The Collage Atlas Made Me Cry! | Game Review
Big, fat tears plopped onto my cheeks as I watched the trailer for The Collage Atlas. So I reached out to the game developer, artist, and composer John William Evelyn to request a Steam key. This is my experience of The Collage Atlas.
The Collage Atlas Game Features
What is The Collage Atlas all about?
As I sat in bed sipping my morning tea I watched the trailer for The Collage Atlas. My fiance emerged from the bathroom ready for work to find me in a puddle of my own tears and frantically typing up an email to the developer.
I love a good walking sim, there’s something so cathartic about them. Perhaps it’s because I love getting out in nature whenever my partner and I have a rare day off together. We’re both National Trust Members so we’re often strolling around a garden on a nice sunny afternoon. Walking simulators, especially ones that add light puzzle mechanics, hold a special place in my heart.
The Collage Atlas is described best by its creator:
The Collage Atlas invites you on a first-person journey through an entirely hand-drawn picture-book dream-world.
Every little detail, from the grass beneath your feet, to the butterflies dancing in the air, to the floating islands drifting overhead have been lovingly-crafted with pen & ink on paper.
The result is a world the likes of which you’ve never seen before…
There is a delicately crafted central narrative exploring themes of memory, agency, and hope, and what happens when we feel adrift from the world.
But the game rewards those who venture off the beaten track – its world is brimming with secrets waiting to be discovered.
Players will tackle very light puzzles as they explore, but at its heart this is a journey – a safe place offering you a chance to reflect, and hopefully offer you some reassurance.
John William Evelyn
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My Experience of The Collage Atlas’ Gameplay
This is more than a game, it’s a message of hope. As you walk the game unfolds like a child’s pop-up book, the little paper windmills guiding the way. I tried to walk off the path and was met with little yellow butterflies that gave me additional pages to my art book.
The goal of The Collage Atlas is to collect the pages of your art book and piece together the story. Some pages are gathered through progression but others are secret. I still haven’t collected them all.
My understanding of the game was this – it’s about what it’s like to be at rock bottom but find hope in the most unusual places. Everyone feels that at some point in their life for different reasons. The story resonated with me because of my experience living with Endometriosis.
I felt powerless. But I found the courage to persevere thanks to video games that gave me an escape from my painful reality. The friends I found along the way who made me laugh, and my loved ones who held me up when I was too weak to walk, will never truly know the depth of my gratitude for their actions.
Some people were fleeting, coming in and out of my life but leaving a mark, while others are still with me today.
The Collage Atlas felt like therapy for me. All the emotions bubbled to the surface and helped me reflect on my journey.
Pen and Ink
I can truly tell so much love has been poured into this game. Something like this can’t be rushed. Every hand-drawn stroke has been meticulously considered. To think this took over 4 years to make but can be played in 2.5 hours… it is a masterpiece!
The story is mostly told through your actions although there is some guidance in the form of floating poetry. John Evelyn wants to let you experience this game from your own lived experiences without putting words in your mouth. I admire his courage.
I would pay to see this game brought to life. Like, say at the Tate Modern in London as an immersive experience. I can just picture gazing up at all the floating paper boats as I walk around the installation, blowing on the windmills that guide me around the exhibit as the music plays softly in the background. I would cry AGAIN!!
The Puzzles
The puzzle element is light but challenging. At first, I didn’t quite understand, I had to work out for myself that the butterflies were secret page leaves. I didn’t know where in the art book I was and kept rereading the whole book just to find out what chapter I was on. A simple highlight of the chapter would help.
I would have liked to have had some sort of map. You know how in Journey you are always focused on the end goal because you can see it from the start? Something like that. It doesn’t always have to be a drawn map, just a glimmer of hope.
The Music
Even though I received a gifted key for the game, I made sure to purchase the soundtrack. I’m truly impressed by John Evelyn’s skillset! Not only did he hand-draw the game and turn it into a video game, but he also composed the soundtrack. I can’t think of any other game developer who has accomplished all of this, at least not right now.
Compared to Games like Blanc
Whenever I see a black and white game I first think of Blanc. Blanc is a co-op adventure game set in a snowy wilderness where you play as a fawn and cub.
I don’t know what it is about black-and-white artistic games that capture my heart. Perhaps it’s their simplicity. On the surface they are beautiful and captivating but at their core is a story that pulls on your heartstrings. I know that’s not restricted to just black and white games but apparently, those are the ones I’m drawn to.
The Collage Atlas is replayable because it added hidden elements that don’t require discovery to finish the game. I recall feeling like there should have been collectibles in Blanc. The lack of extras meant I haven’t revisited it since my first play, but The Collage Atlas gets this so right.
Is The Collage Atlas Worth Buying?
This walking simulator caught me off guard. Not only did it make me cry but I honestly didn’t even know it was releasing in 2024. I happened upon it while searching the Steam library of upcoming games recently. I feel like John’s budget didn’t stretch to marketing because I’ve heard nothing about it anywhere!
It took me on a journey of self-reflection, made me wail and gawp in awe. But it also left me scratching my head for the wrong reasons when I lost where I was in the game. For a short game it’s worth every penny because I can tell how much love and attention has been poured into it.
If you admire artistic walking games with philosophical messaging then I highly recommend buying The Collage Atlas. However, if you’re looking for something more light-hearted perhaps give Botany Manor a play as it’s another beautiful walking simulator I reviewed last year.
Pros: A relaxing meditative game about reflection and hope
Cons: I find it hard to think of any! Perhaps not suitable for non-indie gamers who don’t appreciate art
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