Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft

 PC
User Score
5.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 2373 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,045 out of 2373
  2. Mixed: 527 out of 2373
  3. Negative: 801 out of 2373

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  1. daniil2015
    Apr 24, 2014
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. я поиграл в ету игру но ана шикарная пой на карты играй с друзьями и все тагдали и получай удаволствие… Expand
  2. tekjester
    Apr 23, 2014
    3
    The amount "random" cards makes this not a lot of fun to play. Granted, it works both way, but the game's winner is determined by luck more times than Poker. The only strategy is in the deck building. But stuff like "Destroy Random Minion" "Deal 3 Damage to two random minions" "Deal one damage to a random minion" "Take control of Random Minion" "Copy random card from opponents hand" TheThe amount "random" cards makes this not a lot of fun to play. Granted, it works both way, but the game's winner is determined by luck more times than Poker. The only strategy is in the deck building. But stuff like "Destroy Random Minion" "Deal 3 Damage to two random minions" "Deal one damage to a random minion" "Take control of Random Minion" "Copy random card from opponents hand" The list goes on. Then of course the randomness in the deck. I've played many CCGs, Magic, Pokémon, Star Wars, LOTR, and get there's always an element of randomness, but this goes way beyond that. The game is fun and well put together, but the luck factor is way too high.… Expand
  3. PersonalRiot
    Apr 23, 2014
    4
    Hearthstone is a quality casual card game that will dominate the mobile market for a long period of time. The aesthetics of the game are top notch and hearing the roar of "FOR THE HORDE" while your minions attack never becomes dull. Thought the game does suffer heavily from its current play systems. Cards can only be obtained in a few ways and completing a "powerful" deck may takes weeksHearthstone is a quality casual card game that will dominate the mobile market for a long period of time. The aesthetics of the game are top notch and hearing the roar of "FOR THE HORDE" while your minions attack never becomes dull. Thought the game does suffer heavily from its current play systems. Cards can only be obtained in a few ways and completing a "powerful" deck may takes weeks even months without buying cards. While the F2P system of the game should be commended for its accessibility; without quests the gold earned is 10 gold per 3 wins. It cost 100 gold for a deck of 5 cards. Assuming 50% win rate that is 60 games which is absurd. To make any progress it is best to play the game every three days or so in order to complete quest together. Disappointing that the game is behind a massive paywall that cannot even be overcome with paying due to RNG.… Expand
  4. XelNecra
    Apr 23, 2014
    8
    I assume when you read reviews, you read multiple reviews anyway. They tell you enough about the game and the gameplay. That's why i will only adress one specific part of hearthstone:

    Pay to win. This is a Trading card game. If you spend money on it, you get boosters with cards. Meaning: If you buy more boosters with real money, you have more and rarer cards than others. This is a    I assume when you read reviews, you read multiple reviews anyway. They tell you enough about the game and the gameplay. That's why i will only adress one specific part of hearthstone:

    Pay to win.

    This is a Trading card game. If you spend money on it, you get boosters with cards. Meaning: If you buy more boosters with real money, you have more and rarer cards than others. This is a basic concept of trading card games, it has been for over 15 years now. If you do not like this concept: Do not play Trading card games, and do not play Hearthstone because it is a trading card game. Playing a trading card game and complaining that paying money for cards gives you an advantage is like eating chocolate and then complaining that you get fat.

    But: Good guy Blizzard has you covered even when you got no money at hand. The "Arena Mode" ("draft" for those who played other TCGs) allows you to create a deck by picking from randomly selected cards which don't have to be owned, and then play against others who also have a deck created the same way. This means: No matter how much money you put into this game, in Arena you are all equal. So, if you do not like the monetisation model of Trading card games, then you can play Arena games and have a fair chance of winning each and every single game. If you are really good with playing arena, the earnings from it cover the entry cost for an arena round, meaning you can play Arena all day long and don't have to pay a cent of real money.

    If anything this is an improvement over the monetisation models of all trading card games in existence, only made possible since this is a PC game.

    More points you might be interested in:

    Gameplay: Blizzard created an enjoyable trading-card-game. The rules are pretty transparent, especially when you already played other trading card games. You can only make decisions during your turn. You might argue that this takes away from the game's depth, but i think it was the right decision for an online game. All in all, the gameplay is fun.

