Hearthstone Review
Kid Safe: Very High (8.5 / 10) Game Quality: Very High (8.5 / 10)
Genre: Strategy Card Game
-
This title focuses on a play style
similar to things like Magic the Gathering or the original Pokémon Card game. Players will collect a number of different
cards, each with specific abilities and strengths, and then use this deck to
defeat their opponents. A variety of things come into play including luck of
the draw, but a large deal of winning has to do with how a player strategically
picks and utilizes their cards against their opponent.
Internet Requirements: Very High
-
Being a PC Title linked to developer
Blizzard's Battle.net, players are required to stay connected to the internet
at all times. Whether they are playing alone or against other players, an
internet connection is required at all times.
Story Summary:
-
Hearthstone presents an entertaining
issue from a story summary. Being a card game, you are not presented with a
"story" per say. However, players are able to purchase and play in
scenarios (the currently released one being called Naxxramas) which has a
progression of enemies and creatures you to get through until you beat the
boss. Theoretically, the game is set inside the World of Warcraft video game
where the beloved heroes of THAT title are playing against each other with
trading cards.
Kid Safe: Very
High (8.5 / 10)
-
Foul
Language: None
o
From what we have seen, Hearthstone
does not contain any amount of Foul Language. Silly accents a plenty...but no
foul language.
o
Special
Note: While playing online, players have
a chat option available to them. Use discretion while letting your player
online as they are able to send and receive foul language via the chat
function.
-
Violence
and Gore: Low
o
Being a card game, you can naturally
presume that Hearthstone has a limited amount of violence and gore. Regarding
violence, players will be able to use certain attacks and abilities against
each other. Things like arrows, vials of acid, magic spells, fireballs, etc.
can be seen flying from one side of the board to the other. Players might then
have a small splash of animated blood which emanates from the picture of their
character, although no real physical damage or injuries are shown.
Additionally, players will have access to "weapon" cards which look
just as such: weapons. These cards will represent bow and arrows, daggers,
axes, and more and are used to "attack" their opponent. Finally, most
particularly in the new Naxxramas content, players will be able to see a number
of undead monster cards which represent zombies and monsters. While not
particularly grotesque, they are by definition walking corpses.
-
Sexually-Related
Content: Very Low
o
Hearthstone, being a card game does
not contain any notable amount of sexually related content. However, we do feel
it noteworthy to mention that there are several female characters who are
dressed in slightly revealing or scantily clad attire. While no nudity is
present, a fair amount of cleavage may be.
-
Use of
Drugs and Alcohol: None
o
To the best of the reviewer's
knowledge, the game does not contain any amount of drug or alcohol usage.
o
Please note, with the constant
addition of new content and cards, there is a possibility that cards
referencing these items (most likely alcohol in the form of rum, whiskey, ale,
etc.) may come into play, however at this time we did not find anything.
Game Quality: Very High (8.5 / 10)
-
Graphics /
Visuals: High
o
The Graphics and Visuals in
Hearthstone do the game justice. You might imagine that there would be very
little to do graphically for a card game, however you'd be surprised. While
they don't go for photorealism, the comic-book style artwork is fantastic.
Every card is unique in its design and appearance. Each card interacts with the
board and the players differently. The different graphics for attacks like
fireballs whizzing at players, cards exploding, ice spraying across the board,
and more all make the game feel alive and interesting when in actuality,
they're just cards.
o
On top of this, the player will get
to experience a whole slew of different boards to fight on. This may not sound
very interesting, however it adds just that much more fun and depth to the
gameplay. The boards all represent different special locations from the World
of Warcraft video game and can be fully interacted with. I think my favorite
board to play on has a large catapult resting in the bottom right half of the
screen that can actually be loaded with rocks, fired off, and reloaded. It's
small details like these that keep the visuals interesting.
-
Audio: High
o
Again, Audio is another one that you
might not think overly important or interesting for a card-game, but
Hearthstone did it well. Utilizing a very simple soundtrack of gentle
instrumental music to fill in the gaps, Hearthstone instead focuses its efforts
towards sound effects and voice acting. Every hero that players utilize has a
unique feel and sound to them. They all have different sayings that add personality
without ever giving them live expressions or movements. Everything about the
character that you would need to know comes through just through the way they
speak to their opponent. Even better, a lot of the back and forth between the
virtual card players can prove hilarious. I think one of my favorite lines from
the Naxxramas line was with the mage versus the boss.
§ "You asked for it!" - Mage
§ "I most certainly did NOT! You barged into MY floating necropolis!"
o
Aside from the voice acting, the
sound effects added to the cards allow for an extra "oomph" to the
gameplay. What fun is it to just "throw a fireball" if it just clicks
off someone's defense points? Much better when that roaring ball of flame
flashes over with a satisfying BOOM! when it hits. Overall, they did a great
job in an area that could have been easily brushed over.
-
Gameplay /
Playability: High
o
The question of Gameplay and
Playability was a hard one for me to figure out. The reason for this is because
the Game MIGHT not be for everyone. I'll explain. Being such a well made card
game, it's definitely fun to play around with, but at the end of the day, it's
still a card game. The attraction that draws many people to it is the idea of
perfecting one's cards and strategies to such a finite point that you will
always win against your opponents. This will only happen if you have the
determination to play nearly endless games against other players. You will be
rewarded by going up in ranking against other players as well as earning
additional gold and cards, but at the end of the day; you're just playing the
same decks over and over with the goal of being the best. For those that enjoy
trying for perfection, fantastic...for those looking for more of a story arc...
well.
o
On the flipside, and what made me
decide to rate it higher, was because Blizzard HAS done something about this
problem. With the introduction of the Naxxramas gameplay that I've mentioned
before, Blizzard attempted to add more of a single story line that players can
play through. While you might often still have to go back and tweak your cards
and your strategies a few times to get through the storyline, it's at least
something more to follow than simply trying to be the best of the other
players.
o
Finally, playability. Have you ever
heard of the phrase "Easy to learn but hard to master?" That sums up
Hearthstone perfectly. They walk you through a nice, smooth tutorial at the
beginning of the game, introducing every concept of play from timing to cards,
to how to play them, what they do, etc. On top of that, once you are done with
the tutorial, there are endless practice rounds that you can play to get a
better mastery of certain heroes and their cards and even unlock new cards.
However, once you start playing ranked games against other players is where it
truly becomes difficult. Absolute blast of a game, but expect to put in a lot
of time if you want to be great at it.
-
Dollar-Value:
Very High
o
Overall, at least for the time
being, I have to say that Hearthstone has a very high dollar value. To start
off: it's free! Now, now, you might be saying to yourself, that doesn't
mean anything...I heard there are in-game purchases. Well, you'd be right. Much
like some other free games these days, Hearthstone allows you to purchase
things in game. However, you don't have to do so in order to enjoy the game.
Players will unlock gold as they play which can be used to unlock special gameplay
modes called Arena fights, unlock more cards, and even gain access to the
Naxxramas content without ever spending a penny. A little money out of your
pocket might make things easier, but it's never required.
Recommendations
- Hearthstone is truly a fantastic
card-game adventure. If you are looking to explore the world it came from, I
would check out World of Warcraft. It's another PC game and you can actually
access it and play it for free up til level 20 through the same system you can
play Hearthstone (Battle.net). If you are looking for more card-game fun, I
would check out Magic The Gathering. There are actual trading card versions of
this available, but I caution you that it can get very expensive VERY fast. If
you're interested, check out the digital version of the game through Xbox, PC,
or even your Android phone.
