Reviewer: Doug "Dr. Giggles"
Finding
a gem is something special. This goes beyond that. Heroes of Camelot
can be downloaded to your Android of Mac device, for free, and will
deliver you an experience beyond what most games can. I will do my best
to give it justice, but I urge anyone who is even slightly interested to
download it, and try it. If you don't get pulled in within the first
few hours, you can uninstall it, and it's gone, with minimal time
investment. Not many games, especially games this well made, do not
offer that option. Take advantage.
This
game can't be rated on a 10 scale. It would score a 10 without any
hesitation. I am going to give this game a 99, on a 100 scale, and I am
docking a point only to keep from saying it is perfect. For what it
offers, and for the price of nothing, it might just be that. This is the
most aggressive title recommendation I have ever given. Enjoy.
What is this game all about?
It
is a card game, rooting from the same foundation as Pokeman, Yu-Gi-Oh,
and Magic: The Gathering. You mission is to collect cards, arrange them
into three groups (or teams) and then battle. You battle the game itself
(while questing) to gain experience, find cards, and progress through
levels. You battle other players (in the Arena) to gain summon stones,
which allow you to summon cards to your deck, and eventually win
scrolls, which are needed for your guild to enter a Raid.
What about the cards?
Again,
if you are familiar with the card games mentioned above, you will
figure this out pretty fast. Each card has LIFE, and ATTACK, as their
main features.
They also each have a SPECIAL, which can do many things,
like heal your team, damage the enemy team, raise your attack, etc. You
can have 12 cards active during any battle, arranged into three teams of
four. Different card combinations active various passive bonuses. You
can ENHANCE each card, by sacrificing another from your deck. This will
increase the card level, which increases their attributes. And lastly,
you can EVOLVE each card, by sacrificing another card (of the same name)
from your deck. This also increases attributes, and resets the card
level, so it can be enhanced, and evolved, again. Card progression
quickly is revealed as the main goal. Find better cards and upgrade them
to strengthen your
team.
How do you battle?
First
strike team is random, but seems to favor the player while questing.
Your first group (positioned farthest to the left) attacks their first
group (positioned farthest to the left). There is a random algorithm
generator behind the scenes, that gives any of the four cards in your
group a chance to activate their special. Then the enemy first group
strikes, then your second group, then their second group, and so on.
Each group, for each team, attacks the first
group of opposition, until it is out (of life), and then moves to the
next. There are specials that redirect attacks to other groups, but a
majority of the attacking is done in order.
What is the best way to find cards?
Questing
is grinding. Hopefully you understand that concept. Boring, but
necessary. You have the option to pay (real money) for GEMS, which can
buy you cards, but unlike other games, you can grind to the same point,
without ever spending a dime. You win high tier cards from
bosses, and you find lower tier cards from grinding. Use the lower tier
cards to upgrade your higher tier cards. Either way you choose (paying
or grinding) you can build a competitive deck, it all comes down to how
much time you invest into questing.
Why pay if you can be competitive without spending a dime? Here
is the true genius of this game. To quest, which is how you find cards,
you need STAMINA, which drops as you move. When you are out of stamina,
you can't move. Every minute you
gain 1 stamina point, so it will regenerate eventually, but at an
extremely low pace. To fight bosses, which is how you find higher tier
cards, you need MANA. Same concept. You use mana to fight a boss, then
need to build it back up to fight another. This structure limits how
fast the non-paying player can strengthen his deck. Limits how fast they
can do it, which is fair, but doesn't give the paying player an
advantage. Over time, they will be equal, and the player who manages
their groups, and evolves their cards, better, will win. You can also
use gems to buy Stamina and Mana potions, which is cheaper than buying
cards.
My experience so
far:
Beyond
what I could have imagined when I downloaded this game to my phone
about a month ago. With free Wifi in my house, I play this game without
cost, every day, whenever I have a free minute. Waiting for laundry,
going to the bathroom, making dinner, are all perfect examples of times I
get on, and get my grinding in. It usually takes about 10 minutes to
use my entire stamina supply, and do one boss fight, then I log off, and
let it regenerate. An hour later, another 10 minutes in. My deck is
rank 'A' right now, and is extremely competitive in Arena matches. You
can blast to level 40 in a couple hours, and build a solid deck in the
process, for free. Then the game gets tough, and you can't defeat a boss
without a day or two of grinding/upgrading. You have to respect the
detail and difficulty of
this game. It is a unique balance that you will not see in many games.
No matter how much you pay, or how often you play, you can't beat the
game itself. It drives you to make your deck stronger, and you enjoy the
journey.
On
top of that, they already released the second patch, or update, to this
game, which added Guild formations, and Raiding. I can't even explain
how sick that is, on this platform, and for free. I am currently a
member of TIGERS guild, name is Dr Giggles. Message me. They have an
email system built into the game as well. Inbox, Sent, etc. And guild
only chat.
I
actually paid for gems, for two reasons. One, I wanted a legendary card
to lead my deck. The chance was not good that I would grab one, I think
less than 10% on the summon, but I did. It is the only card I "bought"
that is currently in my deck. The others I got grinding, and for free.
Two, this game deserves every penny it gets. I have no problem investing
into the development of this game. The concept, and execution of
balance, is top of the market for mobile devices, and in some ways, the
gaming market as a whole.
Overall:
Whoever
put this system in place, at least to me, is at the top of his class in
concept development. This game is better than most console games out
right now in terms of enjoyability, balance, and difficulty, and it can
be played for free, without limitation. If you like card based games,
you HAVE TO download this, today. Right now. I have a feeling this game
is going to explode up the charts, and get heavy consideration for pay
for play. Get in before that happens.
More to come. I will be discussing my strategies for questing, deck building, etc. in future posts. Message
me if you try it out. I am on about 10 times per day, in 10 minute intervals. I am always open to help out a fellow gamer.
Game Hard
