Magic The Gathering Arena has finally landed on mobile platforms and can now be played anywhere and anytime. We were lucky enough to try the game on iPhone XR, and we can say with certainty that if you are a lover of the franchise you will not be disappointed by this variant in digital sauce. The goal that the boys of W have set out with this new version of MTGA is to broaden their audience of users, but even all those who have already started their adventure will not be disappointed. Here's everything you need to know about the Magic the Gathering Arena review.
Magic the Gathering Arena: what is it all about?
MTGA is a digital version of the hugely popular trading card game, the forerunner of every other game in this genre. Creating a digital version of your product is a fairly common practice within this particular market segment and in fact Magic The Gathering Arena was already available on PC for some time.
With the arrival on the systems Android and iOS the title can finally be played anywhere: on the train, on the bus while enjoying a day at the park. In short, fans are no longer bound to a fixed location.
However, the most interesting feature of the mobile version of MTGA is the cross-platform support, which allows players to start a game with any opponent, regardless of where the opponent is logged in.
But how do you play Magic?
Well, the game system is quite faithful to that of its paper counterpart, putting the player in the shoes of a wizard who, as such, can dispose of different spells.
Spells, creature summons and arcane traps are all elements that a good sorcerer must learn to use effectively in order to emerge victorious from the most arduous battles.
To take the field we can choose between different cards associated with different colors, green white, blue, red and black. Each of these colors has its own unique characteristics and knowing how to combine them to get them into a combo is the secret of victory.
But a sorcerer can't do absolutely anything without first having enough mana, and in fact in Magic before being able to do any actions it is necessary to accumulate enough Lands: cards whose only purpose is to generate mana.
Typically novice players start with a monochrome deck, and then move on to hybrids once they have mastered the basics and expanded the number of cards at their disposal.
The two characteristics that make Magic unique of its kind, however, are two: the first is that the game mechanics are completely free of causality. If we exclude the drawing of the cards, in fact, everything else is put in the hands of the player and how good he is at using the resources at his disposal.
The second is that much of the game experience is designed according to the opponent's turn. It is precisely what our rival plays that we need more attention, being careful to use the abilities of the cards we have on the field or in hand to counteract incoming moves. In short, in Magic you are never passive.
Magic the Gathering Arena, our review
In terms of game mechanics, there is little to say: MTGA is a very faithful adaptation of the trading card game. The title begins with a series of mandatory tutorials, designed to accompany less experienced players in the discovery of game mechanics and, once finished, it proposes the so-called "Color Challenge", which must be completed in order to access the most advanced game modes. .
These challenges will see players engaging in different PvE battles, which could be better identified under the effigy of the advanced tutorials, which are used to unlock new cards and become familiar with the basic single-color decks that the game makes available from the beginning.
The challenges of the colors are five in total and each includes a final battle against another player (which is completed even if he gets lost).
It must be said that although MTGA tries in every way to teach even novice players the advanced rules of the game, if you are newcomers to the series you will still have your fair share of problems in approaching the game at first.. Fortunately, the guys at Wizards of the Coast seem to be aware of this and have set up a dedicated section complete with links to external guides.
Not exactly easy to read, but certainly comprehensive.
The game modes
Once the Color Challenge is over it is finally possible to participate in different game modes, obviously without considering the single ranked matches or against bots.
To participate in the events it is necessary to pay a sum in gold coins or gems, the two currencies of the game, and are structured on a chain of matches that end after winning seven times without losing three matches.
In these modes we will be prompted to create a deck of 40 cards on the spot then go into battle immediately after, and it must be said that it is extremely fun having to think on the fly about the best combinations to take home the victory.
But this is precisely where it emerges the main limitation of Magic the Gathering Arena. Once the tutorials are finished, the game does not offer any form of campaign to expand your deck (stuck on the single-color unless you buy a few packs of extra cards) and launching into online matches without a minimum of post-Color Challenge preparation is at least prohibitive.
Of course, if you are luminaries of the Magic world you will probably be able to do something anyway, but if you are not you may find yourself facing a very difficult wall to climb.
In short, if you want to build an effective deck it is likely that you will be forced to shell out hard cash. A concept, however, perfectly in line with the physical card game.
Mobile optimization
Net of the downsides deriving from the marketing formula put in place by Wizards of the Coast, which are the same as the game on PC, the mobile version of the game comes as a quality adaptation.
The iPhone on which we tested it has never presented lag phenomena and also the coupling with the other players takes place without too many slowdowns.
The menu interface is also good, very similar to the PC version with a few tricks here and there to make navigation easier on the touch screen. The same goes for the playing field during battles, which is also almost identical to its fixed and dynamic counterpart at the right point to enhance the action on the screen.
Magic the Gathering Arena: the review in a few lines
In light of the above, it is easy to understand how Magic the Gathering Arena mobile inherits all the strengths and weaknesses of the PC version. Among the arrows in his bow he has an excellent transposition of the game mechanics of Magic in a digital environment and the fun that can be derived from the various game modes.
Instead, we have to bury the production the poor accessibility towards new players and an annoying unbalanced towards the paid component, which for many could become an insurmountable limit.
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