C.A.R.D.S. RPG: The Misty Battlefield review: Heart of the cards

When I first started this piece on Cards RPG the Misty Battlefield, I couldn't wrap my

head around the game. It isn't that the mechanics are difficult to figure out or that the gameplay is souls-like

level challenging, though it can be quite tough. No, it was because I couldn't find the heart of the game

What it truly was and what it wanted to be. Is it a roguelike

Is it a deck builder? Is it an SRPG? Is it truly all three like it claims to be

The answer was challenging to determine and took me a few hours to come to a conclusion

Cards RPG the Misty Battlefield is fun and worthwhile if you give it time and a little luck

It's like building a deck of cards. You want to have fun if you never draw well or can't find the cards you need, but finding

that winning combination can take a while to reach, if ever reached at all

The roguelike style deck building SRPG is a combination of many great ideas but doesn't

quite know what it wants to be. As a card collection and deck builder, it's great

The combat is fun, smooth, and fluid, and collecting the more than 100 cards allows

for creativity when it comes to designing your deck. However, its repetitiveness, though a feature of a roguelike, is not at all like the namesake suggests

While it does have connections in combat design and procedurally generated levels, it can

get stale quickly. While there are several things to enjoy about a Quire Corpse cards RPG, it's like opening

a pack of cards. You know you're going to get cards, but it's as if the cards are from different

games and genres. The story follows Vel as she leads her battalion against the Helmuth Brigade

It may not be the strongest story, but it is engaging as the voice acting and casting

are the more finer parts of the game. Characters will speak to one another during combat to encourage them or talk about the

current encounter. This makes for compelling character development and engaging interactions that drive the narrative

of each fight. However, you end up jumping from one scenario to the next without really knowing why

One moment your group is fighting a man named Greg, who is challenging, but once you defeat

him, he comes back again only for you to have to fight him all over

Then the next level you're fighting a goblin spellcaster, but again, I'm not quite sure why

The minions were human soldiers, not a squad of goblin enemies. When it comes to these encounters, you start each level by selecting units to place on

the field. Each has a square like a chess board and can move a limited number of spaces per turn

The map is composed of areas of shadow which you can only see when you advance nearer to it

This can reveal enemy units, rewards, and facilities to discard cards or gain new ones

Though revealing shadowed areas never felt rewarding. You can see silhouettes of enemies and chests, so you are at least aware of their position

The one thing you aren't aware of is the enemy's style. For example, do they wear heavy armor and have a mace, or are they an archer that can

shoot you from several squares away? This is where cards RPG gets interesting

Units, including enemies and your own, each have a weapon, armor, and weakness

Heavy armored individuals use large weapons and hit harder in combat, though they tend

to be weak to two-handed swords, whereas archers use a bow and arrow and can attack from afar

without being attacked back in the same turn. They are weak to daggers and swords, so knowing what you're up against is key so you can choose

the best unit to attack. If you choose a unit like Vel, who uses a two-handed sword to attack a heavily armored

enemy, you'll have a better chance of winning that fight. Because Vel's sword is strong against the armor, if you attack three times in a row

you'll earn a break and cause the enemy to stagger and lose their next turn

This gives you a chance to either hit them again if you drew well, heal, or buff your

defenses without being attacked in the same turn. The enemy types aren't vast, and I really only ran into a handful of different units

In the end, it all got repetitive quite quickly, and while I enjoyed the first few rounds of

combat, after 15 minutes of it, it all blended together. Once you encounter an enemy, you go into combat and use your deck of cards to fight

Fights with general enemies last three rounds, and ones with bosses last five

Each round, you draw cards and use them to fight. These cards cost power, which you get three of during each turn, and cards cost anywhere

between zero and three power to use. Cards vary, but generally come down to attack, defense, boosting your stats, and reducing

enemy stats. It's a simple and effective design that doesn't take a lot of thought, which is great for

anyone looking for a quick fight, though combat, in addition to traversing the map, can take

anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour to complete. That's a chunk of time you have to devote to the game, and you can't save your progress

If you lose, it's back to the start to tackle the enemies all over

This is where the roguelite comes into play. When it comes to your deck of cards, you only get one, and it is shared among all of your

units, so you can't tailor it to just one unit type. You'll need to ensure you have cards that boost ranged attacks, sword strikes, and armor

for your heavy hitters. It would have been a great addition to be able to build multiple decks and either switch

between them as needed, or build ones designed for specific units. Having a singular deck isn't a negative, though, as it allows you to really think on

what cards you want in your deck that work with every unit

You can find more cards on the battlefield or choose to discard them at a facility

Discarding is useful if you have too many of one or need to add another you obtain during

the game. You'll also find treasure chests that contain new cards to choose from or items to boost

unit stats. You'll need to equip them right away or risk losing the option to do so later

Plus, the unit that opens the chest is the only one that can equip the item

This seems like an odd choice, as you aren't sure what you'll get until you open the chest

Then again, the items offer general stat boosts and aren't focused on specific units

For instance, you can find a sword that boosts your attack by a certain amount

Cards RPG The Misty Battlefield is an amalgamation of two genres, a deck builder and a roguelike

It offers a unique blend of strategy and luck that is captivating if only for a short time

It's a game that doesn't fit neatly into any one category as it isn't quite sure what

it wants to be. But for those willing to shuffle through its lengthy battles, there's a rewarding experience

waiting to be dealt