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The video game industry is becoming increasingly saturated with digital card games. Magic Gathering paved the way for Titans like Hearthstone – and many other betting genres such as Gwent: The Witcher Card Game, Artifact and The Old Scroll: Myths – to make millions of people obsessed with their magic and strategy. Now a new striker has just arrived who is somehow different from his opponents, as he doesn't have PvP -based other players-, so it's hard to compare it to those rivals regardless of the game's style. In fact, we can say that it's easy to compare it to Thronebreaker, a Gwent-based title, because it also doesn't have a competitive multiplayer component.
When we start the mission from the world map we can select the elements of our hero group. Anyone familiar with the Lord of the Rings will be able to see them, because they were available in both books and movies: Legolas, Gimli, Bilbo or Glóin They will be some of them. After selecting our team members we can begin the adventure, and each time we start the mission we hear a storytelling (in English and Spanish subtitles) where they will explain the path we will follow until the right place and expectations are on the way, something to enjoy.
The heroes that will be important cards will be played at the beginning of each battle, and if they all end up out of the box we will have failed to be sent. It can be very frustrating that machines sometimes multiply a lot, extend even more battles between our remaining cards – or «Cameos», how they are called here – from one to the other, including damage. Heroes will have an ace up their sleeve – I'm sorry, the joke was in style – because each one will have some ability, and they can defend themselves. Take the case of Arwen, who manages to treat the gift on board with each "fix", which is the stage of doing that first battle.
Each collision has a different purpose that we will have to complete in order to keep up the beautifully written structure. We will also have other divisive technologies: The cards we play will represent the heroes and citizens we stumble upon on our journey through Middle-Earth. Each character will have three attributes to count; invasion, power and health. This attack will tell us how many points of life will be issued to the enemy when we attack. Willpower – essentially the score – is used in parallel, but to serve a purpose. In the end, life will show how many strokes a cameo can resist before being completely defeated.
We can analyze the cards available on each side of the board, something that will almost certainly be compulsory if we want to have profitable tips. For example, if a cameo is protected, we'll have to attack their defenses, because they have a function similar to Hearthstone's "Provoke". If we attack a shield with a normal card, it will be damaged, but if we use a cameo that attacks the range or the shield it can break its protection away or cancel another defense. Flying enemies can only be attacked by various combat cards or to force a flying enemy attack, which will have to rest on the ground. We could have up to seven at a time on the board, but Sauron could look at eight.
The resources we have will determine what we can do in the cycle. In each of us we will get three points that we can use to play cards on our non-hero stage. That is, ally or upgrade cards. The cameos are on-board used until they are depleted – that is, even once used – and doing so will not involve any source costs, but each curve can use only one card. The cycle ends when both Sauron and we are unable to perform another action or if we decide to press the "Final Phase" button, at which point we will move on to the next round.
Our only enemy is going to be Sauron, the Dark Lord, something really cool as the goals he will set for us will be different, and we can see them killing other bees to collect their honey, or it ends with all the bloodthirsty troops. It's clear which of these goals is most in line with Sauron's character, and that in our opinion – and despite the dark and difficult terrain – the game tends to get closer to the comic side of the novel, which is not a bad thing in itself, but at times it felt like the humor was too subjective.
In addition to the hero, ally and enhancer cards, we will have some cards that will change the power of the game. Event cards will affect Sauron's characters in some ways, the Allies – who will eventually become better fighters than general warriors – will help us on our journey, goals will give us a shortcut or help in fighting if we complete them and the risks will be the same as goal cards but they will have serious consequences until they are resolved by completing the objectives. Some accidents can also power up competitors or adversely affect our neighbors – increasing Sauron's resources or leaving partners tired – while other risks will make us pass alive.
We will have two meters on each side of the board. One will show the Threat Level and the other the Destination Level, and when it is finished each one will provoke the event, if it is the first we will weaken it, and if it is the second it will give us some energy.
The fight is pretty obvious when we take on the habit of analyzing the cards found on the fly table, but the game can be a real challenge with the expansion of other functions. And in addition to the fact that in addition we will not be cured in accomplishing the basic objective, some machines appear to greatly increase or send out strong enemies in the final phase of the battle.
The lack of multiplayer mode has undoubtedly been the biggest draw for many card game fans, even if they prefer to play alone. It should also be added that playing with the command can be frustrating at first, but neither is it from another world, because it's just a matter of getting used to it.
Lord of Rings: Adventure Card Game will be interesting to anyone who wants to deal with Sauron and his servants alone and with a friend. But the lack of multiplayer mode makes it impossible to become a major player of this type. However, the plot is a lot of fun, you can enjoy playing it and the mechanics add some fun, but all of this does not make the game worth the place among the best.
