Relearning Tic-Tac-Toe with Tic Tactic

Even in our most formative years, there are subtle elements of game design that leak into our daily lives. You may learn how to play Rock Paper Scissors, Candy Land, or Checkers, and once you learn the basics, you’ll next want to know how to win more often. Tic-tac-toe may have one of the simpler learning curves to master since whoever goes first can employ a technique that will allow them to win easily. That said, the solo developer “Unbreaded” saw this as a challenge and decided to make a deckbuilder game based around tic-tac-toe that is easy to play but difficult to master.

In Tic Tactic, you play as a duck who wages war on an army of chickens. The only way to defeat them is to outwit them in a game of tic-tac-toe, but the mission is a bit more complex than that. Each successful three-in-a-row you get does damage to your opponent, but some take multiple successful tic-tac-toes to defeat. As if this wasn’t enough, there are also special tic-tac-toe tiles that have different abilities. Suddenly, the simple game that gives a guaranteed victory to the player who goes first has an added layer of complexity to it, and it’s really astounding how different it feels with only a few minor changes.

The numerous new tiles have abilities that take a whole new adjustment period to get used to. Some move the X’s and O’s, some delete them, and some even do more damage or heal you. Unlike some roguelikes, this game actually can prove quite difficult until you know what everything does. The classic corner strategy may not work based on which tiles your opponent has, and you may even come up with new strategies of your own based on the tiles you acquire throughout the game. The steep learning curve and improvements on each playthrough make the gameplay loop both satisfying and strategic.

In addition to managing your tiles, you’re also managing your health. Certain items heal you throughout the game, but with some chickens doing more damage than others, it’s important to be mindful of your health during your journey. Unlike in a classic game of tic-tac-toe, you will go first and lose on occasion. There are too many zany tiles and unexpected plays for you to not take some damage along the way, and that’s what makes Tic Tactic so engrossing. Taking such a simple concept and turning it into a brutal game of resource management and strategy is an achievement in itself.

While the demo version on Itch.io has several worlds and enemies, the developer has announced that a full version of the game is in the works with new worlds, new tiles, and new chickens to do battle with. The game’s bright future should only serve to highlight how impressive the demo truly is. When you’re learning a new game for the first time as a child, there are numerous emotions as you pick things up. Sometimes it’s frustration, sometimes it’s triumph, but whatever emotions you feel, there’s a moment where everything seems to click, and suddenly, you understand the game now. The way in which Tic Tactic evokes a similar feeling with such a familiar game is both humbling and deeply satisfying. It’s rare that a game can feel new and old at the same time, but Tic Tactic’s ability to do just that is what gives it an edge over the many other roguelikes of a similar ilk.