Carto

Carto is a tile-placement adventure game about a girl who travels and makes discoveries by moving pieces of a map. As you explore, you’ll find pieces of the map that can be moved around to change the world you play in. Though the main mechanic involves solving puzzles, Carto is a cozy game that centers on a vibrant world and the whimsical characters who live in it.

You play as Carto, a girl who has been separated from her grandmother. Carto explores the world in a top-down view (similar to what you may find in Don’t Starve), but she can also switch to a map view. And to take steps towards reuniting Carto with her grandmother, you’ll have to solve puzzles related to changing the map.

The map is split into pieces that can be rotated and moved around each other. Every map fragment has a color-coded design on it with grass, water, sand, ice, other terrain, or a combination thereof. The one rule about placing two map tiles next to each other is that the colors/terrains on their edges should match.

The map may also display additional details such as plants, trails, or other structures. This can help you locate characters or landmarks, even after you completely reordered the fragments. Some puzzles may require you to use these details to line the pieces up in the perfect arrangement.

Carto’s puzzles are given through character dialogue, information on signs, or other narration. Often, they come in the form of directions that can only be followed if the world is laid out just right, so you’ll have to continuously rearrange the map. New map fragments may even appear when these puzzles are solved, allowing you to explore the world further.

The world around you changes constantly, not only because of the movable tiles, but also because there are different maps for different areas. If you go inside a building or travel to a new land, you’ll get a new set of puzzle pieces. Carto will travel from tropical islands to snowy mountains, all with distinct communities and customs. Many villagers have quests which involve fixing a disjointed world in order to find their way back to something—or someone—lost.

This description was written by Cay Macres.