesn't handle well, but it's acceptable for occasional variety. Each level comes with 3 challenges - to beat it, to make no mistakes and to clear a certain time. I think the last one is pretty tone-deaf. This is a nice pensive/meditative game and I see no point in hurrying through levels. Thankfully you can put on "Relaxed mode" which disables the time limit. I barely ever met the time goal, but thankfully that didn't matter due to "Relaxed mode". Playing for time would probably require you to make extensive use of the hint system, which shows you the postion of a randomly selected tile every 30 seconds. It's handy, but that's just not how I wanted to play. There is a good amount of [b][u]content[/u][/b] with six worlds of 25 levels each, for a total of 150 puzzles. I liked the progression - levels got bigger and harder towards the end. For about 9 hours of relaxing gameplay the price is more than fair (especially the soundtrack bundle). But there even is decent replayability as the starting tiles and the tile order are always randomized. There is also a "Fever mode" where you have to place only 7 tiles per level and have to survive against a count-down, earning additional seconds for each level. I think it sucks and I played it only for the achievements. It helps that you can familiarize yourself a bit with the level before starting the timer, but I just don't see the point or fun. In terms of [b][u]presentation[/u][/b] I am quite impressed. Most pictures are well done and quite pretty. Themes are somewhere in the intersection of landscapes, animals, history and fantasy. I really like the various materials (stained glass, gemstones, cloth, paper) - they look great and are well implemented (each with their own sound effects). Upon completing a level a short animation of sprouting vines plays before the level statistics pop in. This is a bit of a shame as I would have liked to bask in the completed artwork (this is something fixed by the otherwise mediocre sequel; see below). But to have a closer look you can always open the images in the in-game gallery. The UI is somewhat of a blemish and looks quite antiquated. The music is not bad and somewhat memorable, but it started getting repetitive and annoying fairly quickly (as in-game music usually does in puzzle games for me). Especially the main menu song seemed like it didn't fit the otherwise calm tone of the game at all. The "story" is told in two short animations and had no impact whatsoever on the gameplay. On the [b][u]technical side[/u][/b] the game gets only passing marks. Switching to windowed mode (my preference for puzzle games) worked well, albeit it was limited to a fixed window size, which is always a shame. Separate audio sliders are always welcome. The only other thing worth mentioning is "left-handed mode" which switches the tile storage to the other side of the board. In [b][u]conclusion[/u][/b] I didn't expect too much from the game, but was pleasantly surprised. No doubt this has rough aspects that could have used some polish, but over-all I do think this is a bit of a hidden gem. I love me a good jigsaw and this scratches the same itch with a nice artistic packaging. This game is easily worth the asking price for a fresh take on the genre, especially in the criminally cheap sountrack bundle. PS: The [b][u]sequel[/u][/b] is decent and still has a load of content, but I don't consider the quality to be quite on par (and thus not warranting a separate review). The pictures are neat, but not as clean and stylish as in the first game and there are some annoying quirks (very rarely even mis-shaped pieces that overlap). The time pressure is gone, but replaced by an equally tone-deaf scoring mechanic. I think the bundle is still worth buying just to have more content, but even with some fixes and improvements it's clear that the sequel doesn't quite capture the magic of the first installment.

The interesting approach that Mosiac takes is one where the world is decaying, dying, and breathing its last breaths and through you, restoring images of times past, through that you can revive it and save everyone and everything in it. Perhaps, undoubtedly, the best aspect of this game is how clear it is in its direction, knowing what it wants to be and how to achieve it. The game splits its levels into chapters, chapter's pieces have their theme and style, sometimes the pieces are of cloth, crystals, or papers and I quite liked this feature. While each chapter has its unique pieces, the themes of the chapters are randomized and don't adhere to a set or to a pattern (other than the pieces material/texture) which I think while it's less ordered and structured but it keeps things fresh and unexpected and it also works in a sense of restoring the world spontaneously. The music is intriguing at first but sooner than you think you realize that it started looping which isn't a deal-breaker, it just means you can either live with it or mute it. Another thing that also loops and repeats itself is how clear each level is which is in a game like this is a deal-breaker if it's not present, in a game where you have to align pieces together, the clarity and distinction between background/foreground have to be of the utmost importance and indeed it is here, I don't think I ever was confused about whether this is a piece slot or part of the background/picture I'm trying to complete. Restoring the world as said is the main purpose and its Mosaic's story, and while doing so you will have to travel to different places and see many interesting architectures, creatures, and humans engaging in different activities. I think there was some potential in this particular aspect to branch off it and capitalize on it in the game to be more than just pretty pictures and artwork but at least it is pretty and sometimes even inspiring. Another thing worth mentioning is the fever mode where you are limited by a timer and have to finish as many levels as you can but what makes it good is that it's not just another frenzy mode where you just have to be as quick as you can, I mean, you still have to be but the levels are already 90% finished, and as such you have to fill in only a few pieces but this approach allows for the timer to be so short (Such as one minute) and the possibilities and varieties with the levels are unlimited. The gallery feature is nice too, you can view any level you finished and enjoy or screenshot your favorites. I enjoyed Mosaic, and I do recommend it, I think the developers have done good work and deserve some praise. recommended

I'm enjoying this. Artwork is lovely. I take twice as long as the time limit, so I turned that off. And it is very easy to misclick the mouse and get penalized for being "wrong". So I don't look at any of that. Good for the brain.

