Where Cards Fall

It’s wonderful but it might not be in the right category

I think I was just misled because this was in the games category. I think there is a certain expected amount of flexibility, autonomy, interactiveness, room to explore, or clarity (in terms of what the goal is) for games, but like many other reviewers say, this app lacks that in terms of game standards (in terms of what’s available in the current market). I think that’s mostly why people (me as well at first) got frustrated. However, the graphics are amazing. You can see that each scene is delicately made and the many sound effects and music that go with them are great. Also it’s really beautiful how the cards turn when you’re pressing on them and they glide so gracefully. It’s such a great idea and initiative. I would love to see more and help the developer make additions to the game if they want that. All in all, I think it would have made more sense to me if this was called an “interactive display” or like an “interactive exhibition series”. There is so much to be appreciated in terms of the beauty and flawlessness of what is presented, but the “game” side of it just doesn’t match the level of beauty or intricacy of the design. Still enjoyed it a lot. I just wished I could do more with it!

Interesting Puzzler But Plagued with Broken Saves

I like the simplicity of this puzzler of trying to guide the character to the final destination in each level. It has a feel similar to The Gardens Between, where it tells a coming of age story with minimalism and symbolism in its surroundings and short cutscenes. For QoL, the game could’ve benefitted with an undo button as the later stages if you happen to mess up or accidentally move the character off their position then you have to re-setup everything again which gets tiresome especially how slow the character moves. I haven’t fully grasped the story yet as it’s very subtle with its storytelling as you interpret what is happening since there’s no dialog, I was curious to see where it goes but... My major factor to my score was that there is a major save bug with this game which I’ve lost my progress twice already after I was more than halfway completed. Not sure why it did as my local storage and iCloud has plenty of space available. But after the 2nd time, it’s not worth my time to redo it all over again a 3rd as the game isn’t compelling enough for me to repeat after this issue. Recommend to wait till this bug is fixed before playing this game.

Uninspired puzzles, boring story, blocks other apps from playing sounds

Its a so-so puzzle game. Par for the course for arcade but engaging enough when there’s nothing better to do. The controls are annoying imprecise but I can live with that. There’s some story that you’re forced to sit through but honestly I’ve never felt the need unmute my phone so I don’t even know if there’s talking or just implied talking. It doesn’t strike me as captivating art. The puzzles take maybe a quarter of my attention to solve so, when I’m bored enough to actually slog thru this game, I would prefer to also be able to listen to a podcast or a book. Not so. The game dominates the sound output even with the phone in silent mode and the slides for all sounds pushed to zero. How conceited do you have to be as a dev to think that your boring little game with easy puzzles is so engaging that it needs someone’s full attention? Those games do exist. Almost never on phones. Generally, a puzzler is something to waste some time with. If I want to play something that requires full-brain attention, I won’t do so on a tiny screen. It’s three star game otherwise: ok, not great.

More Confused Than Relaxed

I wasn’t expecting a whole lot of this game as I tend to lose interest in puzzle games pretty quickly. The graphics are beautiful and the music isn’t distracting. The gameplay? Annoying. Other than showing you how to move the cards and build houses and get hints, there are no instructions for this game. Want to know what this card does without clicking it? Too bad. Want to know what this random asset is? Click on it and figure out how you messed yourself up. Want to get further help? LOL - silly, that’s not what the help button is for! It just explains the mechanics of the cards. Also, the “story” makes no sense! I get that it’s a slice of life/trip down memory lane kind of deal, but I have no idea what I’m looking at in the cutscenes. Who’s eyes are those? Why are they different colors? Is the main character aware of the eyes and therefore interact with them? Your guess is as good as mine because that’s not explained - ever. The whole thing feels pointless.

Where the cards fall, man.

Okay. So this game is very fun, and it is very relaxing. It has a very good storyline and I enjoy the game. However there are a few improvements that could be made. First, there should be customization options. Please add some feature into the game to where you can change the background color/design of the cards as this would make it very nice. Second of all, you should allow players to create their own characters and use them in the game as it would make the vibe and feel of the game more personal. Lastly, you should allow players to decide what to wear from a closet or bedroom or just a menu. Again this would make the game feel better. Please don’t add in-game currency though, as that would ruin the peaceful and puzzle-like vibes that run through the game. Other than this, I really enjoy the game.

Frustrating

This game looks great but is frustrating. The pace is slow. There are several things that look like they can be interacted with (household items, people, signs) and seem to invite action (ghost people reading a sign) but do nothing, leading to a lot of useless tapping to convince yourself that there’s nothing to be done. Then you might notice the icon in the lower left and decide to see if there is more info there. You might tap the card deck and see some individual cards. What happens when you tap these unmanned cards? Some explanation of what your doing? A detailed view of that card? No, your level gets reset to the beginning without warning, and that card disappears. Expecting other great random frustrations from this game, i think I’ll stop here at the beginning where its left me.

