Shadowverse (2016/2017)

[シャドウバース]

Publisher: Cygames
Developer: Cygames
Producer: Yuito Kimura
Platform: Android/iOS, PC/Steam

Overview:
The realm is threatened by a mysterious race of extradimensional mimics.

Gameplay:
This is a card battler with a good bit of depth to it. (In fact, I feel I've only scratched the surface.) I'll give you a basic run-through. You have eight different characters and each one has a slightly different playstyle. For instance, if you pick Elf (or Forestcraft as it's apparently known in English), you focus on mass deployment of low-cost cards to wear down your opponent before they can deploy stronger, high-cost cards. The goal of a match is to deplete your opponent's HP. You start with one action point and your number of action points increase each round. Each card consists of an action point cost, attack and defense points, and a number of additional effects. There are also cards that are single use and those that simply have an effect but can't be attacked directly. The key to victory isn't simply attacking but rather maximizing your use of the side effects of your cards. There are so many effects, actually, that matches feel like Calvinball to me. Another element is evolution, which allows you to upgrade deployed cards, but you can only do it a few times in a match.

There is a single-player mode that mostly serves as a tutorial for the different playstyles, so the main event is the multiplayer, but I'm not too big on multiplayer, so I can't comment too much on that. You occasionally get free entry but other matches require an entry ticket or something like that.

There are several in-game currencies for purchasing new cards and cosmetic features like the design on the cards' backs. You can also craft more cards from your stock provided you have the necessary resources for it. There are also missions for rewards such as win X number of arena matches with Y type of character.

Story/Characters:
You wouldn't think a card battler would have much story at all, but there is a decent single-player mode that follows each of the eight protagonists, intertwining their stories. It's nothing groundbreaking or earth-shaking, but it's more than you'd expect, so it's serviceable. The eight leads are crafted well enough. None of it is amazingly compelling but it does enhance your investment.

Graphics:
Being a card battler, this game is no graphical powerhouse, but a lot of the cards have some nice art (many of them lifted directly from Cygames' earlier Shingeki no Bahamut) and the 3D backgrounds for the arenas are decent in a PS2 kinda way. Me, personally, I just keep the game installed so I can get new cards to appreciate the art.

Music/Sound:
The music is adequate though not amazing. The sound effects do what they need to do. We get a fair bit of voice acting, not just little clips as the cards interact but also a fully voiced story mode and we get some big-name seiyuu voicing a number of characters.

Conclusion:
I can only conclude that this sort of game is not for me. I imagine if I really committed myself to learning what all the cards can do and hand-picking my decks to maximize their effectiveness, I would have more success and as a consequence, enjoy the game more, but I'm simply not that invested in the game. However, for people who like card battlers, this seems to be rather well-made and I think it may scratch an itch for some people. At very least, it's worth trying.

Rating:
50/50