Can I make a good collectible card game known universe at the same time easy to use and rich tactical opportunities? But if at the same time it also looked insanely attractive and was free, can I? It turns out that, if the cause is taken Blizzard. Meet the Hearthstone: Heroes of WarCraft.

The problem with most collectible card games – a high barrier to entry, all of these rules, combinations, editorial, card types and resources are confusing beginners and corny fight off the desire to play. Agree, only real fans are willing to spend hours exploring the supporting materials for special resources, collecting a viable deck. Otherwise, no way, unless you do not have the Herculean patience and are not ready to learn all the intricacies of the game losing an experienced opponent one game after another.

In Blizzard also understand this, so in order to understand how the Hearthstone: Heroes of WarCraft ten minutes can (tested!), even very far from the collectible card games people. Education is the most simple, the player gradually introduced into the swing of things, clearly demonstrating that even in seemingly hopeless situation, you can come out a winner.

However, Blizzard have again used the same method, which at one time attracted millions of users in World of WarCraft. – Immersion in the game is a lot easier when you’re already familiar with the setting. In the case of a man who played in the Hearthstone WarCraft (whether or strategy MMO) will feel right at home. Familiar scenery, characters and even the skills of heroes can adapt to the game in a matter of minutes. Where other games would have to be long to read maps and descriptions of the classes in order to understand how it all works, in Hearthstone enough to see the name of the map or look at art. 

 Many thanks to the developers for what they had somehow managed not to break anything, turning in a card game WarCraft. The basic mechanics of the class moved without substantive changes, so you have quite a clear idea of ​​how it will behave in a fight with a robber your warrior and the warlock is different from the magician. Yes, there is a full card World of WarCraft TCG, but Hearthstone is much easier to use and more comfortable.

On the battlefield, as well as all of his older brother, maps, characters are divided into three main sub-categories: tanks, soldiers and doctors. The first attack does not allow anyone but themselves, and the second cause damage, and others, as expected, this is the damage to heal. Of course, the division is quite conventional, thanks to the various modifiers card can both acquire certain properties and to lose it. If you have the necessary spells and creatures with special abilities you can easily, for example, to turn his manazmeya in the tank with additional points of attack and health, or vice versa, to deprive a creature skill challenge. 

As for classes, the Hearthstone of World of WarCraft has not moved only death knights and monks, all the other nine classes are familiar and beloved characters: Jaina Proudmoore, Thrall, Garrosh, Anduin Wrynn, Valeera Sanguinar, Uther Lightbringer, Rexxar, and Malfurion Guldan.

The gameplay is simple to outrageous – with each turn fighting heroes gain a crystal mana is spent on appeal beings and application of skills or spells. Each card only three parameters – the cost, the amount of the damage and hit points for card characters. Some have additional features that are activated vykladyvanii cards on the table or in other specified cases. At first glance, it seems easier to Hearthstone other card games – in a deck of 30 cards, and mana pool is limited to ten units. But then you realize that these restrictions were imposed only to the battle did not last more than 10-15 minutes, but in terms of tactical possibilities game is not inferior to competitors, and in some ways even surpasses them. 

The order of the progress in the Hearthstone: Heroes of WarCraft determined coin toss, and the first move is not always a good thing. Loser “face-off” relies additional card from the deck and another, instantly giving extra mana crystal.

Modes of play at the moment only four – duel with your friends, ordinary and rating battle 1 on 1 precompiled decks with randomly chosen opponent, training with AI and the Arena. The latter, probably the most interesting, and is most useful. Here the player is offered to play one of three random classes, and going directly to the deck of playing cards randomly given (in fact it is a simplified analog of Rochester Draft in Magic: The Gathering – approx. ed.). The game goes to three losses, after which a deck is destroyed. The more wins – the more the final prize. 

In the game there are daily quests, you always get a little bit of gold. In general, to carry them out to conquer the specified number of times a particular class, the agreed number of creatures to kill or to cause some amount of damage to enemy heroes.

Hearthstone looks amazing, Blizzard here, as always, to the occasion. View maps in the “book of spells”, opening boosters, animation winning or losing just magical. Pleased with the attention to seemingly minor details. For example, until the enemy ponders what to play with your hands, you can entertain yourself with all sorts of interactive elements of the board game – shoot a catapult in Orgrimmar, search for treasures at the entrance to Zul’Gurub, try to wake Hemet Nesingwary in Stranglethorn Vale … Communicate with the enemy is limited to only six emotions, and for general information that’s enough, but in the future we would like to list some of these replicas expanded. 

However, if we abstract from the wonderful atmosphere of the game and be pragmatic for a few minutes, it becomes clear that miracles do not happen even in the fantastic world of WarCraft. Hearthstone will be distributed by the system of Free-to-play, so the game provides shopping for real money. In our case it is buying boosters and admission to the arena. The situation is, in principle, typical for online card games and, at first glance, the monetization of the game in a non-intrusive, because it all can be bought for in-game currency that player gets a winning duels and performing daily tasks.

But the fact is that the basic deck, which can be assembled into training mode with computer opponent inexcusably weak compared to the decks, collected with the purchase of boosters and awards from the Arena. So, if you want to have more or less of a deck, but do not want to spend the money, get ready to grind. Because very soon you will come across a situation where in order to defeat the enemy you need additional cards, which you can get only a few … defeating enemies. Or, using a slightly different card that says Visa. 