    Advanced Tactics: There is much room for combo play (combinations of cards to enhance their effectiveness). Even a few tribals (cards with a type that synergize well with each other just by belonging to this type) are added already.

    Cards: The amount of cards is decent, but the card pool could be a little larger. New cards are supposed to appear on a regular base. Major complaint: Some cards are a little strong standalone, but this is a recurring theme with all trading card games in existence as well, i just hoped they'd get it right. Card limitations make sure that these cards appear less often, so we got that going for us.

    All in All:
    I deduce one point for not being able to act during an opponents turn. Adding this feature would be a challenge, yes, but it would be worth it for the added depth.
    I deduce one point for the power of some standalone cards - these cards are truly game-changing, but neither do they require you to combo them in any way, nor do some of them offer counterplay because their effect (without combo) already goes of before the next turn starts. That's Anti-fun, and could have been solved better.

    8/10 would recommend.    … Expand
  5. Natnl
    Apr 22, 2014
    0
    In my opinion , hearthstone is the number 1 time consuming game , it is challenging , won't make you regret the time played , i suggest that if you need to burn time on your hours long bus home , waiting rooms , or need to reset your sleep cycle , this game is the cure to your problems , just a different perspective on a life consuming and addicting game that is crowd destination is pay toIn my opinion , hearthstone is the number 1 time consuming game , it is challenging , won't make you regret the time played , i suggest that if you need to burn time on your hours long bus home , waiting rooms , or need to reset your sleep cycle , this game is the cure to your problems , just a different perspective on a life consuming and addicting game that is crowd destination is pay to win player , as a game it self it gets barely a 6 but because it is free , and because my rich pass experience with extreme time consuming games , i pick this one as my favorite .… Expand
  6. vorph
    Apr 22, 2014
    6
    As fun it is, some decks are definitely overpowered compared to others. There are certain other drawbacks, like the game is not rewarding enough for your efforts, card gains are limited if you don't pay for anything. We know that Blizzard has a taste to charge people for extras but that system just blew up with D3 Auction House. I wonder why they still create a "pay to win" style gameAs fun it is, some decks are definitely overpowered compared to others. There are certain other drawbacks, like the game is not rewarding enough for your efforts, card gains are limited if you don't pay for anything. We know that Blizzard has a taste to charge people for extras but that system just blew up with D3 Auction House. I wonder why they still create a "pay to win" style game while their experiences should have urged them otherwise.… Expand
  7. StarmanDX
    Apr 21, 2014
    6
    For starters, this game is an extremely simplified version of Magic: The Gathering. That's not necessarily a bad thing, since it brings in a bigger userbase, but I think I would enjoy the game more if it was just a little deeper. As such, that's not really what I'm docking many points for.

    What I am mostly docking points for is how pay-to-win the game is - easily the most so that I have    For starters, this game is an extremely simplified version of Magic: The Gathering. That's not necessarily a bad thing, since it brings in a bigger userbase, but I think I would enjoy the game more if it was just a little deeper. As such, that's not really what I'm docking many points for.

