What's Your Gam3? #19

Welcome

Welcome to What’s Your Gam3? #19 My aim with everything I do is to introduce you to new games! As I continue to improve the newsletter, all feedback is gratefully received. Now, let’s see what has happened this week.

What’s That Gam3? [review]

You can join me live as I play new games on Twitch! Alternatively, you’ll find edited versions of my playthroughs on my YouTube channel. [Don’t forget to follow and subscribe].

Magic Craft

“A MOBA, PVP esports game”

TLDR: 

• Deep variety of heroes

• Good selection of maps and modes

• Clean controls and graphics

• Missing an auto attack

• Difficult to find real players

How to play

• Free to play

• Mobile and Steam download

• Player lobbies created via the website

Game Loop

• Before looking for a game you need to pick your hero

• These heroes fall into the standard MOBA archetypes

• Each has health, speed, and skills

  

• You have 2 skills, an ultimate and a dash

• Once you’ve picked your hero you can either create a lobby with customization or start a quick play game

• If you start the game without enough players, the extra slots are filled with bots

• You then compete in a random selection of modes and maps

• The modes include collect skulls, asset escort, capture the point, and deathmatch - each with its win condition

  

• At the end of the match, you receive multiple character and player progression rewards

• There are several separate progression paths

  Logging in daily and completing quests also gives you rewards

Game feel

• Mostly the controls feel intuitive on both platforms, my only bug bear was the missing auto-attack

• Several heroes' skills have long cooldowns which can leave you with nothing to do, with that missing auto attack

• The graphics, animations, and enemy reactions to damage are all good and engaging

• The bots are pretty challenging but I would like to see a lot more human opponents even if I had to wait longer for a match

• The variety of modes, heroes, and maps keeps every round feeling fresh.

  

• The different progression streams give something to aim for, even though I wasn’t clear on the overall goal of them

Rating

• Looks and plays nicely

• Missing some actions traditional to the genre

• The low available player base

• I’d recommend the game but you probably need to find your own players

Web3 integration

• The game has a token on BSC

• The game has NFT heroes, with a free mint run on Earn Alliance

For more information follow their Twitter to keep up to date.

Pirate Nation

“A new type of game, filled with high seas adventure, treasure, fun, and unexpected surprises”

TLDR: 

• Plenty of progression

• Start of a strategic card battler

• Great art

• Interesting mechanic to avoid idle farming

• Possibility to get “grindy”

How to play

• The game is played on browser

• Access via a code or holding and NFT

Game Loop

• There are multiple threads of gameplay to the game.

• First are the quests, bounties, and crafting.

• You start the game with an energy pool, which refills over time

• This energy can be used to complete the different quests and harvest resources.

• The basic resources, such as iron, cotton, and wood are harvested by sailing around in your ship until you find a resource node on an island

  

• Whilst searching you can also find a chest that can contain marks

• Each task completed gives you some XP

• This XP goes towards your character leveling

• As your character levels, you get more cards for your gauntlet deck (more on that next)

• These basic resources are then used in crafting

• You can craft equipment, ships, and decorations

• The equipment is then used to complete the more complex quests from the Quest Board

• These complex quests Have equipment requirements And are sometimes time-gated

• On these quests you can find further materials and equipment, allowing you to progress to harder and harder quests

• Additonal to quests you also have bounties, in these, you send your pirate off on solo adventures taking a set amount of time.

• You also have your island, separate From the questing island, that you can cover in the decorations you craft and items you find.

  

• The final element is the gauntlet

• Here you face off against a variety of enemies with your ship

• your ship has health, which increases as your craft or buy a better one

• Your pirate capitán also has an affinity that alters effectiveness depending on the opponent’s affinity

• You start with some energy and cards, to reduce your opponent's health to 0

• The cards range from attack cards, through to defenses, through to buffs and debuffs

• Each card has an energy cost

• It's important to read the cards as some have special abilities

  

• If you defeat the enemies you receive a gauntlet chest which can hold a variety of rewards

• All of these interactions across the different game loops are added to the blockchain, as Pirate Nation is a (almost) completely on-chain game.

Game feel

• The change in a recent update to have you sail your ship rather than just an idle farmer is a lot more engaging.

• I do worry that it might get a little repetitive after a few days, so it’ll be interesting to see how it is received a month on

• How each quest gives something for you to build into the next quests, is a great way of always giving you something to aim for

• Having your little island to decorate plays it people’s nesting habits, it would be good to see a social side added to help show off my island

• The gauntlet is clean, if still a little basic when compared directly to standalone TCG projects.

• The whole aesthetic is executed well and the animations make it all come to life

• Having long bounties requiring additional pirates is a good way to encourage players to build a crew without punishing single pirate players too much.

Rating

• The graphics and animations are well-executed

• The multiple game loops give you a lot of different experiences

• Tieing all the game loops together gives the game a true feeling of a full ecosystem

• The card battler is entertaining and with enough depth to offer a challenge but not enough yet for the hardcore players

• Would recommend the game, and already know plenty of people that have made it their full personality.

  

Web3 integration

• The pirates are NFTs on arb

• The resources are NFTs on arb

For more information follow their Twitter to keep up to date.

Last Remains

“Stealth zombie survival battleground”

TLDR: 

• Early testing was fun

• Zombies are brutal

• Died to hunger more than battle

• Punishing on hardware

• Enjoyable concept that needs work

How to play

• Test session live on Epic at set times

Game Loop

• Before jumping into the map you select your avatar - currently, there are only 2 choices - mechanically the same, but with different appearances.

