Rating: 6/10
Stepping into the world of Mosaic is like entering a fever dream. The game's bleak, minimalist cityscape immediately envelops you in a suffocating atmosphere of corporate monotony and existential dread.
You are a cog in the machine, trapped in a cycle of meaningless work and hollow interactions. Each day begins with you waking up to the alarm in your bare apartment, looking at your messages on the phone. You adjust your hair and tie, brush your teeth and head to work. Commute to work is dull and isolating with people deliberately avoiding others.
The Ads and billboards push you to into dating, meds to make you more productive and dealing in stocks. You constantly walk by your mailbox, avoiding all the "pending due' bills. The work is meaningless pencil-pushing and the whole cycle repeats. As you go through the days, small glitches in reality begin to appear – mysterious coloured orbs, a talking goldfish, artists in some isolated corner playing music, painting etc. which draw you out of the drudgery for a few minutes.
Mosaic doesn't shy away from heavy themes. It's a scathing critique of late-stage capitalism, your productivity is being measured, and your work timings and targets are constantly tracked with ominous warnings that you're going to be fired. You swipe profiles on the dating app and keep clicking blips in the game on your phone, a few minutes of empty respite.
Mosaic's art style is a character in itself. The muted colour palette, punctuated by occasional bursts of vibrant hues, takes you out of the monotony and introduces cracks in the system. Towering skyscrapers loom oppressively, while the burst of colour draws you in, freeing your psyche lodged deep in the machine.
The game doesn't last long but it is an experience that lingers. Its bleak vision of the future feels uncomfortably close to our reality. Mosaic isn't a game you play for fun in the traditional sense. It's an art piece, a social commentary, and a wake-up call rolled into one. While its heavy themes and slow pace might not appeal to everyone, those willing to immerse themselves will find a thought-provoking experience.
For its artistic vision and thematic depth, Mosaic deserves recognition. However, limited replay value and occasionally frustrating gameplay mechanics prevent it from achieving true greatness. It's a game that's more interesting to discuss than to play. I'd give it a 6/10.
Comments