Trying to explain AP Thomson's Titanium Court is a bit of a tough nut to crack, because the more you try to simplify it, the more you risk glossing over what actually makes it interesting. It is, at its most basic level, a match-three puzzle game Candy Crush Saga. But it's also a strategy game, a roguelike, and something much closer to a narrative experiment, as it seemingly craves metatext. Until then Steam page slips into meta territory, with screenshots that aren't actually screenshots of the game and a final one that breaks the fourth wall. Together, all of these things may sound like a lot of disconnected ideas, but early reviews of Titanium Court has described it as a cohesive experience that's hard to describe without actually playing it.
It's apparently not a coincidence either. Critics have already pointed that out Titanium Court is designed in a way that defies pure categorization, combining mechanics and storytelling techniques that don't generally exist together. However, this is precisely what makes it stand out, as the game manages to move between puzzle solving, strategic planning and narrative exploration in a gameplay loop that feels unpredictable and yet structurally sound at the same time. Again, it's hard to explain, but at least there's a downloadable demo of it Titanium Court on Steam where players can get all the answers they need from hands-on time with it.
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How Titanium Court's strange genre hybrid actually works
This really shouldn't work. By all conventional game design logic, combining the flashy slot satisfaction of a match-three puzzle game with the punishing, strategic, math-heavy foresight of a rogue deckbuilder would, in theory, result in an unplayable mess. One genre requires passive flow state reactivity while the other requires careful consideration of percentages and turn orders. However, Titanium Court nevertheless, these two opposing design philosophies force an arranged marriage to which they were not readily available.
Who is that character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Start
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s) Medium (5.0s) Hard (2.5s) Permadeath (2.5s)
Titanium Court's core features
- MATCH-THREE PUZZLE – Connect tiles to arrange the board advantageously.
- TOWER DEFENSE BATTLE – Deploy units to defend the court.
- SURREAL META NARRATIVE – Self-aware writing gives the game humor.
- ABSURD CAREER PATHS – Become an arsonist or warlord.
High Tide is Titanium Court's match-three preparation phase
The goal of a run-in Titanium Court is to protect the game's namesake from invading forces, but this is ultimately accomplished in a variety of ways. It starts with what the game calls “High Tide”, which is essentially a match-three game with Candy Crush. In this phase, players match tiles on the board, but instead of just doing it to clear it, there are two goals. One is to gather and manage resources and the other is to strategically rearrange the board to ensure that the lane is protected and that the player's own units can move around the arena safely and efficiently.
There are quite a few tiles that players will come across during their time playing Titanium Courtbut there are 6 primary tiles they will see the most: Field, Water, Woods, Hill, Enemy and Titanium Court. During high tide, matching certain tiles can give the player resources that can be spent on units during the next phase of a run. For example, matching three field tiles rewards the player with food, while matching three water or forest tiles gives them water and wood respectively.
Matching three enemy or hill tiles, on the other hand, simply removes those tiles from the board. Hill tiles slow down both player and enemy units, so they can be strategically placed accordingly. However, enemy tiles are worth nothing to the player, so removing them is generally the best course of action. That said, it's generally impossible to remove every enemy tile from the board, as more random tiles appear when a matched set is removed.
The Titanium Court tray is unique in that it can be moved on its own without the need for a match. This is where positioning really matters, as placing it behind hills or water can help protect it from enemy invaders. But the catch with this and every move players make during high tide is that each move consumes a portion of their time, and when their time runs out, they will automatically move on to the next phase. Chaining multiple matches can give them bonus time, but that's still the standout Titanium Court. While most match-three puzzle games want players to move quickly and almost mindlessly, Titanium Court asking them to stop and consider the consequences of each move.
Low tide is Titanium Court's execution phase for deck building
Once High Tide has ended, players will transition to Titanium Courts deckbuilding execution phase, Low Tide, which plays out similarly to a game that Kill the Sprout. This is where every resource player collects during High Tide is made useful, as playing a card requires a certain number of resources. For example, a farmer unit requires one water, while a soldier unit requires three food, one wood, and one stone.
While most match-three puzzle games want players to move quickly and almost mindlessly, Titanium Court asking them to stop and consider the consequences of each move.
Each unit i Titanium Court also comes with a unique ability or function, such as the farmer, who collects food from the fields during battle, or the soldier, who attacks enemy units and enemy tiles. Before the battle begins, players deploy their units on the Titanium Court tile, and when the Play button is pressed, the battle plays out automatically in a manner similar to a tower defense game. Instead of having to eliminate every enemy tile on the board, players simply need to survive until time runs out and the run ends.
Titanium Court's Stanley parable-like writing is icing on the cake
Game aside, Titanium Court is fun for his humor too. Just like it is with games like The Stanley Parablethere is plenty of fourth wall breaking Titanium Court— like when it points out that there's a UI or is just generally self-aware that it's actually a video game. That self-awareness isn't limited to a few jokes, either. It permeates the entire experience, presenting the game more like an unfolding performance than a traditional narrative, where characters and even the player's role are treated as part of the same staged act. Dialogue often devolves into absurdity, scenes interrupt themselves, and moments that should feel simple make you question what's actually happening.
That approach ties the whole experience together. The match-three setup, the strategy layer, and the writing all work on the same principle of constant adjustment. Players never just solve a board or execute a plan without the game pushing back in some way. But that's what does Titanium Court unique, and the only thing it probably needs to set itself apart from the strategy games it's so easily compared to.
Titanium Court starts on Steam on April 23, 2026. A playable demo is currently available for download on the game's Steam page.