• After clicking play you are randomly dropped into the map

• The location is populated with a variety of buildings and areas that you would expect in a city

• Using the in-game map you can see special areas, such as the police station, as well as a highlighted area

• This highlighted area is where the extraction helicopter will be during the extraction period

• But you need to survive long enough to make it to extraction

  

• You have health, stamina, water, and food meters.

• The food and water meters go down over time, so you must search for food and water.

• Your stamina limits how many times you can attack, if you haven’t found a weapon yet you’ll be doing this with your fists.

• You’ll find weapons, food, water, medicines, and valuables in the various locations.

• These valuables have a points value attached to them. These points decide where you position on the leaderboard.

  

• However, your points mean nothing if you die.

• There is a final type of item you’ll find in the game - these are briefcases that contain NFTs. If you extract with these you get the NFTs.

• Whilst you are doing all of this zombies are trying to kill you, as well as potentially some players.

• You have several goals, collect as many valuables points as possible, be 1 of the 3 players able to extract

• As only 3 players can extract, this puts pressure on any teams you form with other players.

• If you die you have to start all over again in a new round.

Game feel

• With it being an early build it is very punishing on your hardware - at one point using 15gb of memory.

• Due to this even on my rig (which is very decent) some of the gameplay was a little choppy

• However, I did enjoy the overall aim of the game

• Once you get the hang of the controls movement and searching become easy

• The attack animations were always the same, so after a few attacks it was easy to understand how to combat the zombies

• That being said the zombies weren’t messing around - they only needed to attack you once or twice to take you down

• But even then I mainly died of hunger - only parts of the buildings are open, so finding food can be a bit hit or miss

  

• I do like the water and health meter as keeps you moving, but either there needs to be more food or it decreases slower

• It also always felt like it was night even though extraction was normally after about 3 or 4 days

• Having 3 people able to extract was a good choice mechanic - once extraction started you could either keep gathering points and hope no one extracted first or just rush the point with your current score

• I didn’t get to explore all the map, so there is potential for replayability with getting dropped in different spawns each time.

Rating

• The idea and mechanics were enjoyable

• The choppy play was a bit frustrating

• Dying of hunger in a zombie game is underwhelming

• I did enjoy myself and am going to keep an eye on the project

• I wouldn’t rate it yet as it still feels too early.

  

Web3 integration

• The survivors are NFTs

• Some of the equipment you find and extract with are NFTs

For more information follow their Twitter to keep up to date.

What's Your Gam3? Ep 73. The Samurai Saga

Introduction to Samurai Saga

• Samurai Saga is more than a game; it's a developing IP with a complex storyline involving cyborg samurais, love, hate, and drama.

• The plot revolves around a superior race of cyborg samurais, their emperor's quest for resources, a former lover turned planetary queen, and the ensuing battles.

• The game features a trading card game and a multiplayer Battle Royale format, emphasizing skill-based hand-to-hand combat.

Development and Game Mechanics

• The project has been in development for two years, with a focus on creating a unique and engaging experience.

• Dino Tomic, a celebrity artist, is responsible for the game's visual assets.

• The game aims to integrate NFTs, allowing players to bring their characters to life within the game environment.

Community and Web3 Gaming Evolution

• The project emphasizes community collaboration and aims to contribute positively to the Web3 gaming space.

• Jian discusses the evolution of gaming within the blockchain, stressing the importance of exclusivity, collaboration, and creating a sustainable ecosystem.

Future Plans and Milestones

• Samurai Saga plans to host tournaments and events to foster community engagement.

• The game will be free to play, with special advantages for NFT holders.

• There's a focus on avoiding a pay-to-win model, ensuring skill plays a crucial role in success.

• The project is exploring public listing options to further legitimize and expand its reach.

Closing Thoughts

• Jian emphasizes the importance of a captivating storyline and community engagement for the project's success.

• The project's goal is to create a comprehensive ecosystem that includes gaming, NFTs, merchandise, and more, aiming for sustainability and broad appeal.

Catch up on all previous episodes on YouTube.

Don’t forget to join us next week!

WYG?: Gam3 Changers - Mete of Vader Research

Background and Expertise

• Mete has a background in finance with four years in the investment industry in the UK.

• He has been consulting on Web3 games focusing on economy design, tokenomics, and go-to-market strategies for the last three years.

Industry Evolution

• The industry saw significant capital and player liquidity starting in 2021, particularly with games like Axie Infinity.

• The initial focus was on play-to-earn models, but there's been a shift towards creating games that are fun and retain players based on gameplay rather than solely on financial incentives.

Market Dynamics

• Mete views Web3 gaming as a blend of gaming and gambling, targeting not just hardcore gamers but also those interested in mobile and free-to-play models.

• Sustainable economies in games don't necessarily require billions of users; a smaller, engaged, and spending user base can be more beneficial.

Challenges and Sustainability

• The challenge of retaining players and capital in Web3 games is significant, with no game yet proving long-term retention.

• Sustainable game economies should focus on enjoyable gameplay combined with Web3 elements, rather than relying solely on speculative financial incentives.

Future Outlook

• Mete is optimistic about the potential for Web3 games to attract traditional gamers through a mix of engaging gameplay and economic incentives.

• The interview also touched on strategies for making game economies more resistant to speculative trading and ensuring they contribute to a game's long-term sustainability.

Catch up on all previous episodes on Spotify.

Thanks for making it to the end, that is all the new games for this week. Do you know any you’d want to hear more about? Let me know.

Remember to tell your friends about What’s Your Gam3? Otherwise, they’ll hate you for letting them miss out on all the new games.

Remember to play games you enjoy!