    What I am mostly docking points for is how pay-to-win the game is - easily the most so that I have ever played. Grinding for cards takes a long time, and you can't really compete without legendaries in Hearthstone. This wouldn't be that bad if the matchmaking system prevented such unequal matchups, but as a beginner you'll often be paired up with people who've spent money to acquire much better cards. Expect to spend some decent cash if you want to have a decent chance.    … Expand
  8. Dartflght
    Apr 21, 2014
    6
    When i first played this game on gamescom 2013 i could not imagine anything bad considering this game. It was something new, I liked the style and graphics and there was finally a game by blizzard for casual gamers. Even though I think its quiet comprehensible to say that this game is, at least in some degree, pay to win I really liked the Beta-Version of the game. But the new ranked-matchWhen i first played this game on gamescom 2013 i could not imagine anything bad considering this game. It was something new, I liked the style and graphics and there was finally a game by blizzard for casual gamers. Even though I think its quiet comprehensible to say that this game is, at least in some degree, pay to win I really liked the Beta-Version of the game. But the new ranked-match system changed my opinion.
    The new system works against every casual player! The new system resets your rank on a monthly base... If you are a casual gamer like me, you play lets say 5 games a week. If you win 50% you end up on rank 16/25. Nothing to be proud of in my opinion. And then ... reset ... start AGAIN from rank 25. But luckily there is the arena mode as option... I could say. But it is expensive as hell. In order to purchase one arena run you need 150 gold. You get 10 gold for 3 wins. Lets do a little math 20 games a month 50% win ratio = 4,5 month playing to purchase 1 arena run ... are you kidding?
    To be fair there this another way to get gold. via daily quests. Those will gain you about 50 gold. But again, if the objective of this quest is: win 5 games with warrior or priest, and you never played those classes because you stick to only one.. there is no reason for me to even try to reach that.
    All in all, I think it can be quiet a fun game but just as long as you are willing to pay real money for arena runs.    … Expand
  9. ThatBrayKid
    Apr 19, 2014
    9
    Many reviewers seem to be trashing the game simply because they aren't very good at it, and don't understand the mechanics. That's too bad, because the game itself is fantastic. There's a lot to do with constructive play and arena play. Ranked and casual matches as well. The classes are initially very balanced, with strengths and weaknesses for each class. However, skilled playersMany reviewers seem to be trashing the game simply because they aren't very good at it, and don't understand the mechanics. That's too bad, because the game itself is fantastic. There's a lot to do with constructive play and arena play. Ranked and casual matches as well. The classes are initially very balanced, with strengths and weaknesses for each class. However, skilled players will understand card synergy and use this knowledge to crush unskilled players. If those unskilled players would just play and practice, thinking about their mistakes, they would realize the game is much better than what they initially thought. That's what happened to me. Hearthstone is a fantastic, deep card game, with a large amount of replay-ability, and a solid community based around it. Give it a shot, you'll probably be hooked.… Expand
  10. gabriot
    Apr 19, 2014
    3
    This game really just isn't fun, like AT ALL.

    I sincerely don't get why everyone keeps playing this game, hell I don't get why I played it for so long ( I have over 1000+ wins on record in this stupid game) Watch any streamer that plays this game and you'll see that there is ZERO fun to be had in this abomination of a card game. Blizzard should be ashamed on many different levels,    This game really just isn't fun, like AT ALL.

    I sincerely don't get why everyone keeps playing this game, hell I don't get why I played it for so long ( I have over 1000+ wins on record in this stupid game)

    Watch any streamer that plays this game and you'll see that there is ZERO fun to be had in this abomination of a card game. Blizzard should be ashamed on many different levels, on the actual design of the game, but also the amount of game breaking bugs in such a simple game that they just leave unchecked for MONTHS on end. They aren't ashamed though, because they are clearly not the same company that made masterpieces like Diablo ii and stracraft back in the day. They are laughing all the way to the bank with this one.

    The game is so rng based it isn't even funny. All it accomplishes is that it leaves you frustrated when it doesn't go your way and slightly amused when it does. There is in fact SO much RNG in this game that you'll never get to witness your "good play" producing results unless you play hundreds upon hundreds of games and somehow keep track of plays that you made. Otherwise you can play absolutely perfectly, and your opponent can play like a complete noob, and it doesn't matter, there will be NOTHING you can do to win, because rng will **** you over that hard.

    Take this scenario for example, you play an "amani berserker", which is a card that has 2 damage and 3 hp, but has a condition that when it receives damage of any sort and survives, it will gain +3 attack. Now on your opponents turn, let's say they play a "mad bomber", which is a card that will fire off 3 random bombs to any random targets. So in this scenario, playing that mad bomber is a "dumb" play because there are 3 targets for it to hit, and it's likely to land one of those on the amani, thus giving it the +3 attack bonus. But nope, all 3 bombs hit the amani and your opponent just got rewarded for making a dumb play, and you are SEVERELY behind now at that point. Yay, sound fun? No? Well that's because it isn't. This type of crap happens ALL THE TIME IN THIS AWFUL GAME.

    There are tons of cards like this mad bomber car, that are completely rng based. There is even a card for priest that will summon any random minion from your opponents deck into the battlefield. This can absolutely break a game. Why would you EVER have a retarded card like that in a game that you wanted to have any semblance of competitiveness?

