The collectable card games are doing very well in modern day and age, with titles like Hearthstone, YuGiOh, and Magic the Gathering. Bringing the decades-old hobby to computers, to consoles, and even mobile. Enter Marvel Snap, a new challenger to the big hitters with the word accessibility at its back in shining golden letters, and the company at Second Dinner Studios in an effort to refresh the spirit of an older, youthful card game experience.
Ben Brode, a former Hearthstone employee of Blizzard Entertainment, is a footballer who currently works as a developer of Second Dinner Studios. While the studio has a long list of content courses it''d like to include through seasonal releases and ongoing updates, can it make a hole?
What is Marvel Snap? Well, it''s a quickfire card game, which has each play fill out three spaces on the board, each with four card slots and their own active modifiers, which range from buffs to cards played there. In six turns, both competitors must try and fill these spaces with cards in their deck, with every card having their own power figure and abilities. It''s the perfect type of game for phones in my mind, very quick and easy to understand.
"We wanted to ensure that the mobile experience was accessible," Brode said. "We were challenging ourselves to develop a game that was super simple to learn, super fast, but still has a lot of depth." The result of this balance is a game that starts of extremely simple for my money perhaps a bit too simple but gradually introduces its diverse mechanics and intricacies.
It works with a non-linear, collection-focused approach. As you collect and upgrade cards, you as the player work through a collection-level that acts as your only source of new cards. This is not the case with money or in-game currency. It''s great to see players play around with their new cards rather than throw them aside.
"So when you receive a new card, it''s an opportunity to place it on your deck, level it up a bit, and unlock additional things. So you get an opportunity to spend time with each card, cards you might not initially thought to be too good, but after a few games, it is quite beneficial! It allows you to explore the collection and experience deck-building.
Ben and the team are attempting to bring back a far-reaching card game experience, which was once discovered on world-class playgrounds and living rooms.
"When I was a kid we''d go to a card store or a local comic book store and get a pack of trading cards, or even other card games. It was more about slowly collecting cads and building decks with what you had. It was such an incredible time, and when we made the game we were attempting to recapture that old-fashioned style of card game. "
Many Marvel characters will manifest in the presence of these traits, as well as boosting the effectiveness of regular cards. Brode, in turn, describes how he thought about the game, and how he can do it. "It''s a great deal to get started on Marvel Snap."
"Often times we designed cards top down, which means we''d sit down and thing ''what would Rogue do in Marvel Snap'' before picking out what skill makes sense. Sometimes, you realize that an ability, like increased the effectiveness of ongoing cards, would help us find a character that fits the challenge."
Brode described Zero as a fantastic example, a card that removes abilities from other cards. He describes "combing through the Marvel encyclopaedia" for characters that are comparable to the effect.
My goal is to increase the audience in Marvel Snap, as a result of the obvious "make a billion dollars" or "be the most popular card game out there." When I was young, card games were quite popular.
"One of my favorite things to do in life is to educate people to things I love, and I love card games. So I can''t wait to introduce people to Marvel Snap, it''s the best entrance to the game."
