I’ve had somewhat of an affinity for card games ever since I was a kid. I remember sitting at my grandparents’ kitchen table for hours with them and my brother on many a Saturday evening; playing “Seven Cards Down the River” until well after the midnight hour had passed.
Dark Summoner was the first mobile game I installed when I got my first real smart phone and I played for months on end with my best friend and was pretty severely addicted. I was a late bloomer when it came to the Magic: The Gathering craze, but when I discovered it, I quickly came into my own. That became my new obsession.
One can only imagine how brightly my eyes lit up when I came across the Dire Wolf Digital booth at PAX East where they were allowing people to try out Eternal; their newest card game, on PC and tablet before they released it.
Even still, this is probably nothing compared to the elation I felt when I opened their email that contained the closed beta code they had promised and signed me up to receive while I was there.
Eternal was just as beautiful as I remembered; a memory I kept despite how overwhelmed I was at being at my first large convention. Especially for a card game, the graphics were absolutely stunning. The developers put so much detail into the artwork; everything from the play area to each and every single card, which is a feat in itself as there are so many of them within the game.
Next to the artwork, my next favorite thing about Eternal was that it was easy for me to learn the basics of gameplay. If you have played MTG with any success, then chances are, you can play this. It carries the same general concept where you have cards called Sigil Cards, that work like energy or mana cards, and are used in exchange for casting creatures or spells.
Like MTG, you have to strategize how and in what order you play your cards in order to counter your opponent’s movements and bring their life down to zero before they can do the same to you. Not having to learn an entirely new set of rules gave me more time to actually get into playing and enjoying the game. With a limited amount of time on my hands within my life in general, this was definitely a plus for me.
Not only do you get a Main Quest with a storyline in Eternal; they also give you options to play against other players with either a structured deck or a deck that you build from drafted packs. Now, these do cost gold or gems, but you also get to keep all of the cards that you pick so it is definitely worth it. These battles will also potentially grant you a place in their league standings. If you are anything like me, this will most certainly bring out the competitiveness in you.
Let it be noted that you also win cards by defeating quests and opponents in the story-line, so it’s not like you are stuck with the same cards you start out with. You get to modify and build and play with your own structured decks and so, what you can do is almost limitless.
With the game on PC and compatible with both IOS and Android tablets, this is something anyone who likes card games should look into.