    There are 2 game modes to play - constructed and arena. Constructed is boring, you'll only see 5 or 6 decks because the game is so cheesily designed that at any given point there will only be a few optimized decks that are viable.

    The other mode is arena, where you get a random deck created from a random selection of cards that you draft from. This mode is almost fun, because you actually get to see some variety instead of the same cards over and over again, however once again it is TOO RNG based, to the point where there's not a chance in hell you can beat some opponent's decks, and you have to FREAKING PAY to play the damn mode. That is unacceptable on so many different levels. You pay either 2 dollars USD (they're taking real life money in a game that, by the way, has game breaking bugs, such as not even letting you get pas the mulligan screen to play your match that you just PAID to be able to play), or you can use 150 in game coins, which take FOREVER to acquire. You will get 1 quest per day, if you're lucky it will earn you 60 gold but most only earn 40 gold, and you can earn 10 gold for getting 3 wins in constructed play. So basically, you're limited to maybe one arena every other day or two days depending on how good you are. You can earn the gold back if you do well enough in an arena, but that's pretty much once again all up to the RNG of the opponents you get (match making is HORRID in this game) and the RNG of your own deck.

    All in all, a very disappointing, promising but horribly executed buggy game that is 10% fun and 90% frustration, rage, and generally unfun moments that leave you wondering why you wasted time and/or money on this trash in the first place.    … Expand
  11. buggermugger
    Apr 19, 2014
    0
    A dumbed down version of a tangible CCG made with profits in mind and nothing else.

    Cards that tower over others in power, due to how greedy this company is ALONG with an entry fee for an arena mode, where you can actually fight on somewhat equal footing mar whatever semblance of enjoyment you might have had. Not to mention that the social aspect is deprecated to the point of being    A dumbed down version of a tangible CCG made with profits in mind and nothing else.

    Cards that tower over others in power, due to how greedy this company is ALONG with an entry fee for an arena mode, where you can actually fight on somewhat equal footing mar whatever semblance of enjoyment you might have had.

    Not to mention that the social aspect is deprecated to the point of being non-existent. Both the absence of interaction and the win-or-get-nothing conditions make the already pay-to-win aspect inherent of CCGs frustrating by several orders of magnitude.

    It seems Blizzard attempted to make a go at MTGO, but failed in its ignorance of why people play these games in the first place: to interact with people and make friends.

    This game is contrary to that very notion. You are neither rewarded for playing with established friends, nor are you for making them. Hearthstone is an incredibly hostile experience because of it, so that often a failure to mute the opponent ends in regret (and the only way to communicate is through emotes!).

    I haven't even scratched the actual surface of the gameplay yet: most cards are essentially worthless and the entire game boils down to a handful of viable decks per class. Not to mention that class synergies and other restrictions means you have to either have played 100's of hours, or shelled out lots of money to have a shot in ranked play, or even casual play...

    When you finally get a balanced match, the games themselves play out very stupidly: more than often the winner is decided in the first few turns and strategy is left ENTIRELY to deck creation. It seems like whoever designed this game dropped out of community college before they could get to the introductory stats bit.

    The cherry on top of the **** sundae is the fact that the community is hostile to the point of being homicidal. However toxic LoLs community might be, it pales in comparison to this where I am sure without a doubt somebody would get killed if a live event were ever held.

    To consummate the greed of this **** **** excuse of a "gaming" company, the new content will be made a la arena, i.e. you'll have to pay money/have no life grinding JUST TO ACCESS it.

    In a nut shell:

    STAY AWAY FROM THIS PIECE OF **** GAME FROM THIS PIECE OF **** COMPANY FOR YOUR OWN MENTAL HEALTH.

