Game On: Card-based strategy: The next big thing in mobile gaming?
This genre has become an interesting one in recent mobile gaming
Hyderabad: This week, I begin with a claim: mobile gaming has stagnated. By observation of the mobile and free-to-play (f2p) gaming space for the last 18 months, I mean that there are very few new games (that I have come across) that incorporate novel interactions in their gameplay. It’s important to note that I don’t mean there are fewer people playing games on mobile phones nor do I mean that the number of games being launched in a week or in a month has reduced.
My observation may seem surprising, considering that the success of games like PUBG Mobile and Fortnite or the genre-blurring Genshin Impact has allowed mobile gaming to achieve unparalleled popularity, it is important to note though that for the first time in several years most new games have either tried to rehash existing formats or tried to refine existing experiences. I have lost count of the number of games that have vied to fill the PUBG mobile-sized hole in India’s gaming community or of the games that have tried to mimic the open-world “gacha” style offerings of Genshin. – newer approaches to gameplay seem to be few and far between as suddenly “idle games” seem to be an acceptable genre.
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While it may seem ironic that there are games that require no input from the player on a form factor that was once celebrated for offering mini windows of play on the go, there have been very few mobile games in the last eighteen months that I have continued to play after reviewing them. The experience simply hasn’t been compelling enough. However, that all changed when I encountered Marvel Snap. In Snap, I found the joy of strategy meeting my love for collecting and the craving for quick online matches against fellow players.
The design of the game was perfect, and its rooting in the Marvel universe was an added bonus. Initially, I played the game just to accumulate the most powerful cards, but I stayed for the balanced deck building and the turn-by-turn strategy. Almost six months later, I still play Snap almost every day. If you follow other game journalists, you will notice that many of them have also written frequently about their experiences with the game and the decks they choose to run with. Despite Snap’s success it is important to note that its format isn’t entirely unique, games like Gwent, Hearthstone, and Magic: The Gathering Arena has offered a similar gameplay experience and enjoyed significant success.
Both Hearthstone and Gwent have developed not just a wide gaming community but also a healthy esports one, indicating that there is a market for high-intensity play that doesn’t rely primarily on the player’s speed and reflexes. While it is important to acknowledge that slow, measured, and ponderous play is antithetical to the current all-action image of esports-level play, Snap has the potential to change that. Its developers have been strategically matching their in-game content with the offerings of the unending juggernaut that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Most players might play just to gather cards from their favourite movies and series but some of them will stay for the long haul. With forthcoming games like Harry Potter: Magic Awakened trying to emulate the formula, this genre has suddenly become an interesting one to watch!
