Mosaic, a broughlike created by sunil and Corey Hardt for the 7DRL 2022 game jam, is a simple, yet challenging match-3 puzzler.
You play by moving your character (represented by a green square with a human icon), as you attempt to wrangle tiles into the slots below. As you plot your movements during each stage, you will be confronted by various hostile creatures tiles which can be knocked down to form a match-3 pattern. The hostile tiles can also attack you, resulting in a single grey heart being dropped below. These can also be cleared by lining up 3 or more tiles, which would help you avoid defeat as uncleared tiles that overflow the game board result in an immediate game over.
Playing Mosaic meant that I was constantly kept on my toes. The fenced off areas can be quite effective in herding the animals, but I’d often find myself trapped amongst them. This being a rougelike, the RNG gods would determine where I started every time I played a new game, and even when it wasn’t too favourable, I found a way to make it work.
After several levels, players will be granted access to the campfire, which grants a single power-up that can be used once per stage. With each successive fireplace visit, I soon gathered up more powers, and even more powerful ones to replace them.
The first few tries of Mosaic were rough on me as I got used to the mechanics. Slowly, it became easier, and that’s the beauty of the game — there are no rules explained upfront; no explanations other than a simple movement guide on the game’s itch.io page. Figuring it out was part of the puzzle.
This game plays great on mobile, and allows for players to play on the go. The pixel art was also a nice touch — it really lends itself to the look and feel of the game. A leaderboard was also present, should you feel the need to crow about your high score.
Don’t let Mosaic’s apparent simplicity fool you — great things also come in small packages. Each session is guaranteed to be as exciting as the one before it. This will be a staple if I’m ever in need of a waiting room boredom quencher — it’s quick, simple, and a great ego boost (once I hit the Top 5 scorers, that is!).
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