Infinity Wars: Reborn

Is it just me or are online trading card games popping up everywhere at the moment?

Ever since the success of HearthStone it seems that every other month I see a TCG release trying to cash in on the trend and make some money from all those tempting micro transactions.

Infinity wars is an interesting addition to the fast growing genre .

As a long time player (apparently almost 20 years?!?!) of traditional physical TCGs, I have a weird simultaneous attraction and repulsion to their online equivalent.  On the one hand I love the idea of new mechanics and game styles with the opportunity for all sorts of strategising and deck construction. On the other, I feel that there is something very important missing from the experience.

I always feel disconnected from my decks and cards when they’re in a digital form. Apparently I remember which cards I have and their associated rules much better if i can physically handle the cards. This can often lead me to losing interest in the game entirely.

I find it hard to form strategies and come up with deck ideas when I can’t remember exactly what I have available. Then there’s also the social aspect of a physical game to consider. Actually getting a group of people together for a dedicated gaming session is something that’s very difficult to replicate in the anonymous online environment.

Infinity Wars goes someway to addressing this disconnect in a very simple way.

The animated  card artwork, which can be a bit hit and miss, goes a long way towards making each card more memorable and therefore the game more enjoyable.  Having played Magic: The Gathering for a long time, I found Infinity Wars both very familiar yet refreshing.

There are a lot of game play mechanics that are shared with many other games in the genre, but its nice to see Infinity Wars take advantage of its digital existence to implement new mechanics. These include simultaneous turns and persistent creature health. Both would be something that would be a nightmare to keep track of in a physical game.

Of course it also takes advantage of the ability to try and sell you more cards and various cosmetic items at every opportunity. I was pleased to see that everything can be unlocked for free eventually though.

Game play is pretty straight forward and easy to pick up. You’re forced to complete the first couple of campaign missions/tutorials before you can get in over your head. Once you’ve done so you’re free to take on the unique battlefield system.

Both players taking simultaneous turns adds a lot of interesting variation to tactics. I would be particularly interested to play this when the Android and iOS versions are available. Half the fun in TCGs is trying to guess your opponent’s strategies from the look on their face and being able to play in the same room would be great for Infinity Wars.

Once the tutorials are completed you can begin with deck construction. Initially it’s a bit unclear what the rules and requirements are. There are quite a few factions to choose from, each with different flavours of art and play style. Curiously, the developers have added two Star Trek factions. It doesn’t take too long to put a respectable deck together though and jump into some PvP or back into the campaign.

Overall Infinity Wars is lots of fun and has potential to be pretty addictive. It’s easy to learn and has a lot of strategic depth if that’s what you are after.   If you have any interest in trading card games, for the grand total of $0 initial investment, there’s no good reason not to give Infinity Wars a go.

—

Infinity Wars: Reborn was reviewed using a promotional code on Steam provided to PowerUp! by the publisher.