    If you want a truly good CCG, or even online verson, then try the many, many different F2P options out there that aren't half as frustrating or costly.    … Expand
  12. demonphoenix
    Apr 18, 2014
    9
    I've played since closed beta and I have to say Hearthstone is a very good game. You can play it casually or very in depth, but luck still plays a huge factor.
    Some say it's pay to win. This is not true, people went to rank 1 without spending any money. And every big card can be shut down with basic cards.
    Some say some classes are overpowered. This is also not true, it's only because    I've played since closed beta and I have to say Hearthstone is a very good game. You can play it casually or very in depth, but luck still plays a huge factor.
    Some say it's pay to win. This is not true, people went to rank 1 without spending any money. And every big card can be shut down with basic cards.
    Some say some classes are overpowered. This is also not true, it's only because how the metagame is shifting. Every class has been called overpowered.
    Some say blizzard changes the game too much. In beta they changed a lot, yes. That's because it was a beta.
    Some say it's weird you can't trade cards. Well, it's a card game, not a Trading card game. They put in a feature that allows you to create cards, which has a lot of bonuses in itself.
    Also, their arena mode is very solid. You have interesting matches and the reward almost always pays for the arena cost. The only time you really need to spend money is if you want to buy tons of cards. But it stays your choice. You could spend a lot of money and be unlucky with the opening of packs or spend nothing and be very lucky and get the cards you want.    … Expand
  13. dallaen
    Apr 17, 2014
    1
    Game is exactly as described. It is seriously Pay to Win. The matching system is horribly broken and will match you up against the kid/guy who paid a ton of cash to buy virtual cards. The classes at first seem balanced but then you realize some have specific cards that are so powerful they defy logic. Nothing about this game is even remotely fun outside maybe playing against the terrible AI.
  14. Timeflows
    Apr 17, 2014
    4
    The game is fairly entertaining for the first hour but then you will find that it's very unbalanced. Classes like Mage, Priest and Warlock are the best and destroy everyone and each other while Classes like Rogue, Druid and Hunter are handicap with cards that aren't even capable of holding there own ground. Comparing the first 3 classes to the next 3 is that the cost of the cards are theThe game is fairly entertaining for the first hour but then you will find that it's very unbalanced. Classes like Mage, Priest and Warlock are the best and destroy everyone and each other while Classes like Rogue, Druid and Hunter are handicap with cards that aren't even capable of holding there own ground. Comparing the first 3 classes to the next 3 is that the cost of the cards are the same, but the first 3 have a large gap in damage and benefits in there cost while the other 3 are utterly weak and have not a large range of abilities. I'd say this game is still incomplete as it's whoever has the better class will usually win and it's certainly unfair for those who want to play with different cards other the being the most powerful.… Expand
  15. Toddler
    Apr 17, 2014
    4
    When I started off with Hearthstone, it was really fun and interesting game. I would have definitely given it 8/10 easily.

    Sadly, the game has taken turn for the worse: Nowdays you'll constantly run into few dominant decks (which people have been kind enough to share with others, thanks to wonders of the internet) and you can basically predict the outcome just after 1-3 Turns. The game    When I started off with Hearthstone, it was really fun and interesting game. I would have definitely given it 8/10 easily.

    Sadly, the game has taken turn for the worse: Nowdays you'll constantly run into few dominant decks (which people have been kind enough to share with others, thanks to wonders of the internet) and you can basically predict the outcome just after 1-3 Turns.
    The game that COULD have been a tactically demanding card game has now devolved into braindead zerg-rush 24/7.

    Oh, and thank you "Unleash the Hounds" card, you single handedly made the whole game worse.    … Expand
  16. bookreade
    Apr 17, 2014
    6
    This game is not bad, but not very good.Very casual, too much random.I play some, but now i just dnt want play it again.I dnt know why some people say that Hearthstone 9/10 or 10/10.Rly its not bad game, but 6/10 or 7/10 is max for casual card game like this
  17. wimmy1
    Apr 16, 2014
    8
    A fun game that I have taken a break from, but plan to come back once they add more cards. I find that it is a game that I can play in short bursts. Maybe play it nonstop for a solid 2 weeks. Then maybe take a break for a month or 2. But then be drawn back in by the fast gameplay and funny dialog. The games character is brilliant and turns a basic card game into something that can draw youA fun game that I have taken a break from, but plan to come back once they add more cards. I find that it is a game that I can play in short bursts. Maybe play it nonstop for a solid 2 weeks. Then maybe take a break for a month or 2. But then be drawn back in by the fast gameplay and funny dialog. The games character is brilliant and turns a basic card game into something that can draw you in and make you addicted.… Expand
  18. sviskon
    Apr 13, 2014
    2
    + Its free.

