I was hoping to play tons of game this weekend, but instead I’ve been curled up on the sofa feeling sorry for myself with a nasty cold. I’ve had a lot of meds this evening so I feel well enough to write this, but I hope you’ll still forgive me for keeping it short.
Despite feeling like a bag of naff, I’ve had enough energy to dig into a couple of games over the course of the day, including this one.
As a matter of fact, I have been keeping tabs on Moonsigil Atlas for some time, so when the developer invited me to take a look at the updated demo for the next iteration of Steam Next Fest, I was in!
The game’s light puzzle element made it a good fit for my current state of mind. Moonsigil Atlas has a really cool tile placement element that gently tugs on the old grey matter. Simply put, your cards represent shapes, shapes which you must then place on the cosmic-themed playing board as effectively as possible.
Some cards offer defensive help, some are simple damage dealing attacks, and there are even some that imbue others with bonus stats. You’ve got to defend your core and play your cards, but the twist is, the smarter you are with tile/card placement, the better attacks you will be able to pull off.
It’s not long before multiple enemies start to appear, and you’ve got to balance defensive need with setting up powerful attacks. You do this by playing cards, placing shapes, and making sure to block incoming damage as best you can.
Everything is held together via a fairly standard roguelike campaign map with branching paths, and this part of the game felt much more traditional.
While it’s fair to say that it looks quite nice, too, the innovation comes from the link between smart card placement and your approach to deckbuilding, and all that together helps Moonsigil Atlas stand out in a crowded pack. I’ll be back to cover this one again, I reckon!
PS. I’m writing this on my phone so apologies if the formatting isn’t to the usual standard!
