Release Date: 03/12/2016
Played On: Win
Available On: Win
Time Played: 11h
Progress: Level 27 / Gold Rank 1
Developer: BetaDwarf
Publisher: BetaDwarf
I'm not a fan of deck-building games at the best of times. I never got into Magic The Gathering, or Pokémon, or any other form of Collectible Card Games, or Trading Card Games at any point in my life. The closest I ever got was collecting basketball cards in primary school, because literally everyone collected basketball cards at my primary school.
Thus, I never got into big games like Hearthstone, or even Gwent, as I just couldn't be bothered figuring out what the hell is going on. Not to mention the need to keep up with the META and learning how best to strategize with my own crafted collection of cards. For whatever reason, none of it ever caught my eye and even though I've tried a bunch of different card games, I never cared enough to continue playing any of them.
However, the flip-side to my incredible lack of interest, is that I always enjoyed the idea of digital card games that offered more than basic pictures and stats. It's what we all love about Battle Chess and that game they play in Star Wars on the Millennium Falcon where the holographic aliens fight each other. There's something captivating about seeing your cards come to life on the board that always intrigued me, but I never got invested enough to know what's going on.
Unfortunately, most card games are basically inaccessible if you want to just have a casual bash and see what happens. Most of the ones I've encountered have quickly become a nightmare where I haven't been able to accomplish anything because I have no idea what's going on half the time.
Maybe I'm not that bright, or maybe I'm just not that interested. Either way, I've always held this weird dichotomy of wanting to experience the magical augmented reality of digital card games, but always being overwhelmed by the strategy of it all. I mean, the only reason I even bothered trying Minion Masters is because it didn't cost anything and looked a little bit casual.
You might be thinking that saying something looks casual is an insult, but for me that's far from the truth. While I enjoy the white-knuckle intensity of games that challenge the player at every turn, I also want to play some games that are just pure escapism. There's something to be said for a piece of media that allows you to turn off your brain and relax for a while, and Minion Masters does this well.
At its core, this is a deck-building game that is familiar in a lot of ways. Playing the game will earn you currency and shards (or whatever the economy actually is), that are then used to buy and upgrade cards in your deck. I don't have a very in-depth understanding of how it all works, because as I've expressed already, I'm just not that interested. The main thing that matters is that you have a deck of cards that you use during matches to defeat your opponent.
Each match takes place in an arena that's split into halves, and each half is split once more to create four areas of play. At either end of the arena is each player's hero, who has their own abilities and effects that change how you play the game significantly. Throughout each match your hero will earn XP that unlocks special abilities as the game progresses. Depending on the hero you have picked, these abilities will differ and offer a range of ways to change the flow of the match.
In the middle of the arena are two bridges, which mark the halfway point of two 'lanes'. When one of your minions touch a bridge they take control of it, which fills up your mana bar faster. The bridges are constantly changing hands though, as the enemy team is also trying to control them for their own mana needs.
At any one time, you have four cards in your hand, which are drawn randomly from a deck you've previously built. Each card represents a minion or a spell that you can cast, and each has varying stats. Every card costs a certain amount of mana to use, as well as having unique properties that make them more or less effective in certain situations. For example, a dude with a sword can't attack flying units, so they're weak against dragons. Perhaps that expensive beast that has a powerful attack will leave themselves open to attack between swings.
Meanwhile, you each have a mana bar that is constantly filling up as the match progresses. You must wait until you have enough mana to use a card, but it constantly replenishes as you play. There are ways to get ahead of your opponent by controlling bridges and using perks; there are even minions you can play that will sit on the bridge and boost the speed that your mana replenishes.
When you play a minion card, you must choose whether to play it on the top or bottom lane, simply because that determines the route that the minion will take as they approach the enemy. If there's a lot of fighting going on in the top lane, then it might be good to sneak some minions onto the bottom lane so they can quickly get to the enemy hero. Sometimes it can be part of your strategy to pick specific lanes in order to maximise your damage, but often it relies on timing.
The ultimate goal is to play your cards at the best time for you, so that they will be able to make it across the arena and damage your opponent first. It's a simple premise, but there's actually a little bit of skill involved when it comes to your timing and what cards you choose. Sure that's no different to other games, but Minion Masters plays out in real time and there's no pauses or turns within which to think. From the very start of the game, both players are able to play whatever they can afford, whenever they can afford it.
This creates a fun balance between playing cards that will hopefully damage the opponent, but also countering the minions they have on the board. Sometimes it helps to ignore certain units because you have the opportunity to sneak in a powerful attack. Other times you're scrambling to spawn minions as soon as you have enough mana, because the enemies are coming thick and fast.
I mentioned the hero powers before as well, which make a big difference to how the game plays. I suppose they're a lot like different heroes in Hearthstone, so it's probably not anything unique and new, but it changes the game significantly. For example, my favourite hero is one that adds cards to your deck as you level up throughout the match. The first adds a strong/cheap minion, the second adds a zero-cost spell, and the third makes the previous minion even stronger.
No matter who you pick though, the fourth level for every player unlocked a 'mana rush', which unsurprisingly speeds up your mana generation significantly for the rest of the game. It's actually a nice way to regulate match lengths, as it only tends to unlock during longer matches where both players are relatively evenly matched. By the time that fourth level unlocks, whoever gets it first usually wins as they have the advantage of playing more cards in quick succession, which beats just about any deck composition.
I suppose that's why I’m currently into Minion Masters more than other games I've played, as I never feel like I'm completely helpless and that I'll never succeed. Sure I still lose a lot of matches and many times I've been defeated strongly within a couple of minutes, but it's over quickly and I rarely lose more than a couple of matches in a row. Of course it's not about winning, but when matches are short and sweet, you don't mind the losses so much, as you'll soon be back in for another go.
I think that might be the key to Minion Masters so far, as I never feel like I'm wasting my time or ploughing through boredom. The longest matches I've had have still been under ten minutes long, so even if I get owned, I know it will be over soon.
Having said all that though, I'm not sure that I'll be playing Minion Masters forever and a day, as I feel like I'm already approaching my limit. There are many different currencies and things that let you buy new cards for your deck and let you customise this or that, but I'm really not interested in any of it. My strategy for building a deck is to put in all of the rare cards I have unlocked along the way, and see what happens.
Surprisingly, I've managed well enough so far, but it's beginning to plateau. At the start I unlocked a new card every few matches, but now I don't think I've seen a new one for a long time. There are probably ways that I could get more things to play with, but it's all a bit confusing and the user-interface could do with some work.
In fact, the entire aesthetic palette for Minion Masters is one of the more off-putting elements in the game. To be blunt, it looks like ass most of the time and the animations leave a lot to be desired. The menu system is impossible to navigate, and there are way too many things unlocking and shouting for attention, that it all becomes meaningless and washes over you like a cup of tepid bath water.
Obviously it's just not to my taste and I would recommend that the developers chill out a little and try to simplify everything. Plus, they would do well to hide the global chat box permanently because of the drivel that comes out of every global chat box in every game that has one.
Although, I can't deny that in the wee hours of the evening, just before I shut down my PC, I often have a couple of matches to cap off my day. It's mindless enough to be enjoyable, and it's quick enough to be over before I get bored, so there's some value to be found there.
Maybe I'll find the deck-builder that really cements my interest one day, but for now this will do for a bit of light-hearted and mindless entertainment.