    - Lack of depth makes the game repetative relatively quickly.
    - Luck determines the outcome of a match more often than skill.
    - Only 1v1 game mode, 2vs2 would be a great addition to the game.
  19. VendettaBB
    Apr 9, 2014
    1
    This is a pretty harsh score I would say but it is deserved because primarily it is deceptively not F2P and greatly encourages purchases as the Legendary cards are basically only acquired through the purchase of packs to either luckily pull one or get enough rares to disenchant until you may be able to craft them, and let's face it: anyone who's played past rank 13-12 will run into decksThis is a pretty harsh score I would say but it is deserved because primarily it is deceptively not F2P and greatly encourages purchases as the Legendary cards are basically only acquired through the purchase of packs to either luckily pull one or get enough rares to disenchant until you may be able to craft them, and let's face it: anyone who's played past rank 13-12 will run into decks with Legendary cards that always tip the scales. This is a big problem, but not the only one of course.

    A big issue I had is the incredible amount of repetition that I kept seeing. Everyone begins to have the exact same deck from their respective class after a certain rank, you see the same cards over and over until you run into the maniac that keeps pulling legendary cards on you, which isn't terribly fun either. The problem is that there is no variety in its play, I would say that 80% of the decks are control decks, all you will see is one form of control over the other because there really aren't that many cards to begin with and the mediocre decision to have classes with powers means everyone will build around their classes' respective power. This is a poor decision on blizzard's part and simply adding more cards with different abilities in place of this would have been a far better choice in the long-run.

    It was fun for a week but you will begin to see how incredibly limited the game is and how repetitive it does get. If you've dabbled in MTG this is a big no-no as it feels like a starter pre-school version of MTG. Don't believe a word I say? Check it out for yourself as it's free to get started but don't buy packs, you will end up regretting it    … Expand
  20. TaintedDescent
    Apr 8, 2014
    1
    Card game based on luck alone. After half my deck being cards under 4 mana and never pulling them intill the game was already over on turn 7, you start to understand that this game is pure luck alone. You will never pull your low cards early and always pull your big cards first.
  21. VoxPaladin
    Apr 8, 2014
    0
    Hearthstone? More like Hearth-let me buy all the card decks and build an OP combo to use for every single round. Horribly balanced. Broken ranking system. Not fun AT ALL.
  22. Ads20000
    Apr 6, 2014
    8
    Extremely well made but also extremely difficult and frustrating. Not very addictive for me because it is so strategic but I don't think any other digital CCG has ever got this competitive. Polished in every way although still some bugs about. Looking forward to the Android build :)
  23. Tedamerica
    Apr 6, 2014
    3
    Here's the honest to god lowdown. Is the game fun, sure it is. Its based on cards that work together. You start with a basic set of cards plus additional cards for each class. As you progress you earn more and better cards. It takes hours and hours of grinding to get new cards. Of course Blizzard gives you the option to use real money to buy additional cards. You move up very quickly butHere's the honest to god lowdown. Is the game fun, sure it is. Its based on cards that work together. You start with a basic set of cards plus additional cards for each class. As you progress you earn more and better cards. It takes hours and hours of grinding to get new cards. Of course Blizzard gives you the option to use real money to buy additional cards. You move up very quickly but then you become frustrated by other gamers that are fool enough to pay real money for virtual items. (just my opinion) So unless you want to spend real money it becomes near impossible to compete. I hate being exploited by companies that make games pay2win.… Expand
  24. AoEKiller
    Apr 6, 2014
    0
    First, never trust any critics review on this site because all of them are specious. Then avoid any games directed by Jay Wilson at all cost. Paying for virtual cards is lame because this game is luck oriented and the gameplay is boring as usual from blizzard and repetitive. ZERO ZERO ZERO is my score on a scale of 1000.
  25. DelMann2
    Apr 6, 2014
    3
    Casual game for the ever growing casual market.

    RNG based, grindy, if you want to get the cards you need. Arena Fees... Nothing for me, thought it entertained me for a bit.
  26. Raidriar
    Apr 5, 2014
    10
    Hearthstone is the best online CCG currently available on the market. It's a game that's VERY easy to get into yet as you get more cards it gradually builds upon it's self.

