You knew it was coming, right? Yes, the Hearthstone propaganda is here. Blizzard's free-to-play, Magic: The Gathering-styled, collectable card game became available on iOS for iPad this week, and so far, I am loving it.
I will dispense with some preliminary quibbles first. I went in full well with the understanding that free-to-play wasn't the complete package. While in the early going, that hasn't seemed to matter (I haven't spent a cent yet). I am sure the more I play, the more apparent it will become and the more I'd covet that ability. I'm the same guy that more or less refused CoD because I thought advanced weapons tilted gameplay balance.
I wish there were asynchronous gameplay. First impression leads me to believe there is not even offline gameplay. For me, both features are ones that just increase my opportunity to play and play with friends. Given that must multiplayer gaming in my house is reserved for the console, Titanfall currenty, I see less opportunity to make Hearthstone appointment gaming with friends. Then again, we did do that with Ascension.
The last is not so much a complaint as it is a matter of fact, there's a lot going on in the game and not a lot of explanation. Gameplay is fairly intuitive and the cards themselves contain easily accessible information about their characteristics. You have an attack number and health. Each card requires an amount of mana to play. Over the course of the game, mana increases round to round to a maximum of ten. But building decks, discovering the rarity of cards, understanding how to craft cards, figuring out what the gametypes are, where you can get bonuses, where and how to buy, there's a bit of fend for yourself or find an online wiki or app here. It speaks more to the game's depth of options and complexity than anything, but the same depth makes it a bit intimidating.
And now, the good news. It's downright fun to play. I was not in the beta, open or closed on the PC. I've never played WoW. I needed to get a Battlenet ID. I downloaded the game for the iPad as soon as I was aware it was available, Wednesday evening I think. Though I'm not sure of the actual number, I would say I've logged an easy six-plus hours of gametime.
Part of the early going was spent getting acclimated to how the game plays and feels. I ran through the tutorial with some six opponents to detail the game's mechanics. I then set about trying to unlock all nine hero types. I think during that first evening, I made it through seven. Playing on the Normal level, I had that feeling of learning as I played. I could sense developing strategies that worked for me versus certain enemies and understanding the cards and their powers, what I liked and why. I can't explain it, but the more I played, I had such a palpable feeling of improvement.
By the next night, I had unlocked all of the hero types and began trying to unlock all of the mage's basic cards. I created my first custom deck and headed into the world of "Play" against live opponents. There were both victories and defeats, and there was that dichotomy of "I outskilled you" and "You got lucky/cheap/OP cards" that frequently accompanied each. All the while, I leveled up, gained access to new cards, earned gold to purchase new packs or access The Arena. Incentives appear frequently and all without need to partake of the microtransaction process.
The short of it is the game feeds into the inner-geek. It appears so noob-friendly but strategy and complexity lurk for those that want it. Even in the early going, deciding strategy of attacking and defending, hero versus minion, using cards in combination, healing, hiding, forcing attacks, foregoing attacks. It's not that the game is unique in doing so, but there's a feeling that's nice getting in on the ground floor. Online, familiarity of the rules of course helps, but the game won't let you do something the rules don't allow. It's like the ease of scoring Catan or Carcassone on XBL.
And yes, the animations are fun. Picture Ron Weasley playing Wizard's Chess. The attack animation, sparks, shakes, crumbles, +/- updated stats. It adds that flair, especially when it's in your favor, that makes you smile. I have always enjoyed seeing some bit of the attack animations, Advance Wars, Pokemon, Bravely Default. There's action to the real world equivalent, "My mage will use four mana crystals to use Fireball to damage your hero six HP." And yes, perhaps I did just that with a single flick of my finger on the iPad. But it felt much cooler. Especially in a win.
I'm not sure how long the fun will last in Hearthstone, but right now, there's no end in sight. I'd be willing to pay, but at this point, there's been no need.
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