Hello everyone! In this piece, I would like to talk about my three weeks of Gods Unchained.
First, my background: I am an old CCGer, having started MtG way back in 1995. I have also played many other CCGs and a few digital ones. So what do I think about GU?
Well, it's pretty good, with a few caveats.
The good:
- the interface is easy to grasp and pretty intuitive. I only had one problem - it took me almost three weeks to figure out how to browse cards in the void as I didn't notice the slider. And even now I find the slider too sensitive.
- the mechanics: let's face it, it's just an n-th MtG clone, but there is nothing wrong with that. Some nice mechanics can work only in digital, and plenty more that can be copied/reimplemented/etc.
- the art: serviceable, comparable to the first 10-20 years of Magic.
- the sounds: I like the voiceovers, and would love to hear more :)
- place: games are fun.
- free cards and crypto for playing: the level and weekly rewards are solid
The meh:
- the tutorial can be improved, although the solo vs ai is generally filling in for that. But it would be good to have a tutorial showcasing more mechanics, including expansion stuff like armor.
- constructed is good, but the game could use more variants (like constructed core only, constructed with expansion only - although the latter would be open to very few players, presumably). There is room for the sealed, draft, a variant with only one of each card allowed, etc. But that's stuff for the future.
- I find the existence of at least two marketplaces for cards confusing. Particularly when I hear that token trove is better designed, but it is not the one linked to the game. I still haven't tried selling or buying any cards. This aspect needs its tutorial, badly, and it should also address the ETH fees (which I hear may no longer be a crippling problem?).
- is there a "trade cards" functionality? Or at least a way to reserve a card for someone on the market?
- forging cards to make them sellable is an interesting concept, but I feel it's missing something. At first, I thought the forged cards are more powerful, and a friend told me in the future playing with them will generate extra rewards. But right now the feature seems unfinished.
The bad:
- the requirement to have a wallet and connect it to the game can scare away some newbies, either because it's too cumbersome or because of crypto's bad reputation. It would be good if there was a way to play GU without a wallet, just to try it out (so no forge, no GODS tokens, etc.)
- I'd love to throw some $$ to buy a few packs, but credit card purchases are still not implemented and right now purchasing with ETH seems scary due to gas fees. I am surprised this problem, which presumably affects the game developers' main source of income, persists. Or if it doesn't, this should be made clear in the game.
- the game main screen could use a revamp. The picture news and stuff menu on the right seems mostly useless - the updates don't have a clear date, some seem pretty obsolete.
- fiorge/colections/workshop need a "search by name" functionality
- I am worried about the power creep from the new sets. I understand the need to make the new cards worth purchasing since this is a major source of income for the devs, but it is a minor concern. Again, this wouldn't be that much of an issue of purchasing cards was easier (take my money! but no, I'll pass on the crazy eth gas fees...).
My verdict: so far I am having fun, and I think the game has solid potential (due to solid interface/card design and of course the play-to-earn angle), as long as it can survive the current ETH gas fees situation.