HEX: Shards Of Fate – The Sandbox To The Theme Parks Of The TCG Genre
HEX: Shards of Fate enjoyed an incredibly successful Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign and the closed-beta is extremely well sought-after in many circles. However, as open beta and full release loom ever closer the competition waits on the horizon. 12 months ago the TCG/CCG genre hardly existed in the MMO format. There was a couple of small titles, a few more popular in the hardcore circles and Blizzard's Hearthstone that came along before it was welcomed by the masses. With Hearthstone demonstrating the ability to introduce the mass MMO audience to the competitive world of the CCG it's inevitable that we'll see many titles attempting to duplicate its success. Thankfully Hex:Shards of Fate is not one of these games and includes many unique features in its own right, but can it rise to the high levels of appeal and accessibility on display in Hearthstone? We've seen the massively popular free online RPG genre fall victim to poor quality spam titles in recent years and the increasingly popular MOBA genre is also starting to suffer a similar fate; with CCG's introducing a more casual and core approach to a rising genre , can we expect the same from the CCG/TCG? Hearthstone was one of the most sought after beta events in years. Over $130,000 was made on eBay through the selling of Hearthstone beta keys, enough to fund many of the MMORPG's we see spammed today. The tactical depth of the CCG genre complete with the highly addictive collection mechanics, competitive nature, and deep gaming background make it the perfect genre for an increasingly competitive generation of gamers and Hearthstone's success shows there is room for these games. On the surface one may struggle to define two games in the CCG genre. They both use cards and strategy to defeat other players, both have monsters and spells, how different can they be? Well, that's where Hex: Shards of Fate shines. Hex to Hearthstone is like World of Warcraft to Ultimate Online. World of Warcraft is a great game in its own right but it's a very different experience to Ultima Online. Where World of Warcraft traditionally features a "theme park" approach to the MMO genre Ultima Online instead adopted a deeper link to the sandbox genre. Both games are considered to be hugely successful, both games have survived years on the market, and both games are loved by millions. Being less accessible and more complex than Hearthstone doesn't hurt the chances for Hex: Shards of Fate to succeed, it improves it. Want to pick-up and play a fantastically looking game with regular competitive tournaments for just a few hours a week? Hearthstone will be perfect for that audience. Want to invest hundreds of hours into an incredibly tactical experience with a premium currency and award-winning artwork? Hex is your game. This is one occasion where two big dogs can occupy the same yard.Leave a comment
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