Just a reminder of what I’m doing here. I love Apple Arcade and now for the second time, I’m committing to giving my impressions of all the games in the service. Next up is another puzzle game, Where Cards Fall.

n

Story

nn

In the description of the game, Where Cards Fall promises a coming of age story told without dialogue. What we get here is a beautifully animated art style that vaguely shows memories in the main characters life leaving the story mostly up to your interpretation. By the end, the story didn’t come together in any way except how you want to interpret it. This is not a negative since I often love stories up to my interpretation but in this game, it seemed more like a miss than in others. n

Gameplay

nn

The gameplay loop was pretty satisfying. You have to get from point A to point B. To do this you move cards around and build houses out of them to varying sizes and degrees for you to walk, climb, and jump across. The game starts out rather easy but by the end you will be scratching your head on what move to make next. In the last game I discussed, Word Laces, I knocked for how easy the hint system made things. Where Cards Fall has a hint system built in as well but it is done so much better. The hint system can provide you with small subtle clues on what to do next or help you right to the solution. The subtle clues were often enough for a little push to reach my goal, making the goal still feel satisfying.

n

Presentation

nn

As I already stated, the art style is beautiful. Navigating the world always looks great even when I was frustrated trying to figure out the solution. Watching the houses build and collapse at your fingertips was surprisingly satisfying. Building multiple houses of cards in one area mixed in with the environment detail made a scene I never wanted to leave.

n

Verdictn

n

Where Cards Fall is an interesting puzzle game with a story that’s up for your interpretation. While the story didn’t do it for me I did enjoy how the game looked and the puzzles were mostly enjoyable. Some were frustrating and a little too challenging but a very intuitive hint system will get you through it.

nn

Final score 6/10

n

n

n

The List

n
1. Where Cards Fall

n

2. Word Laces

n