Thursday, August 11, 2011

Shadow Era (ios,Android,PC/MAC)


I stumbled upon a fairly new game while looking for a quick fix on my Droid this past weekend. Shadow Era is a Magic The Gathering / World of Warcraft style "collectible" card game. The basic mechanics of the game are amazingly fun, and you have the option of collecting new cards for free through gameplay, or more quickly for cash or ad-based promotions.


When you first start the game you have an assortment of human heroes to choose from: Warrior, Hunter, Mage, Priest, and Rogue (each available in male or female versions, and each with their own unique abilities). The game also features "Shadow" races, which have similar classes, minus the Rogue which is replaced by Wulven (read: Werewolves) and Priest which is replaced by Elemental. You cannot access the Shadow Heroes immediately, but can purchase a Shadow Deck with 100 "Crystals". Now, to explain Crystals.

Crystals are one of two forms of in-game currency (the other being gold). You gain 25 Crystals upon each level of experience (gained in battle). 100 Crystals will buy you a random booster pack, or a new starter deck (Human or Shadow). You can also purchase Crystals (a booster essentially costs $1), or earn them through advertising (download and play a different app, sign up for a Netflix subscription, those sorts of things). Leveling for Crystals is a bit slow going.

The other currency, Gold, can be accumulated through combat. Approx 20 gold per battle at low levels, or by selling cards. Gold cannot be used for boosters or sets, but for individual cards. The cards are the merchant sells are part of a Global Inventory. So if Player A sells a card to the merchant, player B will then have an opportunity to purchase the card. There is no direct trade or sale between players.

The basic game mechanics are what one would expect, summon minions, cast spells, strategize card order, etc. All in all for a free game it's incredibly polished and a whole lot of fun. The fact you can play it on your PC/MAC or iPad at home, and you Droid or iPhone on the go means you're easily set for a quick fix anywhere anytime.

In my short time with the game I did have a few issues, some classes feel a little underpowered (Rogue and Wulven namely) whilst others felt a little overpowered (mainly Mage). And, as with all Freemium titles (and Collectible Card Games always being this way), the better the cards the better the player, and those who invest money for Crystals are bound to have some nice cards. But, those issues don't stop this from being a Must Download title. And for free, there's nothing to lose in trying it.

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4 comments:

  1. I miss mainstream gaming, its betrayed me, but this kinda thing might just get me back!!

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  2. For Android?! This looks mighty!
    I'm getting it this instant! O_o :)
    Following and supporting, mate! :)

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  3. Very interesting I'll have to take a look into it! +1

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  4. this looks cool im gonna have to try this out! +followed

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