Zellige: The Tilemaker of Granada

This game is a really nice recurring distraction. Especially if you are a fan of the medieval era, islamic culture and/or Andalusia. Being a fan of all three, buying this game was a no-brainer for me. It's really nice to try to replicate historical patterns by trial-and-error. There are just two things, which are really badly needed in the game: 1. an 'undo-function'. The more intricate the pattern is, the harder it is to correct small mistakes via the erasure tool. Something like Ctrl+Z would be immensely useful and would help to avoid frustration. 2. a function to use an already created pattern on another wall. As of now you have to open the old pattern in the editor and save it again, which sometimes leads to you having the same pattern three times in your book. A bonus would be a greater diversity in background music. Maybe a nice oud piece? Then again of course there is nobody, who forbids me from muting the game and playing Recuerdos de la Alhambra in loop or listening to some (admittedly non-medieval) Flamenco for maximum andalusian immersion. All in all, while still a bit rough around the edges this game is exactly what I was looking for. A bit of the embodiment of the m…

Zellige is a very self-directed game. You can tinker and create your own mosaic patterns. Even if you're not very good at it (many of mine were little fish/stars/flowers, or slightly off geometric patterns), it's nice to see your ideas decorating a wall, and there's so many that it feels fine to try things out. Replicating famous patterns feels completely different - whether you try drawing them yourself or watch the game do it, it gives you an appreciation of their beauty, and you can always tinker with a few lines or recolour them to give it a different feel/match other nearby patterns. Over the course of a few hours, you'll see the house you decorated come to life, and learn more about the people in it and that particular time and place. I would recommend this game to people who like this kind of creativity, or who want a slow, meditative experience. The drawing process felt a little clunky, and I found a few small glitches (it sometimes messes up when replicating patterns, and I had to redo a few walls before it realised I had finished a room), but overall I enjoyed the art system.

abandonware I really want to keep playing but it won't install & run on any of my devices any more. The idea is awesome though, I love it, but the bugs & hassle & erasure of saves makes this too frustrating. I suppose I should learn a 3D modelling software & get a book on tile design

It's been less than an hour and I have already had a crash and some bugs. Still, I like the concept and the zen of designing these tiles.

It's a little buggy, but still I like the game.

Turn your brain off and make a pretty pattern... Pros: - Simple - Can make quite a bit of designs - you can choose how complex each pattern is Cons: - Limited color - Story mode is kinda pointless - You can't back off once you select a location. It didn't take long to understand what this game was about. I think it's a good game to mellow out but it kind of just reminds me of playing paint as a kid I dunno if I can fully support the full price for it but it's at least close to worth it. I give it 4/6 colours.