    First off I would like to point out that anyone who is calling this game pay to win is someone you should not listen too. It is entirely possible to get every card in the game without paying a single cent. And it is    Hearthstone is the best online CCG currently available on the market. It's a game that's VERY easy to get into yet as you get more cards it gradually builds upon it's self.

    First off I would like to point out that anyone who is calling this game pay to win is someone you should not listen too. It is entirely possible to get every card in the game without paying a single cent. And it is entirely possible to get to legendary rank using free cards. Now many people will claim that you can just buy a bunch of packs and get a bunch of legendaries. But pretty much every legendary is highly situational, so just having 10 legendaries doesn't actually help you, and in fact it's rather counter productive.

    Now that that's out of the way we can get to the rest of the game. I would like to first start off by saying that Hearthstone just oozes polish. Everything about the impact of a high attack creature slamming into an enemy hero to the glorious effects of the spells. You can just see the effort that was put into the game.
    The next thing I would like to commend the game on is it's resource system. Instead of having manna cards that you draw in a game like magic, you simply get one manna per turn until you reach 10. This get's rid of some of the RNG that plagues many card games, but of course it still has some RNG...because well...it's a card game. But it's still a great improvement. Hearthstone also has a very deep meta. As I stated hearthstone starts off relatively simple and then gradually becomes more complex. Due to the unique play style of all the classes you see a lot of diversity and meta shifting which adds a lot to the game's longevity. And with more cards coming i our future, I see Hearthstone being around for a while.

    All in all hearthstone is fantastic and I highly recommend giving it a download. And even if you end up not liking it for whatever reason, it's free! So there's no reason to not give it a try.    … Expand
  27. Zingledot
    Apr 5, 2014
    3
    'A game lacking depth that was put in the rock tumbler so long it came out smooth' is the best way I've seen it described. This very quickly becomes a Pay-to-win game. You'll get some packs and gold from doing the tutorial, and it leads you to believe that you'll actually get a reasonable flow of cards. Nope.

    Look forward to sitting on your stagnant deck, and if you're good at playing,    'A game lacking depth that was put in the rock tumbler so long it came out smooth' is the best way I've seen it described. This very quickly becomes a Pay-to-win game. You'll get some packs and gold from doing the tutorial, and it leads you to believe that you'll actually get a reasonable flow of cards. Nope.

    Look forward to sitting on your stagnant deck, and if you're good at playing, you eventually hit the wall of people with better cards. Period. Further, because your available cards are based on the class you're playing as, every class plays the same strategy and there is a definite rock-paper-scissors balancing act going on between classes.

    The only reason this game isn't getting a lower rating is because the production is just so good. I tell everyone, if Magic the Gathering had made their computer games look and feel like Hearthstone, they would have been good games. Blizzard setup a great platform, but the game is crap.    … Expand
  28. Mudget
    Apr 5, 2014
    10
    Every 5 years or so a game comes along that addicts me in a way I find both exciting and scary. Hearthstone is currently that game for me. I should say that I was already a big CCG (computer card game) fan, having eaten through hours of the various incarnations of Magic: The Gathering, Spectromancer, M&M Duel of Champions, and the like. I'd always gotten at least a little addicted toEvery 5 years or so a game comes along that addicts me in a way I find both exciting and scary. Hearthstone is currently that game for me. I should say that I was already a big CCG (computer card game) fan, having eaten through hours of the various incarnations of Magic: The Gathering, Spectromancer, M&M Duel of Champions, and the like. I'd always gotten at least a little addicted to most of those, so I figured I should try this one out, despite not exactly being a WoW fan for many years. What I first noticed in beta was how clean and crisp the game was - a real looker - and coupled with the gameplay itself, I discovered a super highly-polished game, the likes we've come to expect from Blizzard.

    I do think this is the CCG that can make people not familiar with the genre fans. It's less complex and much more user-friendly and intuitive than any of its counterparts, with a good tutorial that eases the player into the experience. By the time you've been eased, you're likely to be hooked, and that's when it's time to take the fight to other real online players.

    This is where I think the game shines. In a way, players are somewhat disconnected from each other. There's no chatting unless you're already friends, and there are a limited number of emote choices ("Greetings", "Sorry", "Well Played", etc.). This means you're not instantly assailed by trolls out smear themselves across a good experience - you just have to play and play your best, and I appreciate this being the focus, rather than a social experience. There are plenty of other venues and games for that.

