Mu Cartographer is one of these obscure confusing sandbox-puzzles which fit only some very specific tastes. It's beautiful, can't argue with that, and its sound design is quite pleasant, but gameplay... I believe not everyone will like it. It's not even a sandbox game per se - rather, it's a game about exploring what the game interface can do and how it works by experimenting with it on your own. And it has very little to do with actual cartography besides mentioning it in the lore.
The main goal of the game (putting aside sandboxes' usual lack of goals) is to understand the logic of it. At the start, there's no tutorial. No explanation. The player is given this whole confusing interface to work with, and the only hint about what to do is the blue highlight on the things you have to interact with - and even it doesn't always appear. In other words, at some moments you'll probably be acting blind, randomly pressing buttons and hoping it will achieve something. Don't get me wrong, there is logic behind the workings of the puzzles, you just have to tinker a bit to understand it. Even now, after finishing the game, I'm not sure I fully understand one of its mechanics. :D
The not-quite-puzzles, once you understand the mechanics, are simple, and can sometimes become a chore to do - especially the ones that don't immediately offer you at least one highlight hint, forcing you to randomly switch locations and surroundings to try to find where on earth is the next note. Once again, maybe I missed some mechanic behind it, I'm not excluding this probability, but random search for clues was a bit annoying. But then again, maybe it's my fault! XD Some of the mechanics also need precision in moving the switches, which isn't exactly a plus in my book, but at least there are no music-related ones.
Of course, you don't really need to do all that if you don't care about the mystery lore and some colour schemes and objects unlocked after collecting things. It works as a sandbox, I guess, but I found myself trying to actually collect scattered notes almost immediately. It's nice to have an exploration incentive!
The graphics and sound are good. Watching landscape change is fascinating, and by fiddling with the interface you can create some very nice views. I loved the different colour schemes (Radish one is simply great), even though most of the are very bright and not at all realistic, which is the point, I suppose. The in-game structures you can find look beautiful as well, and remind player of real life geographical objects. The music/ambient sound fits this confusing world and doesn't distract from playing.
Now, the story. The story exists, but it's presented through bits and pieces of characters' logs. Most likely you won't be unlocking these chronologically, making them even more confusing. In fact, I stopped reading them halfway through the game and then just read all of them at once after unlocking every single one. But they do indeed form a story - and a thoughts provoking story, in my eyes. It's not a very complicated one, but I did find myself sympathetic towards the characters. (minor spoiler regarding characters' origins).
In conclusion, this a strange, but good game about fantastical transforming landscapes, with main goal of figuring out how the game mechanics work, and with some plot delivered via diary-like notes by characters. And a visual sandbox. If it sounds like something you want to play, then go for it, you will probably like it! :D
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