War of Omens is a CCG that heavily emphasizes frequent matches. You have a large selection of cards to choose from, and unlocking or upgrades cards requires the in-game currency of silver, which is earned through completing matches and daily achievements. I love the gameplay and the card variety, but I hate how repetitive the matches are and how slow the money progression system is.
I'm a fairly big fan of CCGs in digital form; it allows the player to stay away from the necessity of collecting physical cards and it allows for card upgrade and re-balancing features that would otherwise be impractical in the real world setting. This game is also fairly speedy as you play cards, and the interface is very helpful. The setup is fairly unique (at least to my recollection). You have a hand of 3 drawn cards every round that are free to play, then there is a bank of 4 cards that require payment. The bank only has action and character cards, whereas the hand can include those cards or money cards. It's a nice little mechanic that helps give some level of randomness while still preserving the "pricing" strategy of games like Dominion.
Why doesn't anyone just call it 'gold'?
I also like the overall strategy of the game, where you're able to use multiple cards together to make devastating combos. I think that definitely heightens my enjoyment, when I'm able to fill the field with complimentary cards and watch my enemy's defenses crumble I can a unique sense of accomplishment.
This game is currently not very long, but it is being updated frequently. While it is not officially a beta, I would label it as such at this stage. Roughly 1/5 of the campaign is currently available and every update seems to introduce new cards. That being said, I think the main game is far too limited right now to really unlock the full potential of the playthrough experience. However, once a few more updates roll in, I think this game will keep players entertained for hours on end.
To get 3 stars, you have to play about 1000 matches across the game...
I am not a fan of the card upgrade system. It's tied to a "card pack" buying system where you are given an option of 3 random cards, and you select one. If you already own the card you selected, you give it xp. It takes about 5 of those selections to level up a card, which only decreases the price by 1. So I wish there was a more substantial upgrade system. As it is now, you're playing to get better cards, not improve the ones you own.
There is also a pay wall before you can get the higher pack, which allows you to forgo drawing common cards. I can not paid for it, but it definitely seems like long term advancement in the game would be much easier if you paid. There are some games (such as Gemcraft 2: Chasing Shadows) where I have paid for that kind of thing in the past, and I frequently find it to be fairly worthwhile. So if you really enjoy this game, I'd say it may be worth it. Buying a bit of silver for a small price will permanently unlock the better pack, so it's probably good in the long run. I wouldn't say it's quite worth it yet, but once the game has some more meat to it I'd imagine the value will increase.
I also wish there was more depth to the money system during matches. In a base deck, there are 10 money cards, all worth 1 coin. You can unlock more (through the same pack buying system) but they are particularly uncommon, so I find that a little frustrating. I think it would be nice if there were at least a few ways to get cards worth 2 or 3 coin in the deck as you progress through the game. It would help longterm deck building feel more meaningful.
So, I'd have to say I recommend that game, but you should be warned that I wouldn't really call it a finished product yet. If you want to have the best gaming experience, I'd wait a month and play it once some kinks have been worked out with card balance and there is a more substantial campaign.
Scorecard:
Category
|
Score
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Time Value
|
7
|
Money Value
|
6
|
Originality
|
8
|
Ryplayability
|
8
|
Fulfillment
|
9
|
Final Score
|
7.6
|
Let me know what you think of War of Omens!
Until next time,
Ryan
Pictures courtesy of Fifth Column Games
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