Of course, the desired map you can simply create from Arcane Dust – a substance that is obtained by dismantling unnecessary cards, but here the balance until that problem. For example, it was found that in order to create a rare (and not even the legendary epic) map to spray twenty (!) Of conventional or five other rare cards. So crafting cards for fun obviously very late game, as for the “happy” owner of the base deck, each card is rare in the literal sense of its weight in gold.

The situation is, in fact, is not that sad, good play Hearthstone: Heroes of WarCraft is really interesting, so grind gold is not perceived as tedious, but Blizzard has something to think about releasing the game on iOS. Some people have strong competitor softer conditions. 

The situation described is only valid for the beta version of the game, the developers constantly make large and small changes that alter the properties and the number of cards to earn gold, so that, as things stand with the balance can only be judged after the release of Hearthstone: Heroes of WarCraft.

PS If you want to try Hearthstone now you need to mention the game in its beta profile on the site Battle.net. To participate in the beta test, you must have at least one purchased and attached to the profile of the game Battle.net Blizzard. You can also try to participate in the competitions held on the official Twitter-account Hearthstone Russia – @ Hearthstone_ru .

PPS How did the Hearthstone: Heroes of WarCraft

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What genre the game can create a team of associates who worked previously at Irrational Games and who worked on projects such as BioShock, System Shock 2, Freedom Force, Thief and Flight Unlimited 2? That’s right, Card table RPG, runs directly in the browser – Card Hunter. Very traditional, but very unusual and wildly contagious.

Classics – a cardboard box on the coffee table, flat figures of heroes on pedestals, mandatory Game Master, describing the place in a virtual dungeon and shifting figures of monsters, a set of cards of action at the hands of the players. Pizza, chips, drinks to taste. No girls – it’s fun for real geeks. However, she will appear later, it is not surprising in the browser-based card game is amusing characters and even story telling about gikah who love board games.

First Card Hunter remarkably drawn. Figures and field really seem cut out of cardboard, ten-twelve-cubes and maps on the edges of the field – almost real. Great styling.

By and large, Card Hunter – is a modular tabletop role-playing game. Characters have the card features slots for armor, weapons, magic trinkets. Each has its own specialty – a warrior, mage, cleric. Turn-based battles are obtained very tactical, affects the outcome of the collision position of figures, the direction of their gaze, surface characteristics, barriers, etc. etc.

That’s only for the actions of heroes, moves, attacks, the use of spells – answer card. Moreover, in contrast to the same Magic: The Gathering ‘re not going to play a deck of cards separate. Maps are “tied” to the subjects that you give the characters. By armor – three cards to each weapon – five or six a magical thing – another three or four to a hero’s special abilities – and even etc. As a result of these items, boosters recruited deck of 30 cards, and more, which is used in combat.

All very logical. On the sword “hanging” cards charge of slashing blows, blows to the movement and parry a spear – for stabbing at longer range on the mace – for crushing on the shield – blocks in Armor – reducing damage to the boots – a move on the rings and amulets – spells, etc. etc. Items are not just a lot, but a lot, across a variety of combinations. One can get a set of unique cards with great bonuses and maps with negative effects. It is necessary to balance.

In this case, the higher levels of the items are beginning to demand the blue and gold tokens of energy, the number of which is limited. As a result, selection of equipment under different opponents very exciting experience. After all, the skeletons, for example, do not act thrusts, slime – crushing, trolls are protected from fire, etc. If you come across one module and the first, and, second, and third – will povertetsya.

Correctly picking up equipment can be assembled and interesting combo pack – a quick warrior swordsman, literally dancing around the enemy, the magician-Pyromancer, burning napalm, healer, able to act as a tank, etc.

Actually modules-adventure – it’s three to five connected by a single plot maps with opponents of one-and two types of boss at the end. At each level there are several such sets, adventure and a lot of them really. If prior to the tenth level of the dungeon will seem too easy – do not relax with a 12-13 level will start real hardcore. On the replay, shuffle the deck and heroic prevozmoganiem.

To bleed the heroes and get extra loot you can re-run old adventure. Jobs in the missions – to collect a certain number of victory points before your opponent. Most often, points are awarded for killing monsters, but sometimes it is necessary to keep a certain point or time to reach the goal. Playing fields in the Card Hunter is really interesting and varied.

During the passage of the mission and the module you get a 2-4 subject / booster. If you use a club subscription – for them to add another item of high quality. Plus for the local currency, slices of pizza, you can buy an adventure with a guaranteed yield of unique items after passage, or additional non-standard figures of heroes. Here, perhaps, the whole monetization – gently and perfectly acceptable.

Besides story part in the game, and the multiplayer, in which the characters are given to you once the maximum level with all the open slots for items and tokens of energy. In online battles can podnabrat loot for single parts, but at a moderately active game items from you and so will be much more than slots. Multiplayer – one-on-one duel, and, as a rule, the task is not to kill everyone, and keep the point that makes the game tactically very interesting. Players online a lot, so there is always someone with combat.

Card Hunter extremely addictive. In fact it is a mixture of card games and “bagel”. The principle of “one more dungeon and go to sleep” works like a clock, the benefit of the mission, as opposed to the parties in the present nastolki, obtained short – 10-15 minutes. In general, the game level Card Hunter in reality would be very difficult, given the number of cards, dice and tokens, which would have to be used. And as the cost of the number of the card was pulled on the adventure 500-1000 dollars.

Perhaps in Card Hunter is only one drawback – the lack of a client for iOS and Android, because the game seems to be specially designed for tablets. Hopefully, the plans of developers mobile client comes first. Plus, it would be interesting to see the multiplayer cooperative missions and two by two. If you like board games, RPG and card strategy – do not miss Card Hunter.

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