chrono ccg - it's really good
chrono ccg is an online card game. it’s very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very good.
context: i’ve played a lot of legends of runeterra (top 100 EUW peak).
the points are sorted by order of importance:
story
there are only two categories of card games: good ones and bad ones.
and all the good ones can be traced back to a single common ancestor: divinatory tarot. because there’s only one pleasure: telling a story with cards.
and chrono absolutely nails it.
the lor feeling is still there. in my first close game, in a discard mirror, we both danced around each other’s cards beautifully, but our health totals dropped, and it was time to lay our hands on the table, to play everything in one final attack, one that would be fatal if it failed…
god, that’s good.
units
units are much more threatening than in lor.
each evolution condition is a mini-quest within the larger story of the game. the immortalization mechanic will allow for many more balancing variables.
the fact that they can cast spells onto the stack is unusual, but why not, it’s not the worst thing borrowed from magic (if you ask me, the worst are lands and units that heal themselves).
terrain
the other beautiful innovation. absolutely brilliant.
i love how they don’t look like much on paper, but turn out to be crucial in the heat of battle.
divers
it makes your hand much more consistent, but steers it toward 1- or 2-drops that provide “setup” or “scale”, followed by a tendency to mulligan hard for combat tricks. not a bad thing in itself; it highlights the spell chain.
some decks take big divers, others a mid-game wipe.
but it reveals your plan to the opponent, which can lead to stalling.
the current balance, where divers are limited to one copy and aren’t considered to be “in your hand”, works perfectly.
power scaling
very well handled. the genius of lor’s mana system is the rising tension created by mana scaling: big cards need to be scary, but should be roughly equal in value to board control + setup.
and yet chrono’s cards have a ridiculously high power level compared to lor!
the eye
the board-state preview: probably one of lor’s greatest achievements. kudos for already having it, dear developers!
and i really like the idea of integrating it into the game’s “ludonarrative”, because you can see it by hovering over the “timeline”…
vibe
the whole time-travel thing, so good. a bit of an isaac asimov vibe (“the end of eternity”), a battle between factions for control of a possible future, mysterious and engaging.
mobile version
dragging your finger across cards, picking them up with a swipe, playing anywhere… lor was so good on mobile, and i’m just waiting for chrono ccg on mobile.
it’s coming to apple soon, i’m so excited!
software
unity-based. it’s heavy, it can lag on my little computer, but it gets the job done.
watch out for technical debt, apparently lor ended up as spaghetti code.
look
the cards are gorgeous, the game a little less so. better than the other way around!
it’s mostly down to the “temporal device” in the middle. that can be fixed eventually; it’s a minor detail.
did you know the board elements make sounds or can be activated by clicking on them? you can still feel the attention to detail.
marketing
they say: “make it so good they can’t ignore you”. it’s already at that level of good.
the next big turn is an international competitive scene. i’m really hyped.
tutorial
almost as horrible as lor’s tutorial. you need to be able to skip it! two common situations where it gets in your way: you’re showing the game to a friend, or you’ve already done your homework by watching lots of videos beforehand.
company
i think the company is called “infinite or bust”. what can i say other than: absolute chads.
conclusion
game of the year.
it’ll have to rise to the level of the greatest card game of all time, then surpass it. the task is daunting, and yet i believe.
everything about this game radiates passion and competence.
the king is dead, long live the king!