Indie Puzzler 'Where Cards Fall' Gets Release Trailer

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 platforms. The stylish trailer looks more like a cinematic intro than a peek at the game, but the developers said it shows off real gameplay.

Where Cards Fall is set to debut some time in Fall 2017 on PC, iOS, Mac, and Apple TV. The game appears to be all about guiding a character through a suburb by constructing houses from playing cards that flutter in the wind and shake when the player character walks on them. It's a novel idea, and based on this new trailer, the game's art direction lends it a certain charm that helps it stand out from the indie games industry's love of pixel art.

Snowman's first game was the widely popular Alto's Adventure, an endless runner that puts players in the boots of a snowboarding shepherd who has to catch his flock while hurtling down a mountain at high speeds. The game had just one action: jumping to avoid obstacles, pick up collectibles, or do sweet tricks. This allowed it to work well on mobile, where it originally debuted, and on the new Apple TV set-top box with its redesigned remote control.

It will be interesting to see how Where Cards Fall compares to Alto's Adventure. The similarity in launch platforms, and the need to work around the Apple TV's limited inputs, could indicate that Where Cards Fall will be just as simple and accessible as its predecessor. Snowman also said in a blog post that the game is meant to "bring to life vivid memories of adolescence." Here's how the developer explained the feelings it's supposed to invoke:

This particular memory is of teenagehood in the suburbs. Filled with far more cacophonous uncertainty than the playful magic of the forests, the suburbs are home to a crucial question: who will you become? Would you rather remain comfortable at home, or venture into the world outside?At its core, Where Cards Fall is an exploration these questions, and a look at the way our most fragile memories of the past can become the strongest foundations of our future.

Where Cards Fall should be interesting, at least, and its focus on iOS and the Apple TV suggests that it won't be all that expensive when it debuts. Alto's Adventure was surprisingly enjoyable, and this followup seems to have some novel ideas. Right now the biggest question is whether or not Where Cards Fall will have the depth many people expect from PC games or if it will be a haphazard port that doesn't take advantage of the platform's capabilities.