I Want To Play The Villain! Preview: Break A Leg (And Ego)

Triomatica Games does like to explore puzzle titles that aren’t typically the norm, from Boxville to Trust No One, their upcoming logic title, I Want to Play the Villain! you have to pair up the actors within a theatre to the best-fit role for their ambitions, fears and wishes. To quote a little bit of the Steam page. This here is a quick look at the demo.

Just to tease with the tip, the initial clues are simple. On the stage are the roles, along with the associated costumes. To the right are your cast. Hovering over the characters will reveal their motivations, if somewhat black and white, meaning that you can keep everyone happy. 

These initial drives might be that an actor wants to wear a dress, or even trousers. If only life were that straightforward. After a couple of scenes, there are two parallel scenes with the same characters, though the motivations of the characters (not actors) shift. You will now find the actors want to play a villain, or maybe they don’t want to act alongside another. It’s a nice switch, but relatively easy and the hint system isn’t really needed.

However, after completing a few scenes, you can then opt to change the story in I Want to Play the Villain! manually. This means the characters remain the same, but their motivations can shift to match the desires of the actors. This is a good mechanic as there’s scope for thought without it being overly challenging. And this goes on for a few more scenes until you can then place the actual characters on the stage based on the actors’ wishes.

These variations continue throughout the playthrough of I Want to Play the Villain! and I have to say that it’s an enjoyable experience. However, I would recommend paying yourself. Due to the simplicity of the game, it’s rare to hang on one scene alone, and as a result, binging on one puzzle after the other isn’t as much fun. That might be a personal thing, as I’m also not one to binge on episode after episode on Netflix; preferring to savour things. 

Based on the concept and actual gameplay, I’d like that to be the case with this game – steadily pacing myself with incremental challenges that push me a little, rather than resembling a bit of a chore where jumping through the hoops requires fire to be added to them and a vat of acid. Without the risk, there’s not as much reward. Make sense? No? Ok, try the demo for yourself. I Want to Play the Villain! is out in early 2027.