The recent Square Enix release as an RPG was built entirely on cards. This is an odd one to discuss because in a lot of ways I can't think of a game that this reminds me of, but in a lot of ways its mechanics are run of the mill. Before discussing the story, I'm going to need to discuss the nature of cards and their relation to the game's story and mechanics.
First and foremost, the fact the game makes use of cards has no bearing whatsoever on the game's mechanics. There is nothing that couldn't have been done, or for that matter has been done, in other games. The map being made of cards that get flipped of as you move is just a form of a fog of war, items shown as cards work no different than any other inventory, and it goes on and on.
What they do is establish a feel and atmosphere that is unlike other games. The cards are all laid out on the table and are moved and placed on that same table to represent new areas and settings. It's like the entire game is taking place on the tabletop. Dice are used in a variety of attacks, and there exists a real box on the table that accumulates gems to use for attacks. The dice, box, and gems are not represented by cards as though there is a disconnect between them and the actual happenings of the story. Connected directly, but not part of the same world. Throw in the one voice that narrates the entire game, you start to feel like you are playing in a Table Top RPG like Dungeons and Dragons.
It's not like a Baldurs game, where you are playing through a D&D campaign in a video game, here you are playing a person who is playing a tabletop RPG. Very specifically one where the DM is slightly passive-aggressive at times and a little sick of his player's shit. If you've never played a tabletop RPG before, it's really hard to describe the feeling, but this game nails it. Even the simple nature of the story, with just enough detail, feels like a quick campaign one of your friends may run. The lack of a huge and in-depth story kind of helps add to the feel of the game. It's something I would normally be a lot harder on than I am here.
That said the cards may have done a better job than something like having a character sheet on hand. It has elements of tabletop games that make it feel like one but doesn't introduce a lot of the paperwork that would normally go into one. Plus there are some cool visual gimmicks it allows for later in the game that does look cool while never losing the feel.
The actual gameplay may not be too similar, but the visuals and atmosphere made up that difference. Gameplay is like a lot of other turn-based games, but with some interesting twists. For example, every turn a gem is added to the box, certain abilities require a certain number of gems. Furthermore, each character can only have four abilities equipped. You end up with a good variety of strategies you can put together. Someone like Bruno, for example, has an interesting mix of group buffs or huge hitting physical attacks. With a total of six playable characters, each with a different set of abilities to mix and match, you end up with a good variety of effective party compositions. That said, it isn't a huge enough pool to justify a long game, but that doesn't come up as the game has about a ten-hour run time.
There are some frustrations with feeling like the game can be rather slow-paced when moving through the world. Every time you enter the next space, you have to wait for a second for all the surround cards to be flipped up, and moving can feel a bit slow. There is also the aforementioned story. In any other game, I may be a lot more critical of the story for how simple and sometimes abrupt and silly elements can be, but it fits the feel so well that it doesn't count against the game for me. That said if you aren't at all familiar with that kind of atmosphere around a game table yourself, I don't know if you'd take the same things away from it I did.
Voice of Cards is a game that creates a feeling like no other game I can think of. Just the aesthetic won me over before I even jumped into the combat, and the game manages to keep that up the whole time. The combat is fun with just enough variety, and I think the game benefits from keeping a short run time to stop the gimmick from getting stale. It's a really fun and unique RPG, and if anything I said here at all peaks your interest I highly recommend it, it's one of the best gaming experiences I've had all year.
Never heard of this game. I plan on buying a Nintendo Switch eventually. RPG are my favorite game genre, I will have to look into this!
You can get it on pretty much any system, it's just that the version I reviewed was the Switch. I probably should have made a note of availability. :p
Looks good, I never played a card game but I will. Hope you very enjoy this game.