Unique and foggy

Just finished. Worthwhile level of challenge. Beautiful artwork. Peaceful and engaging. Definitely worthy of high marks if you like challenging but not excruciating puzzle games. Opportunities for improvement. 1. Agree the cut aways are not everyone’s cup of tea, but I liked them. Eventually, you enjoy the creative artwork and get the unique storyline, albeit melancholy. However, I was a little ticked off with the ending being less than anti-climactic. For all of that effort, something a little bit more celebratory in both a graphic and storyline perspective would have been just rewards. Sadly, without more punch in the end felt cheated of my time. If it not for the artful puzzles, I would have given it a lower rating for that reason alone. 2.Please give the user the option of opening and closing the deck of cards with different movements or clicks. Having to pinch Open and close was extremely cumbersome. Most importantly, if you made an error, it could send your character to places you didn’t want to go and completely mess up all of your hard work on that level. I almost stopped playing because of it.

Pretty but muddled – DNF

The visuals and sound are lovely and the card folding/unfolding feels nice, but I quit very early. It feels like the aesthetic and the attempted story work against the game's puzzle nature. The detailed environment makes me want to explore and try things, but it's not that kind of game — you expand, collapse, and rearrange boxes to unlock cutscenes, and that's it. And all I got out of the few cutscenes I watched is that some people talked — no sense of the content, mood, or importance. The narrative aspect also frustrates me because I have no clear sense of why I'm moving thru the levels or why buildings and doors made of cards are a thing. If the game were more purely a puzzler, this wouldn't matter — the goal is to solve the puzzles and the card-buildings are just a quirky choice. But half burying the puzzle nature under the story and aesthetic changes my expectations and leaves me disappointed.

Well Made Game.

It’s peaceful and has an unique take. I haven’t played a game like this one before. The scenes are beautiful; the music and game are very enjoyable. I would not say that the premise or anything about the game is frustrating. If you’re looking for a fast-paced, get-to-the-point game, I’m afraid this isn’t the one for you. The adolescent scenes are enjoyable and calming. I enjoy the reminiscent feel. I don’t think this is a game for everyone, but the controls are simple and easy to follow. The ones who commented that it was “frustrating” or “confusing” simply haven’t played a lot of games. A layman can understand it. You’ll know right away after the first two levels if it’s a game that you’ll enjoy.

Not a perfect game, but it is exquisitely realized

The game mechanic here is original and quite satisfying to interact with. I can't imagine how this works on a PC as the touch interface seems ideally suited for how it's presented. At first I thought the game was going to be rather short, but then the scenes kept coming and new intricacies are introduced at a reasonably modest pace. I wish I could say I was getting a lot out of the story, the made-up "gibberish" language seems rather pointless and I have no idea what the disembodied eyes are supposed to represent. The save issue as described by others is present...i.e. if the app closes down due to memory management it's possible your progress can be reset to an earlier level. I discovered that if I immediately close and relaunch the app it returns me to the latest level I'm playing. Amazing that the sophisticated gameplay and graphic design can be so well-executed, but these simple housekeeping tasks present challenges. All in all, the game has me hooked and I would be interested to see a sequel.

Where Cards Fall has a uniquely interesting puzzle mechanic with a melancholy vibe that will please those who love to feel their way through...

Hey Poor Player Thu Dec 02 2021

Originally released in 2019 on the Apple Arcade, Where Cards Fall has now shuffled its way to the Nintendo Switch and PC.

COGconnected Thu Dec 02 2021

Exclusive: This unique Apple Arcade title uses cards to craft an ambitious narrative.

CNET Wed Oct 02 2019

Toronto-based publisher Snowman has revealed that its acclaimed mobile puzzle game Where Cards Fall is coming to more platforms next year.

MobileSyrup Mon Nov 02 2020

Where Cards Fall is a top-down, 3D puzzle game that has players build houses of cards to navigate tricky environments.

Engadget Sun Apr 02 2017

'Where Cards Fall' launches on PC and Nintendo Switch in November, while horror game 'Subway Nightmare' is out now on Steam and Epic Games...

The Hollywood Reporter Tue Nov 02 2021

"Where Cards Fall" originated at USC's game school and has become a playable-for-all standout title on Apple Arcade.

Los Angeles Times Wed Oct 02 2019

There's a reason the main character in this original Apple Arcade game feels so familiar.

CNET Tue Oct 06 2020

Toronto video game developer and publisher Built By Snowman has clinched an award for its Apple Arcade game, Where Cards Fall.

Daily Hive Vancouver Tue Jul 07 2020

Noisy Pixel's Where Cards Fall Review from developer The Game Band and publisher Snowman, available on PC and Switch.

Noisy Pixel Sun Nov 07 2021

Blaseball developer The Game Band and Snowman have announced that Where Cards Fall, a slice of life puzzle title, is heading to Switch.

Nintendo Everything Sat Nov 07 2020

There's a new trailer out for Where Cards Fall, a dreamlike game that's co-developed by the creator of Alto's Adventure.

Android Authority Fri Oct 07 2016

Snowman and The Game Band released a new trailer for Where Cards Fall, their upcoming card-building puzzle game, to share its launch window and supported...

Tom's Hardware Tue Mar 07 2017