I give this a conditional thumbs up. [b][u]Pros:[/u][/b] [list] [*] Amazing graphics [*] Decent music, though I turned it off and usually play with iTunes in the background. [*] Interesting puzzles, especially the round ones at the end of each section that require you to rotate the puzzle to place the pieces. I wish there were more of these. [/list] [b][u]Cons:[/u][/b] [list] [*] Game only allows you to see five pieces at a time. Would be nicer if you could sroll through all the pieces in a puzzle, or maybe a shuffle button would be warranted and make the time challenges a more feasible aspect of the game. [/list] Overall a fun and relaxing game. Would be a great game to let your kids play as well. 7.5 / 10

C H A O S ! One Word to describe the whole Story of a Game. Oh yes, that is too simple, isn`t it`? After tons of Games over all the years, i think it is not that easy to create a new creative Story for a game. God of Chaos is making trouble, Goddess of Creation does things right. Cut! Well, let us have a look at the Game itself. And here we have something new, something i haven`t played before after all my gaming years since the AMIGA Era. At first we have a puzzle Game. It looks like a puzzle, it plays like a puzzle, so what is new? One Word: Mosaic. As i bought the Game i was looking for some puzzle Game, this one was at sale so i got. Installed and started. After a nice Introduction Movie, reaching the Gaming Menu i got my first surprise. A really nice Song, yes a song, not an instrumental Theme, was playing and it sounds really good. One good reason to buy the Game Soundtrack. Before playing you can choose if you play relaxing or against time. Getting the Game started i got one not completed Mosaic. On the right side you have some pieces to complete the Mosaic`s . You always have a limited number of pieces, after using one, the next will appear. All the Mosaic`s are really nice done and are always fair. Back to the Soundtrack, the Background music is again really nice and i like them very much. Next to the normal Game Mode there is one kind of Challenging Mode, called Jever Mode. You start with 1 Minute Time and while you finish Mosaics, Time is running out. Finish them fast and you get each time more time. Try to finish as much mosaic´s as you can. Ah, yes the Achievements. All are fair and not grinding. So if you are looking for a nice and relaxing Game, with a wonderfull soundtrack, this game is for you. What are you waiting for? 150 Levels in 6 Worlds are waiting for you. Be creative, beat Chaos. Thank you for Reading.

Recommended. Story... The title of this game hints to a story, perhaps to a story on a deeper level. It sounds like the game would happen between two deities who both want something. That sounded extremely interesting to me. While I didn't expect too in-depth background due to the type of this game, I was still disappointed by the lack of it. There are exactly two cut scenes, at the beginning and at the end. The title mislead me quite well for making me believe something particularly exciting would happen between the packs you have to finish. Characters... There's not much to the characters and that's not really surprising. Still, the two main characters (and I use that term loosely) have a connection to each other. It's hard to tell what kind of relationship it is, because they never, even once, speak. So in that as well, the characters lacked depth. Gameplay... It's very simple, but nice nonetheless, if you know what to expect. I expected the Fever Mode to be a timed version of the main game, but it's not. You have a certain time to finish a mosaic and you gain more time every time you finish one. So you can go on as long as you have time. It was a pleasant surprise for me, since I typically do not like timed versions. It was a nice add to the slower, more relaxed version. If you start with a Fever Mode, maybe the game mechanics work differently? That I can't say. Art... When you first begin the game, the main screen has BEAUTIFUL art. It was gorgeous, and had quite sharp details. The colors were wonderful too. It was pleasant to look at and I expected it to apply to the whole game. But. I was once again disappointed. The cut scene animations don't have similar style at all. Admittedly, animations rarely look as good as the main art. But the level dropped down a lot, almost made it look ugly. Visually appealing games are my thing, so to be first introduced to an amazing view and then to have it change... It was a true shame. The only good thing is, that there were only two cut scenes. As for mosaics, all of the packs had different textures. From glass-like to rough, it was interesting - and some of the textures made the gameplay more challenging. Music... I loved the music. It hit me immediately when I began the game. I actually wished that I could listen to it some more, which is rare for me. I liked the main tune the best, but the others were quite pleasant to listen to too. Conclusion... I enjoyed this game enough to recommend it. It might typical to this type of game, but it has a good soundtrack, mosaics with different textures and two modes. Achievements were nice and not too hard to get. And it's not horribly pricy either.