Mosaic Review for Steam

Mosaic is a new game released by developer Krillbite Studio and published by Raw Fury, which is playable on Steam. The game is meant to simulate the dullness that can be experienced in everyday life. It is a game that players can likely relate to, as the world building offers a setting that is both realistic and a delightful exaggeration showing what being an active part of society can feel like sometimes. The game was described as a game that “might change your perspective on life” by the developers themselves. The story tackles heavy themes such as loneliness, lethargy, depression, stress, societal pressures, and containment. Mosaic, true to its name, utilizes art to create a game atmosphere that, for some of us, may be too realistic for comfort.

The game uses a mosaic art style in its design of characters and cities. Both cities and characters are designed to all be uniform, similarly shaped and similarly colorless, adding to the controlled and monotonous feel reminiscent of our main character’s life. The game is also very quiet, save for a few natural sounds such as the falling of rain. In this way, the game leaves openings to experiment with color, design, and music. Naturally, the areas and characters that will prove most impactful to the story are unique in design, in areas of color, and connected to music. Using strategically placed splashes of color, the game draws strong connections between personal livelihood, music and arts, human interaction, and freedom. The game also does some incredible things with perspective and camera angles that really set it apart from the average game.

The story of Mosaic follows the life of a main character who, to say the least, is not doing too well in life. While I understood what the game was going for, I somehow felt that the story was both realistic and too unrealistic. It seems that the game creators may have gone to extremes when creating the main character’s life and setting the atmosphere for the player. Game play demanded that I do several of the character’s tedious tasks daily, including what really did feel like an annoying full-time job. I truly did grow tired of the main character’s life and was able to feel what he did which, while true to the themes of the story, does not translate well into compelling game play. I personally feel that the lack of interest I started to feel would have been fine if the side adventures, meant to show the main character some of the positive experiences he can have with life given he take control of his own life and go against the grain. However, the side adventures were not long or compelling enough to offset my diminishing interest in the rest of the game. The predictability of the story’s ending also did not help. At some points of the game, I found myself wishing it would get along with the story. Nonetheless, it can be argued that the game was simply too immersive and, therefore, did its job well. I did feel genuine happiness any time the character’s life briefly deviated from his routine.

While I personally felt the theme was laid on a little too thick, as explained above, I did appreciate the small ways Mosaic built the mundane and depressing atmosphere it was going for. While done before, this theme is one that never stops being relatable, as there are many people who are not currently satisfied with their lives and wish they could break away and do things differently. I found the style of the game beautiful, even when grey, and really enjoyed the story’s explanation of things that bring one happiness in life.

7/10

Check Out the Mosaic Trailer:

Mosaic is available for Windows PC, Mac, and Linux via Steam and GOG.com for $19.99. The game is expected to arrive on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One in Q1 2020.