One of Classy Yak Game Studio’s latest releases, Tap Cats: Epic Card Battle, is a digital CCG with a fun style appealing to all ages but it doesn’t do much more than that.
The CCG genre has surged in the past few years, with many studios trying to break into the market. Titles like Artifact and Hearthstone are counted among them. However, most of these games are produced by large studios backed by a loyal community and the money that follows. But for better or worse, Classy Yak Game Studio is a small company trying to build Tap Cats from the ground up.
One of the first things I noticed about Tap Cats: Epic Card Battle was the interesting art direction. There are over 200 different cats to collect, all with their own personality and corresponding factions. Many character designs are references or loose puns connecting to pop culture. I found the designs to be amusing and one of the first things to pull me into the game.
The wide variety of cats lets a wide variety of people choose favorites that resonate with their personality.
One of the distinguishing factors of Tap Cats is the focus on PvE gameplay. There is a PvP mode but the opponents are still AI controlled. A large amount of the early gameplay is through PvE missions in the singleplayer questline. Other CCG’s like Card Wars have had a similar system, but I was worried there would be a lack of content without a fleshed out multiplayer. However, the game compensates for that with a set of quests to go with the singleplayer content. Players can grind and be rewarded with currency to expand their collection and upgrade their cards. To add to that content, the developers are also working on a story mode. As Tap Cats can also be played on a mobile device, I found this style of player reward to be fitting to its gameplay, with players casually popping in and out of the game for a fun few rounds.
However, this style has its drawbacks. Implemented systems such as a daily log-in reward and in-game energy required to battle, makes the player incentivized to stop as soon as their daily limit is reached. It can be difficult to grind for the best cards when you are forced to take a break. You can refill the energy through in-app purchases, but not everyone has the money to do so. Neither does everybody have the time to log in every single day to receive the given rewards. What doesn’t help is that the simplistic gameplay makes it easy to blow through your daily games without feeling fulfilled.
Tap Cats has some complex, fulfilling gameplay but it doesn’t set a very high ceiling, and it takes a long time to reach the top. Starting out, you are given a basic set of cards, but none of these cards are remotely playable in the later stages. Most have 0 abilities and low stats. In the later game, it is common for all cards to have up to 3 and much higher attack and health powers than what is accessible in the early game. Many card games like Hearthstone or Magic: Arena provide ways to craft specific cards straight from a new account, so new players can at least have access to the higher power level. In order to reach that higher power level, you have to grind the singleplayer modes. But the restrictive daily grind system prevents a quick road to reaching it. As a competitive player, I wanted to hop right into complex gameplay and decisions, but was left disappointed.
But for all my doom and gloom about the game’s complexity and progression, Tap Cats: Epic Card Battle is not a terrible game. The art and music are unique and exciting. The gameplay is simple and easily digestible for people on the go. But as a competitive person sitting down to play on my PC, I have different priorities. The developers host a small dedicated fanbase on a community discord and communicate with their more passionate followers. Tap Cats: Epic Card Battle is a decent game for people looking to relax and play with some fighting cats. It’s for these reasons I rate the game:
6/10.
Check Out the Tap Cats: Epic Card Battle Video:
Tap Cats: Epic Card Battle is free-to-play for PC and Mac via Steam.
My name is Devon Huge. I'm passionate about writing, art, games, and lists that are one item too long.
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