Ruy Lopez Mind Games 2023

Ruy Lopez doesn’t shout. It opens warm and composed — smooth woods, a touch of sweetness, and a refined base that feels controlled rather than bold. The blend is seamless, and nothing feels out of place.

What stands out most is how balanced it remains. It doesn’t spike into sharp spice or collapse into syrupy sweetness. It just holds steady.

The issue is intensity of character. The warmth is pleasant but not textured. The sweetness is present but not layered. It wears nicely — it just doesn’t leave a strong signature.

Comfortable. Competent. Not compelling.

I kinda do like this scent (the only Mind Games scent I like). I am a sucker for leathery woody cherry and plum scents, and this fragrance checks these boxes for me. However... 400 bucks?! This fragrance is pleasant, but it is not THAT good. In fact, it would've been much better without the rose. Also, it barely lasted an hour on my skin... Soooo not worth it.

I was very surprised by the sample.
I will definitely order the bottle.
I smell a lot of plum and black tea, both very alcoholized, probably due to the rum listed in the notes on Fragrantica.
Very, very light, barely recognizable green notes.
Dark rose comes and goes repeatedly, as does the cherry, which makes it absolutely unique.
Unisex, but due to the cherry and the rose, which is often not present, it leans more masculine.
No Lost Cherry or anything that even comes close (from what I have smelled).
Solid woody base that ensures good longevity.
It naturally becomes darker throughout the fragrance development.
The plum remains ever-present.
I will complete my review upon the arrival of the bottle, but from what I've seen in reviews and on YouTube, I am confident that the quality will be excellent.
In any case, the bottles look very unique and well-crafted visually.
I find it suitable for almost any season due to the fruity notes.
Perfect for an evening, but I find it rather casual.
All in all, the DNA is very well crafted, unique, and nothing stands out that would be bothersome.

P/L - 7/10 270 euros for 100ml, best to test beforehand, but actually a safe blind buy
H/S - 8/10 lasts long, you just have to want to perceive it consciously, sometimes it lingers very inconspicuously in the air
Scent - 9.5/10 in my opinion, the DNA has almost no flaws, unisex but more masculine, perhaps not as universally wearable as one might wish, very unique

Continuing with the sample set from the American brand Mind Games. I find it really exciting to test the brand, especially because many of the fragrances totally match my taste. While not all of them are necessarily that extravagant and niche, I haven't encountered a truly bad scent so far. All the names are inspired by chess, which fits perfectly with the name Mind Games. I had to Google Ruy Lopez, and it seems to be a variation of the opening. Not my game, but a cool concept including the beautiful bottles. This Ruy Lopez has already convinced me a lot. Tested without looking at the pyramid beforehand, which is always a great way to evaluate a fragrance without bias. The boozy opening with plum is certainly polarizing, and as it develops, you get a softer scent. Those who like fruity-spicy fragrances with a wood element can test this well.

In terms of price, the €270 MSRP is a bit high; there’s surely a good discount somewhere (especially since this is not a hype scent). The packaging and bottle are, as always, really good, and this bottle is something for a high-quality collection.
Ruy Lopez is more of a dark fragrance, even though the fruit is very present here. The fruity notes include black cherry and a boozy plum note that come through well from the start. The plum note is really well tipsy, which I really like and find cool. The dark black cherry fits quite well with this opening. Spicy notes with pepper are added. The lovely davana note is responsible for the light boozy notes, which is very prominent in this creation. The black tea note also comes through nicely and provides a very cozy vibe, while rose adds a soft sensual-floral note. In the base, there’s also dark, slightly earthy patchouli, along with matching oak wood. Overall, a very coherent creation that feels harmonious in this combination. Especially when the boozy notes fade a bit, the fragrance becomes significantly cozier and has that cool dark vibe. I like it and would wear it. The scent is absolutely unisex and gives off a more mature impression.
Performance is really good, and the start is quite strong in the sillage. Longevity should be around 10 hours, making it a good scent for evenings & leisure. Due to the boozy & dark notes, it’s naturally more suited for the evening.

Overall, a great fragrance from the Mind Games brand. The scent direction is very unique, and the mix of plum-cherry and boozy-spicy-woody-dark really appeals to me. Recommendation.

Mind Games has quickly conquered the market; however, until now, I haven't been entirely convinced by the brand apart from a few fragrances. Often relatively flat scents that shine not with content but with beautiful bottles. Well, they look great overall, but yes, it’s well-known that it’s about inner values, right? When you read the fragrance notes, you’re not quite sure what to expect. If you know a bit about Mind Games, you know that many notes don’t necessarily mean a lot of complexity, as the scents are more geared towards mainstream.

Is the Ruy Lopez any different? Before I reveal too much, let's get into it:

- The opening is the highlight of the fragrance, a true top note blender. Here, a beautiful dark, almost wine-like fruitiness comes up with the cherry, which is simultaneously balanced by this refreshingly spicy, slightly smoky depth of the tea and pepper; the plum also joins in nicely and is marginally perceptible in the background.

- After that, a subtle rose emerges in the background, paired with an alcoholic rum, boozy, darkly seductive; there’s still something slightly fruity in the background. As the fragrance develops, it becomes earthy-leathery; dry and masculine, fitting for the dark rum. The leather slowly seeps up; the patchouli becomes a bit more present, and in the dry down, the once unisex opening scent shifts towards masculine accents.

The performance, contrary to the actually intense fragrance notes, is rather modest in the mid-range; one would definitely expect much more. Longevity and sillage are in the middle range.

My conclusion: A fragrance with a beautiful opening and a dark, masculine dry down that is actually very multifaceted and versatile, but the fine-tuning is also something typical of Mind Games; yes, the fragrance has facets, but the transitions are a bit too "harsh" for me, from initial sweetness to this dark, boozy earthiness... it just happens. Nevertheless, a beautiful scent, and definitely worth a try.