PHAGEBORN: Online Card Game Reviews

I was about to skip over this untill I noticed their very pro-consumer business model which doesn't have any randomized cards packs being sold and instead you just unlock sets of cards through a skilltree of sorts as you play which is really quite refreshing to see and easily the biggest selling point for me personally. I was pleasantly suprised by the quality of the game despite it being a early access. It's easy to tell that the developers have a genuine fondness for card games and influences from games like Magic the gathering are very clear in both the mechanics and artwork. The game does bring its own unique twist to the table in the form of a dual lane and dual resource system both of which feel quite intuitive. The card artwork is also reminicent of Magic and generally of a high quality which helps the overall presentation of the game quite a bit. Obviously the game's features are a bit bare right now given that it's early acces but its a functional card game that appears to have alot of potential and the business model alone should be enough for anybody who enjoys card games to give this game a look.

Alright, I thought a CCG using a Buy once, unlock cards by playing would be fun. Plus, I was interested in the 2v2 option... Unfortunately, the game fails miserably in its current state. First the opening cinematic had messed up sound, fine whatever, its beta, but still doesn't leave a good first impression when your fancy opening cinematic blows out my speakers with static. Second, the Tutorial just black screened, and then crashed the game on me without so much as an error message. Third, realized the only way to play is queue PvP in casual mode. There's no AI to play against to learn the game, a big downer since the tutorial didn't work. Fourth, the queue went for a minute before I gave up, no way I'm going to wait that long each time I want to play a casual game. Finally, noticed that to play 2v2, I HAVE to invite a friend... no solo queing for 2v2... So game still lacks pretty much everything that peaked my interest, so refunding. Maybe I'll come try it again when they get out of beta... don't get your hopes up though... terrible first impression for me.

The game is ok, still has things to add. The only negative thing I have to say is that at day somehow, the game for me gets stuck at the second loading screen after you press "Continue". It stays there and the only thing I can do is exit (last time waited an hour and nothing to Alt+f4). Can only manage to get to the other screen at night. Fix that and you'll have a loyal costumer.

this is a really polished early access game. i'd say it's better than most non-early-access card games i've played in the past year (looking at you lotr!). anyway, i've just played a few non-ranked battles (and a few during beta) and i like the game, i'm gonna stay and i hope others will too. here's why: 1) the strategy/tactics elements are not simplistic, it's not easy to forge a clear path to victory even with good cards 2) not just cards but also positioning and many other things need to be considered (what to choose when leveling up, when to use the avatars power etc), its not just draw cards and in 99% of cases just use them if you can, which is what i dislike in some games where that really is the best strategy (and then they become all about the meta and deckbuilding and the entire tactics becomes draw and play). 3) because of 1 and 2 when you lose it's because you didn't think hard enough and not some rng thing. 4) it seems very balanced. i'm gonna continue playing. for the devs, the things i personally would like in the future: 1) emoting to the opponent (an 'oops' and a 'wow' would be nice, they happen most often in these games) 2) little ui things like: i (obviously) always want to read the card i drew before i choose how to level up, and i keep clicking "hide" on the level up bar, checking the cards and then clicking "show", it would be easier if i didnt have to, and if i can somehow see my cards even while the level up screen is on.

Guys this is such a smart and complex game I cannot believe it, I was blown away, since I purchased it I only play a couple of games of Legends of Runterra and Hearthstone and then I get back to it to unlock some more cards. At first for a couple of games you will not understand everything that is going on (maybe a better tutorial would have been appropriated), but then it clicks and the game becomes so interesting. I hope more people will join soon and the ranked ladder starts. It's the first game that makes me want to stream it just to explain it and attract people in order to have a larger player base :-)

A promising new entry to the digital card game scene. The core mechanics of a deep and interesting card game are in there, but a lot of polish is still missing. Since the game has just entered EA, hopefully the shortcomings will be addressed before full release. [b]Pros[/b] * Good strategic depth and a compelling combination of new and familiar CCG mechanics. * No packs or other paid unlocks - for any serious CCG player the once time purchase cost is going to be way less than the cost of cards/packs in other CCGs. * Great card art. [b]Cons[/b] * Music and sound effects need a lot of work - a lot of things don't have sound effects at all yet. * Overall pace of most actions feels a little slow - attack/death/spawn animations should definitely be sped up. * Deck builder is a bit cumbersome - currently you can't filter out unowned cards or show only legendaries, for example. * Menus and in-game UI feel a bit cluttered and confusing at times.

Great game, awesome graphics and gameplay. Just love the world created and back story! Also really dig the audio! Highly recommend!

While I was playing the meta was still evolving. The community as a whole was discovering new combinations every day. It was truly a joy to play : ). The developers were also balancing cards and decks out every week in response to the meta. The community and devs were all true lovers of the CCG genre and many in the community were hardened vets/experts with more than a decade of experience : ). The other thing I truly TRULY loved about this game was its B2P model. Anyone could craft any deck while only spending $14.99. No need to spend $500+ every single expansion. Rather than having a few people spending insane amounts of money carrying everyone else and a lopsided model in which only the big whales could craft the big decks, this company opted to have everyone carry the game equally so that nobody would have to spend a large amount of money and everyone could have equal access to the most expensive of decks ^)^. Thank you for the amazing game and fair monetization : D. I hope other CCGs make a move to this model as while I love CCGs, I don't play many of them because they are one of the most expensive games to play competitively :'(.

I liked it, I bought it, I played it, I won my first battle, I queued again, waited 10 minutes, checked steam charts, only 14 people playing this month, refunded.

I haven't played that much yet, but I really like what they have going with the two lanes. Also, I really appreciate the transparency around the pricing and unlocking of content. It's great that there are developers who think about how to combat pay-2-win and include that in their work. The Public Beta was also a really great move by the developers, so that you get to try out if you like the design and ideas before you need to decide if you'll be spending money on it - I surely did. The 2v2 is a great addition to the genre as well. Yes, it's not super polished and there are still queues for PvP, but this is a first game by the studio, so you gotta cut them some slack for an online title even to be working. The Early Access roadmap looks great and I have my hopes up for this team and game to be great.