For years, Android users have patiently waited for Gwent to grace the platform, and CD Projekt has finally answered the call! Released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in 2018, for iOS in 2019, and now for Android in 2020, the standalone version of Gwent was made after its critical success as a mini-game in The Witcher 3. It was a standout portion of a standout game, from a standout studio and thus deserves all of its hardcore fans.
Since Gwent has been out for so long and has a well-established community, most of this review will be focused on how well it was plays on the Android platform opposed to the card game mechanics themselves.
Presentation
Hyperbole is rarely appropriate, but GWENT: The Witcher Card Game is the best looking card game on the market. I’ve played a bunch of digital TCGs like Hearthstone, Magic: The Gathering Arena, and Legends of Runeterra, and none of them hold a candle to Gwent’s aesthetics. Even Hearthstone, drenched in all its nostalgic World of Warcraft glory, does not compare to the weird magics and monstrous creatures of Gwent.
The most important art to get right in a card game is, of course, the cards themselves. And without fail, every card tells a portion of a larger story. They grip and intrigue viscerally, especially the animated cards. Each set–Northern Realms, Nilfgaard, Monsters, Scoia’tael, Skellige, and Syndicate–each have a fleshed out and satisfying aesthetic that link their looks with their mechanics.
The visuals and animations in Gwent are so lush that I expected my phone to struggle, or at least grapple, with some graphics strain, but my Galaxy S20 didn’t even have so much as a confrontation with graphical stress. It’s a newer phone, yes, but there wasn’t a single instance of stutter, and I couldn’t be more pleased with how Gwent runs for Android.
Gameplay
GWENT: The Witcher Card Game has absolutely earned its niche within the TCG prestige ranks as one of its most unique and re-inventive members.
By separating the game into 3 rounds, the core engines of games of chance are brought to the forefront–resource management and power projection. The varnish of Witcher fantasy is great, but Gwent is really successful because of its unique play style that forces players to especially focus on bluffing based on intricate knowledge of statistical probabilities.
But regardless of its satisfying play style, the act of playing GWENT: The Witcher Card Game on the phone is equally satisfying. Dragging and dropping works crisply, double-tapping helps expedite redrawing, and the only annoying part of playing on the phone is deck-building because of how much faster clicking and scrolling through 600+ cards is on a desktop.
Replayability
The raw amount of kegs to smash (loot chests), cards to collect, heroes to obtain, kegs to smash, scraps to squirrel away, meteorite powder to stash, kegs to smash, gold to hoard, and did I mention… kegs to smash? Oh yeah! There are lots of kegs to smash! Earn loot rewards, of which there are 3 different types of currency, that come early and often as scattered little bits of dopamine given to players in bite sized achievement form. Expect a lot of “encouragement” along the way.
Doing research into the more competitive side of the game, I’ve come across a sentiment that balance patches come frequently with a lot of changes in tow. On one hand, an actively engaged developer is fantastic, but on the other it places a larger strain on beginners with fewer cards and disincentivizes saving up resources to a single deck for those beginners because it may not be worth it next patch.
Once you have an account with a worthy amount of cards in your collection, GWENT: The Witcher Card Game lets you know that you still probably don’t have enough, as there are 40 different deck ability powers and 600+ cards with constant balance updates. So, new decks and new play styles are always on the horizon!
Conclusion
GWENT: The Witcher Card Game is the total package for a free-to-play collectible card game. It has beautiful art, Witcher music, deep strategy, and all the fixings for a constantly evolving meta. CD Projekt has hit the Android port out of the park!
Score: 10/10
Check Out the GWENT: The Witcher Card Game Trailer:
GWENT: The Witcher Card Game is available for free on Android, iOS and PC. For more information on GWENT, including gameplay features, please visit www.playgwent.com.
Android Review
Recent Michigan State University grad and current Game Studies researcher who plays fantasy RPG's to escape, Smash to compete, and Stardew to chill. Also have a +1 to rage/toxicity resistance due to the many hours sunk into WoW, R6, and LoL.
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