I’m not very good at virtual poker because I’m probably the worst loser in the country. Games like Heartstone can really get me into the red zone, mostly when I’m playing against other people. I mostly try to avoid this type. So it was a bit of a surprise to have Wildfrost review, but I pulled up my big boy pants, gave the game a try, and here are my thoughts on Deadpan Games’ new card game, which is due out soon. Surprise, by the way.
Blind Frost itself doesn’t really have a story. The different factions have their own maps, and each faction has a brief introduction, but other than these little stories, there isn’t much to tell about the story. Much of the game is experienced in its purest form through gameplay, which may please those who think the mechanics are better than the… well, narrative context.
Wildfrost is a card game where you battle an opponent who has his own unique cards and special abilities. There are round counters at the bottom of the cards. When this counter reaches zero, your cards attack your opponent’s cards on the other side of the table. Yes, you don’t necessarily decide what to attack and when, but giving up that control means the game gets an extra cool strategic dimension because you have to keep thinking about it for a few rounds, so always have a strategy ready because things Changes with each round. Each card has a heart on the left, which is the card’s health, and a sword on the right, which represents its damage. The overall goal is to protect your hero, which you choose from several options at the beginning of the game. As such, you have to constantly protect and take care of your heroes, but they’re the ones with the most effective abilities, so you have to balance defense and attack very carefully. It took me quite a while to catch up, but along the way it all made more and more sense to me. Right now I like it because it requires you to take your time, form an overview, and plan your strategy based on the defenses you’ve built around your heroes. At first I didn’t know that I had to think that far, so when the turn passed, my hero was often crushed by the opponent’s cards. I’m getting better at it though, and when I feel like I’ve finally caught the point of Wild Frost, it becomes very satisfying.
Here is an ad:
Your hero is not alone on the field, because after the first game, you can enter new maps where you will see frozen heroes as you move on. These, like your main heroes, have a lot of exciting abilities that protect your heroes. So you have to put these other heroes into the field, split in the middle so that there are three cards horizontally on the top and bottom of the field. Those standing at the front are the ones who will be primarily attacked, so you can protect your prime units by placing them at the back of the line. Therefore, only the main hero can take a hit. What’s cool is that you need to constantly balance the abilities of these heroes, both offensively and defensively. In your hand, you’re given seven cards to play as you like. These range from direct attack cards to cards that reduce the number of turns a hero needs before attacking. What’s cool is that you can draw as many cards as you want, and then if you’re not satisfied, you just draw seven new cards. The only downside is that it takes one round, so you have to be careful how you use it.
Wildfrost is a so-called roguelike, so each playthrough is random. However, the cards are the same and have the same abilities, but how you play, your opponents, and your benefits are randomized each time you state them. The best way to describe it is that you see a map between matches with one of two paths you can choose. Depending on your choice, you can get specific upgrades. There are treasure chests, necklaces, that you can wear on one of the heroes of your choice, which give them a new ability. As I said, there are also frozen heroes that can be used for the next battle you encounter on the map. Additionally, there’s a snail shell that gives gold that you can use in the shop, which also has everything from upgrades to necklaces. It’s all randomly generated, as are the enemies you encounter, so it’s classic Roguelike. That means it’s a lot easier to see the missing stories, but it also offers sublime replay value. The more you fight, the more you unlock, so even when things aren’t going your way, the progression keeps getting better and better, and then you just get better mechanically by playing over and over better.
Here is an ad:
There are many hours of entertainment in Wildfrost as there is an addictive progression that will only make you run again. Every third battle you encounter on the map is a boss fight, a super strong enemy that must be defeated. These are tough to beat because they can take a lot of beating before they go down. There are even some that respawn with double health after being defeated, but they don’t do much damage. If you manage to defeat this super boss, you have the chance to choose one of three advantages, such as having more heroes than the three you have from the beginning, or you can draw a new hero card. As you now understand, the variations are nearly endless.
It’s a super cool progression system, and once you get started, Wildfrost is hard to put down. I played Blightfrost on the steam deck and it felt perfect here. I also think it will be playable on Nintendo Switch and I can also imagine it would be cool on mobile because the combat is fast and furious so it’s a game you can easily play on the go and the time just disappears .
If I had to write something negative it would be that the game isn’t very good at teaching the player its mechanics. Hours after I first started the game, it was annoying that something was still happening in the game that I didn’t fully understand. The game is also pretty minimal, taking up only a few hundred megabytes, so the graphics and sound are pretty primitive, and unfortunately, there’s no video or dialogue to explain the game’s mechanics either. Could have been better.
However, Wildfrost is well-made, refreshingly innovative, and addictive, so if you like a card game that’s never dull, then Wildfrost is for you. I think it’s excellent entertainment.