Magic: ManaStrike is a new game released by Netmarble Corporation, a popular and internationally recognized gaming company headquartered in South Korea, which will be playable as a downloadable app in the App Store or via Google Play. Netmarble has announced that those who pre-register for the game will receive a variety of in-game goodies when the game is released. As someone who has witnessed some of the in-game prizes, I can assure prospective players that the offer is worth it. The game joins a pre-established game universe from the Wizards of the Coast game franchise known as Magic: The Gathering. In an official press release published by Netmarble Corporation, Magic: ManaStrike was described as “a mobile combat game that brings spells inspired by Magic: The Gathering‘s cards and characters to life in a new genre.” For those who are not familiar with the Magic: The Gathering franchise, no need to fret. I went into the game completely oblivious to its origins and still had a great experience.
Upon starting the game, I immediately became interested in the lore and characters. Sadly, not much of the exposition is available in the app Magic: ManaStrike, but I truly enjoyed reading about the world of the Planeswalkers, the characters you play in the app, on the game/book franchise website, and I plan to continue to find out more because it really is the compelling fantasy and sci-fi kind of story that I love. However, all you really need to know for this game is that a notorious villain named Nicol Bolas is looking to get his revenge on an elite group of magic-using characters known as Planeswalkers, who have defeated him before. He creates a new mock universe including the Planeswalkers and their abilities, hoping to use the information he gets on their combat skills to defeat them. You, the player, are providing him with this information by using the Planeswalkers in combat against other Planeswalkers.
I did not know the Planeswalkers prior to this game, but it was not hard at all to become a new fan. The characters are all wonderfully designed to the point where it is hard to decide who’s cooler. Each character has a costume that highlights their specialized abilities, which are based on elements of nature and other facets of life. As someone usually biased towards fire-type characters, the first character to catch my eye was Chandra Nalaar. However, this is the kind of game that may challenge your tastes, because I am all for team Jace Beleren now. However, no matter what your favorite type of character is, all of the characters have something to offer and the real decision will be based on your personal preferences for attacks/attack cards. While there are a few general attack cards that can be used by all characters, there are also unique cards that can only be used by certain characters and fall into alignment with their skills. These cards summon creatures and attacks with different ranges, HPs, and ATK strength levels that can be upgraded easily with the more time you invest into the game. It is fun to learn and utilize the large variety of cards/creatures. Players can either choose to focus on one Planeswalker and improve that character exponentially, or to experiment with all of them so that they always have more than one viable option for a battle.
The battles are Player versus Player matches, where you will be matched up against someone with the same rank as you and a similar amount of experience. In the battle, you will have a certain amount of energy that recharges throughout the game that determines which cards you can use, as they exhaust different amounts of energy. Your ability to win comes down to how you and your opponent have arranged the cards you have gotten and your strategies for how to use them together. You also have the opportunity to use your Planeswalker in battle. Each Planeswalker has their own fighting style when in battle and have different ways of assisting the rest of your summoned team.
This is a game where battling, and even more so winning, gains the player a generous amount of in game benefits and skills as rewards. You have plenty of opportunities to train and improve so that you can grow used to characters and the new cards you receive. The more you improve, the more likely you are to win and get rare and uncommon cards that make your character even stronger. I truly enjoyed the ease I had in learning the game and making my characters battle-ready. In fact, the constant reinforcement with rewards may be the reason that I cannot stop playing!
9/10
Check Out the Magic: ManaStrike Trailer:
For more information, and to pre-order Magic: ManaStrike, please visit here: https://manastrike.com/en/preorder
iOS Review
I am an aspiring writer particularly interested in helping write video game storylines and scripts. I prefer games that aim to strike a balance between compelling stories with character development and fun and immersive gameplay. Some of my favorite games include Until Dawn, Detroit Become Human, and both the Call of Duty and Resident Evil game series.
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