Shardbound Online Client

The CCG genre is very popular at the moment, especially when you consider how many games are being released every year. Granted, few of them manage to rise up to the expectations, given the fact that it takes quite a lot of work to make a balanced and enjoyable strategy game. There are many pitfalls that must be avoided when it comes to the gameplay itself.

Shardbound is a strategy game with tactical elements, in which you have to use your units as wisely as possible in order to defeat the enemy army. Although you still have to use cards in order to summon units, there’s more to the combat system than that, including a line of sight element that must be taken into consideration. Hence, there’s a lot of potential here if the developers keep improving the formula.

To begin with, there are multiple factions that fight each other for supremacy, and they all have unique abilities and special units. However, it’s still very important to pick a good approach on the actual battlefield, because movement, finding good cover and taking full advantage of the terrain is very important. Even so, it takes a while until you pick up on every little thing.

Since the gameplay is not exactly classic, it’s great that you get a tutorial in the beginning that shows you the ropes. It spreads over multiple missions and it mentions everything you need to know about the interface or various combat aspects. On the other hand, it’s worth noting that the game is still in early access at this point, so it also comes with quite a few bugs and inconveniences.

As far as the graphics are concerned, there’s nothing to complain about, although maybe it would be nice to have some sort of zoom function. Other than that, each unit looks fairly different, and they are also fairly detailed. The same can be said about the environments as well, especially since most of the maps feature all sorts of walls, ramps and various other objects that diversify the experience.

In the end, Shardbound might just have what it takes to take on the giants of the genre, mainly thanks to the ingenious battle system and the variety of units at your disposal. Hence, it’s worth keeping an eye on, at least until it comes out of early access.