Thanks to the large number of SRPGs that have flooded the market over the past few years, it has become easy for many new releases in the genre to get lost in the shuffle. We are at the point where just following in the footsteps of games like Disgaea, Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Ogre, and Fire Emblem won't cut it, especially considering the quality and longevity of those games alone. Idea Factory must have realized this when it decided to bring us Neverland Card Battles, as the title combines the SRPG elements found in the aforementioned games with Trading Card Game (TCG) elements to give fans of both genres, and newcomers for that matter, the chance to experience something fresh and new. I was given some hands-on time with Neverland Card Battles a few weeks ago. Here is what I came away with -
The Story
The sealing of Hellgaia
Years ago, the evil god Hellgaia saw that the war between humans and demons was tearing the land apart. In order to end this chaos, he decided that destroying the inhabitants of Neverland was the way to go. "If there are no more people, then there will be no more war." The other gods disagreed and sealed Hellgaia in a shrine in order to keep him from executing his plan. They also split his powers into special cards called Spectral Cards. In present times, the continuing chaos has weakened the power of the seal. Once it is broken, Hellgaia will have the power to destroy everything in existence, thus accomplishing his goal of ending all conflicts and war. The ones who will dictate whether or not Hellgaia goes free are Dominators, those who possess the Spectral Cards. The player controls one such Dominator named Galahad.
The GameThe single-player component of Neverland Card Battles consists of eighteen battles on sixteen different maps. Before initiating a battle, you must first select a map. If you are replaying a map that you have already beaten, you can select your opponent from the list of those that have already been defeated. Replaying maps and opponents gives you a chance to add more cards to you inventory, so going back is necessary if you want more options when building your deck. If you are tackling a new map, you have to face the opponent that is associated with it in order to advance the story.
Meet the Dominators
Next, you must choose a deck of cards. When a new campaign is started, you are given a default set that is good enough to get you through the first few levels. Eventually, new decks will have to be built to counter stronger enemies. There are three types of cards - base cards which allow you to lay down defensive structures such as walls and forts, unit cards which can be used to spawn creatures and soldiers, and spell cards which can be used for offense, healing, and buffs. Each deck cannot exceed thirty cards and the same card cannot be added more than four times. Since Galahad himself does not level up, creating new decks that can be used to take on foes with stronger cards is a must.
With the right cards, you can customize your deck to exploit the opposing Dominators' weaknesses and/or counter their strengths. For example, one particular Dominator has the "first attack" skill which causes the damage that she inflicts to register before your units even attack. Normally, both units incur damage at the same time (otherwise, the game would degenerate into a race to see who can get to their opponent first). Because of her skill, she is able to run through most of your units without taking any damage. Her playstyle can be countered with a deck full of magic spells and units that also have the "first attack" skill. Another Dominator summons units that restore his health when they are destroyed. Attacking anything but that particular Dominator would render your previous attacks moot as his health would always get replenished. My solution was to create a deck with spell cards that either caused those units to disappear or made it so that they could not attack. This allowed me to focus my attacks on the Dominator. It may take a few tries to put together the right deck for each situation, but once you do, it is quite satisfying to see your efforts pay off.
You have your deck. Now the fun begins.
At the start of each turn, one card is automatically drawn from the deck. You can only have five cards in your hand at one time, so if you already have five, one will be removed. If there are no more cards left in your deck, you are docked five HP and the deck is rebuilt.
Before we get to the next phase, an explanation of the concept of Cost is in order - Throughout the battle, you will gain Mana points (how Mana is gained will be discussed below). We'll call the overall number of Mana that is available the "Mana pool." Each card has a number associated with it called Cost. The Cost is the amount of Mana that is needed to use a card. By using a card, the number of Mana in the Mana pool is reduced by that card's Cost. Unit cards and base cards also have something called Keep Cost, or Maintenance Cost. This is the amount of Mana that is required to keep cards in play at the beginning of subsequent turns. You can think of this as the food and supplies you need to provide your soldiers to keep them alive. At the beginning of each turn, the Mana pool is replenished, Maintenance Cost is calculated and subtracted from the pool, and whatever is left is what you have to work with. If there isn't enough Mana in the pool to cover Maintenance Costs, units will have to be sacrificed.
The HP may be low, but the AP makes this a deadly choice
The Card Phase begins after a new card is drawn. Here, you get to choose which cards you want to put in play for that turn. You can keep using cards until your Mana pool is depleted or you run out of cards in your hand. Most of the time, units can only be summoned next to either yourself or one of your already-summoned units. Some units have special attributes (land, water, earth, wind) which allow them to be spawned on special tiles that aren't necessarily next to any of your units. This forces both you and your opponent to pay attention to your surroundings and movement more carefully, lest you find yourself suddenly surrounded by your opponent.
Besides the act of collecting the cards themselves, deciding when to use them is where much of the fun in TCGs lies. You won't win by just spamming the same attack over and over until things die. Actually, you can't anyway, since you can only use the cards that you've been dealt. If you want to succeed, you have to use your awesome brain to think your way to victory. Here are some examples of situations you might run into - Let's say that you have a few unit cards at the beginning. Do you use them right away so that they can help you gain more Mana, or do you use that magic card that you happen to have to take away some of your opponent's health at the beginning, thus keeping that person on edge throughout the rest of the game? Maybe it's better to save your more powerful magic attacks for a quick kill later on. Then again, what if your opponent has a card that removes some cards from your hand? In that case, waiting too long would be a mistake. How about if you had a spell card that makes any summoned unit disappear? Do you use it now or wait until your opponent unleashes a more powerful unit? Thanks to the variety of cards and the different possibilities each decision brings, you'll encounter new situations in every game you play, so you're forced to stay on your toes all the time.
Time to select a card
The Card Phase is followed by the Action Phase. At this point, Galahad and the units that he has summoned can be moved. Your character and units move about in a tile/grid system similar to what you see in most SRPGs. Each unit can only move a specific number of spaces per turn, though this number can be increased by using special cards. Tiles that you've passed over will change color to indicate that they are your territory. Each tile that you own represents one Mana point in your Mana pool. So, unlike other TCGs where Mana (or its equivalent) is determined by generating random numbers (usually done by rolling dice), the amount of Mana you have in Neverland Card Battles is determined by how much space you control. The more territory you have, the more freedom you have to use your cards. You can use this system against your opponent by taking away his or her squares, thus reducing that person's Mana pool, and consequently limiting which cards can be used.
Increase your territory while reducing your opponent's
After moving yourself or a summoned unit, you are given the opportunity to attack a nearby enemy. Initiating an attack will change the view to show both characters attacking. The damage that you inflict is determined by your card's AP. Likewise, the damage that you incur is determined by the opposing card's AP.
Don't worry. She attacked you first.
After this phase, your turn ends and your opponent repeats the process. The battle ends once either the opposing Dominator has lost all of his or her HP, or you've lost all of your HP. Taking out your opponent's summoned units is not always necessary; you can actually win the game by just gunning for the Dominator. Win or lose, you get new cards for your efforts. Of course, you get more if you win, but getting some if you lose helps to soften the blow.
The 411From what I've played so far, Neverland Card Battles feels like a solid game that mixes SRPG and TCG elements in a way that makes it fun and challenging at the same time. It only took one go at the introductory level for me to get the gist of how things work, which is a good sign for those of you who are intimidated by TCGs considering how little I knew about them before playing this game. While it may not look like it, each step requires a lot of thought and micromanaging if one wants to do well, which is perfect for those who want to be challenged. Expect more details on this promising game once I get to the review.
