Hearthstone Game Review
Ever since Hearthstone’s closed beta release in September 2013, I have been a huge fan of the game. Hearthstone officially launched in 2014 by Blizzard Entertainment and it was a global hit. With a player class system and familiar characters from Blizzards most popular title, World of Warcraft, Hearthstone offers a unique take on TCGs(trading card games). Although Hearthstone does not have the same player base and popularity as it did 6 years ago, it truly hits the mark for a fun online card game.
Hearthstone is an online multiplayer card game where the goal is to simply defeat your opponent. However, simple as it may sound, the game is very intricate in its mechanics and challenges players to think ahead and outwit their opponents. Both players start with 30 health and a deck designed around one specific class from World of Warcraft. The 11 classes include Demon Hunter, Druid, Hunter, Mage, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, and Warrior. Each class has a specific playstyle based on their unique Hero Abilities. These hero abilities are very well designed because they add another layer of depth and personalization to the heroes of this game. Warriors gain the ability to stack up on armor, adding 2 armor points on top of their health. Within these classes are spell cards that are also hero specific. These cards help improve the synergy in the classes playstyle. An example of this would be the Warrior spell, “Shield Bash” which consumes all of your hero’s armor to deal damage to a minion. When you combine the Warrior’s armor-stacking hero power with the Shield Bash spell, you create a deadly combo to destroy an opponent’s minion for a low mana cost.
One of the main reasons for Hearthstone’s success is it’s beautiful art style. The consists of 3D cards, board, and special effects. Players are looking at a completely 3D game from the top-down, making it feel like a physical card game. Heroes and minions also have voices, speaking whenever there is an interaction. Playful or determined voices and phrases reflect the minion/hero’s personality and actions. These fine and minimal details really help the board feel alive.
Players can build their collection by opening card packs from the store for real world currency or use gold as in game currency. The downside to this and main reason why Hearthstone had lost many players is because it is very difficult to maintain a large collection and meta cards as a free to play player. Players can disenchant extra cards for stardust, a currency used to craft new cards. This method is somewhat costly in the sense that the stardust you receive for disenchanting a card is much less than the cost of crafting it. It is important for free to play players to use their stardust wisely and save it to craft better cards when they release a new expansion.
Overall, Hearthstone was a fantastic game that I still enjoy playing today from time to time. Its lack of rewards, makes it hard for new players to keep up, but the gameplay and tactical decision making make Hearthstone a very fun game to play. It’s beautiful and interactive visuals keep players drawn in and create a memorable experience.
