Guardian Cross

 iOS
Metascore
58

Mixed or average reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 9
  3. Negative: 2 out of 9
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  1. Modojo
    Sep 17, 2012
    80
    Sniper-shooting aside, Guardian Cross doesn't do a huge amount that's different to the many other card games on the App Store. But crucially, it's polished the experience to a hitherto unseen level of refinement in its art, interface and engagement.
  2. Vandal
    Oct 14, 2012
    70
    Guardian Cross mixes up Japanese RPG elements with western card games and sets it in a Sqaure-Enix-like world. Being free-to-play might be a problem for many players, but we believe it's special and it's worth a try.
  3. Gamezebo
    Sep 21, 2012
    70
    So if a game has some clever ideas, looks pretty and sounds fantastic, but is kind of a monotonous grind under all of that... well, that's where you end up with Guardian Cross, I guess.
  5. Digital Spy
    Sep 18, 2012
    60
    The whole game is tied together with a surprisingly lengthy story and the high production value art expected of a Square Enix game. And once players get the hang of the story, a challenge coliseum lets you put your deck against other real players for item rewards and competition for a top spot on the leaderboards.
  6. Multiplayer.it
    Oct 7, 2012
    50
    A dull collecting system and a dull combat phase are just two of the many problems in what is a shallow but good-looking Trading Card Game.
  7. Pocket Gamer UK
    Sep 26, 2012
    50
    Guardian Cross presents itself like a strategic card battler mixed with a classic JRPG, but it lacks any of the depth necessary to pull such a thing off.
  8. Slide to Play
    Sep 24, 2012
    50
    Guardian Cross can be fun at times, but those times are separated by long stretches of boredom.
  9. TouchArcade
    Sep 24, 2012
    40
    Guardian Cross has little beyond the illustrious name of it's developer going for it.
  10. TouchGen
    Sep 24, 2012
    40
    I can see how Guardian Cross could easily be someone's favorite card or freemium game on the App Store, but it just isn't mine. I don't find myself making interesting decisions that are then borne out in gameplay.

Awards & Rankings

31
#31 Most Discussed iOS Game of 2012

User Reviews

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User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 9
  3. Negative: 3 out of 9
  1. StllBreathnButY
    Jul 9, 2013
    4
    Card collectiing, battling, and leveling up stats is super addicting. The hunting mini game is actually pretty fun when you actually get toCard collectiing, battling, and leveling up stats is super addicting. The hunting mini game is actually pretty fun when you actually get to play it, and rewards skill. The art design on the cards is really awesome--final fantasy/mythical beasts/hot cartoon chicks are really impressive to look at. The music really livens up the game to make it feel like a big adventure, and more than just the system of static menus that it really is. Those are the things that make this game FUN. These are the things that make this game, really, just another waste of time. The free to play business model lures you in, you play a little, it's pretty fun, but then you hit a wall because the game limits how much you can accomplish in a certain amount of time. Also, the games progression seems entirely built on getting your friends to play the game. It's not merely a suggestion that can reward you, it's practically a necessity if you ever want to get anywhere without devoting your life to the game. You can compile a list of friends and battle them, and use friend points you earn from winning or losing those battles on fundamental rewards. But the problem is, you can only have a small amount of friends, that SLOWLY goes up as you SLOWLY level up. What's worse is you can only battle a small amount of friends per day, regardless if you have way more to battle. This drastically cuts off the amount of progress you can make in a reasonable amount of time. Multiplayer battles seem heavily hacked or something, as I went from fighting people with normal decks at reasonable levels, to invincible decks with at least one card at max level. IM LEVEL 6! That can't be right! Anyway, the game just hinders your progress far too much to be enjoyable. It almost feels like a real game, thus, I want to play it as one, but I can't. I won't pour money into it because it doesn't give you hardly anything for the high prices. WHY CAN'T ANY OF THESE GAMES JUST OFFER A FLAT RATE CHARGE TO UNLOCK A REASONABLE MEANS TO EARN THE SPECIAL CURRENCY IN THE GAME?! It's a fun game that, after getting into it, I'd be willing to pay a little for, but no...just another pay to win. Play for a day, and move along...… Full Review »
  2. Xplocion
    Nov 22, 2022
    8
    The good:
    A card game that kept me entertained with its mechanics until the day it closed. "There were no silver bullets" there were no    The good:
    A card game that kept me entertained with its mechanics until the day it closed. "There were no silver bullets" there were no foolproof winning combinations or cards that stood out above the rest for a long time since its rate of updates kept releasing new cards, new zones and new characters. He had several collaborations with Final Fantasy in which we could use monsters from the classic FF (1-6), Guardian Forces, Summons, elementals, and events from FFXII, FFXIII, FFXIV. The card hunting minigame was a first person game in which silhouettes of creatures roamed the map and with a coldown rifle we hunted down the creatures that turned into cards. There were spring events, new year, summer, Halloween, hunting silver slimes, Trivia, exploring fortresses, defeating evil clowns…

    The bad:
    The game closed its servers and with the IOs updates it is no longer playable. Only the Wallpapers App remains in IOs, which stores some of the best illustrations of the 5 Star cards. The story was very generic. Events brought more and more zones, more and more cards, more and more recoloring, on a growing map but the story didn't move forward. Little customization for your character which made him a genetic hero "just because"
    The Meh!:
    The game failed to keep up with the public and tried to get players to switch to another App to a more turn-based RPG game with 3D models of familiar but very poorly made characters and painful designs. Before its closure, I tried to take all the possible captures of interesting cards and characters, but many models were already lost in time.    … Full Review »
  3. TheQuietGamer
    Jun 20, 2014
    7
    Serving as my first foray into the card-battling mobile game genre, I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised. Managing and leveling up yourServing as my first foray into the card-battling mobile game genre, I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised. Managing and leveling up your cards can be surprisingly addictive, and the means of acquiring the cards is also novel and exciting. Hunting down these "guardians" through the lens of a sniper riffle is much more entertaining than grinding in order to get some form of booster pack or whatever. The game also packs some solid multiplayer content.

    While the content offered here is solid, the actual battling isn't. The fact that they are automatic and require no input from the player other than the option to speed them up is a little disappointing, and prevents the game from reaching the depths of a series such as Pokemon. Which is something I saw the potential for it to do. All you can really do for these battles is just hope you leveled up you cards enough before hand. Any form of strategy is barely possible here. Still, it is an entertaining game that has enough good things about it to be worth a look.

    While things like story and the actual battling could have used some work, the overall game is actually quite good. When you consider that it's free-to-play there's really no reason to not check it out. It has the potential to become extremely addictive. My total score for the game is a 7.9/10=Good.    … Full Review »
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