Witcher: Thronebreaker
PostPosted:Wed Nov 30, 2022 5:46 am
Some quick impressions about 2-4 hours in.
What is it: a strategy card game based on Gwent, it takes place in an alternate history timeline (or parallel history) during the Witcher Saga during the second Nilfgaard war, Rivia and Lyria is invaded. The Queen Meve must defend.
My thoughts on the card battle system: I usually don’t go for these games, but I like Gwent and Triple Triad. This is not Gwent, though. It’s a bit different, more of a battle system with some similarities to Gwent. There are often special rules battles, one called “puzzle” where it makes up new rules, but it’s not always obvious how the rules work, so the player needs to lose a few times before they actually know what’s going on, and even then sometimes I win without actually knowing what the puzzle was supposed to be. It’s all kind of vague, I’m not a fan of the puzzles because they seem to be geared at people who are already familiar with the base game, and yet I was in the intro phase. The other thing I hate about the puzzles is they use custom decks, not the deck you’re building, so it feels disconnected from the rest of the game.
Story: seems interesting so far, reminds me a lot of Matsuno games, Ogre Battle FF Tactics. It fits into the Witcher Saga nicely, and while very clearly non-canon, gives an interpretation of the rest of the iceberg of the Witcher universe.
Presentation: almost all the dialogue is voice acted to a decent quality. Not quite Witcher 3, but better than most games. The map is a lot of fun even if the character is slow, I find myself fast-travelling a lot. Even on the Switch, loading is fast.
The game is currently on sale for The Switch’s EShop Autumn sale. I picked it up for 10 bucks Canadian, well worth it. The game would easily be worth the full $20 price.
What is it: a strategy card game based on Gwent, it takes place in an alternate history timeline (or parallel history) during the Witcher Saga during the second Nilfgaard war, Rivia and Lyria is invaded. The Queen Meve must defend.
My thoughts on the card battle system: I usually don’t go for these games, but I like Gwent and Triple Triad. This is not Gwent, though. It’s a bit different, more of a battle system with some similarities to Gwent. There are often special rules battles, one called “puzzle” where it makes up new rules, but it’s not always obvious how the rules work, so the player needs to lose a few times before they actually know what’s going on, and even then sometimes I win without actually knowing what the puzzle was supposed to be. It’s all kind of vague, I’m not a fan of the puzzles because they seem to be geared at people who are already familiar with the base game, and yet I was in the intro phase. The other thing I hate about the puzzles is they use custom decks, not the deck you’re building, so it feels disconnected from the rest of the game.
Story: seems interesting so far, reminds me a lot of Matsuno games, Ogre Battle FF Tactics. It fits into the Witcher Saga nicely, and while very clearly non-canon, gives an interpretation of the rest of the iceberg of the Witcher universe.
Presentation: almost all the dialogue is voice acted to a decent quality. Not quite Witcher 3, but better than most games. The map is a lot of fun even if the character is slow, I find myself fast-travelling a lot. Even on the Switch, loading is fast.
The game is currently on sale for The Switch’s EShop Autumn sale. I picked it up for 10 bucks Canadian, well worth it. The game would easily be worth the full $20 price.