Realms Unraveled, the sixth expansion for Ascension, the mobile market’s premier deckbuilding game, could possibly be Playdek’s finest yet. However, it might take a while to warm up the game is trying to accomplish.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars Comes To Android And Amazon At Last
The last two-chapter ‘set’, Rise of Vigil (review) and Darkness Unleashed (review) breathed new life into the game. The introduction of the Energy and Transform mechanic gave the game a purpose beyond just a sometimes ill-advised land grab; now you could level up cards, creating a vastly different end game experience than the sets that came before.
So I was saddened when the new expansion had removed the Energy mechanic from its core gameplay. Yes, you can still pair Realms Unraveled with previous sets (it is a standalone expansion that does not require another set to work), but losing Energy felt like coming down off a high mountain. We had reached the peak, and all I saw was a long way down.
All The Final Fantasy Titles Are On Sale For iOS And Android
Then I realized what Realms Unraveled was all about: war. The overarching story of the game has been this giant battle for the realm of Vigil involving gods, monsters and all sorts of demons. Characters and creatures from four distinct factions are fighting against the monsters, and themselves, for victory.
Yet, with the exception of Storm of Souls and Immortal Heroes - which introduced the ‘Unite’ mechanic for the Lifebound faction - one never got the sense that sense of, well, unity amongst the factions. The game was more a battle between snickering gods (you and your opponents) who casually plucked characters from their idyllic lives and forced them to fight for your amusement. Which was fun, but the cards never seemed like they were a part of something greater.
Realms Unraveled introduces two new mechanics: ‘Multi-Unite’ which allows cards to proc whenever another card of the same faction is played, and multi-faction cards. Now certain cards are part of two factions, like (Nightmare Delver), which is both Void and Mechana. This doesn’t change the game in the same way the Energy cards did; what it does is change the way you create your deck. Before, you went after Runes, Power or probably Mechana constructs (for the long term victory). It was not the wisest move to spread the love around, especially if you going after runes while your opponent targeted monsters and power.
In Realms Unraveled, the multi-unite mechanic creates a better sense of a team. You collect partly based on the powers of each card (that will never go away) but the multi-unite mechanic allows you - nay, encourages you - to string together combos. Now you don’t have to focus on collecting void or enlightened, you can go after any combination of factions. You’re no longer drafting random units to fight for you; you’re actively creating an army.
The pace of each game has slowed down a bit, due to the lack of Dark Energy (which banished Apprentice and Militia cards). This does cause an overabundance of each in your deck, taking up valuable room in your deck. Matches will last a bit longer, allowing for some very high scoring games. In the dozens and dozens of two player matches (both AI and against other players), a great many ended with at least one person over one hundred.
Mastering Realms Unraveled takes a while to warm up to. The multi-unite mechanic can be create a myopic sense of purpose, hamstringing you to the faction - or factions - of the first cards you obtain from the center row. This can lead to some problems during the middle of the game, when you just can't transform the necessary card or find yourself too low on Power or Rune cards.
Realms Unraveled is the sixth full expansion to both the digital version of Ascension as well as the original card game. This catches both up with one another, which hopefully means that further expansions will drop concurrently.
You can purchase the expansion from the in-game store for $2.99.