    Gameplay is fairly straightforward, and in this Hearthstone lacks the depth found in other CCGs. But what it has that other CCGs don't are sounds and animated visuals for each of the cards' unique abilities. There are several 'tiers' of cards, too, so unlocking (by winning arena battles and acquiring new decks, or buying them in the store) rare and legendary cards is fun not just because they add a new layer of strategy to your game, but bring along with them interesting sounds and visuals unique to those specific cards.

    The WoW universe is very present here, and most of those audio and visual cues are taken straight from it, of course. The characters are all pulled from the MMORPG and each deck matches one of nine playable character classes from that game (Cleric, Paladin, Rogue, Warrior, Warlock, Shaman, Priest, Mage, Druid). Each has its own set of special cards reserved only for that particular class, and each of the classes seems pretty well-balanced.

    In the end, this is a casual time-waster and you could do SO much worse for a free-to-play game. In fact, I'd argue it's the best FTP game I've played in ages, maybe ever. The pay-for-decks aspect isn't in your face at all, and you can earn decks just by playing arena battles (battles where you and your opponent are given a random selection of cards from the start). So a player could certainly climb the ranks and earn levels and decks endlessly without ever spending a dime. Those folks who do spend cash for cards don't particularly have an advantage, either. This is still a card game, after all, so even though someone else may have several amazing legendary cards in their decks, it certainly doesn't guarantee them a victory. And in time, you'll be getting those epic cards without spending money in any case because of the reward system, and being able to spend gold for new decks, or arcane dust to purchase individual cards. Once you've been playing a while and start getting the maximum two cards of each type, you can turn those excess and unnecessary cards into arcane dust. Once you have enough dust you can actually craft even the most legendary of cards. It's not a quick process, getting to that point, but it's a really rewarding one.

    All in all Hearthstone is a fantastic FTP CCG, as polished as any Blizzard game, and as addicting as any CCG. It might lack a bit of the depth or breadth of a longstanding game like Magic the Gathering, but it's a refreshing new spin and one that will likely be more appealing to a larger number of people. Final word: It's 100% free to play. Give it a spin.    … Expand
  29. Murasamune
    Apr 4, 2014
    1
    If you're familiar with Magic: the gathering, this game will be disappointing. This is a good intro to the fun that can be had with trading-card-games but is seriously lacking in many areas that make them fun:

    player interaction
    SOCIAL interaction
    tricks
    counter spells

    i'm missing some/if i remember i'll come back and update, this is an okay game, but isn't worth dumping money into.
  30. NebbishD
    Apr 4, 2014
    9
    I enjoy games with a good amount of depth to them, and generally shy away from any games "casual" in nature, so it's a significant statement to say I've continued playing the game since the early days of the closed beta.

    Rather than re-state everything good about the game that has already been said, I'd rather debunk a lot of the (false) assertions made in some of the mixed and negative    I enjoy games with a good amount of depth to them, and generally shy away from any games "casual" in nature, so it's a significant statement to say I've continued playing the game since the early days of the closed beta.

    Rather than re-state everything good about the game that has already been said, I'd rather debunk a lot of the (false) assertions made in some of the mixed and negative reviews.

    The three most common complaints:

    1. "It's pay to win; the only way you can get a good deck is if you pour tons of money or grinding hours into opening hundreds of packs to get the legendary cards." My stance: In general I hate the microtransaction model in any game, but it's very well developed and is in no way pay to win in HS. There are plenty of testimonials of players who have poured literally hundreds of dollars into the game who still find themselves flagging on ladder. Many pros and streamers have demonstrated "budget" decks with few or no rare cards that have made it to the highest levels of constructed ladder. I mostly play arena, and I've never had to pay to enter; the daily gold quests and arena winnings have given me a steady surplus of gold. To date I haven't had to grind OR pay to win a lot and have fun. To be fair, I've got a high win/loss ratio, so the majority of players (especially new players) will indeed have to either play constructed ladder in between arena runs to earn money from quests or occasionally pay the $2 for an arena entry. But, the system rewards skill; if you play well and make the right decisions, you make a profit on your arena-ing. That potential alone makes the microtransaction model palatable to me. (Naturally, I'm biased, but still; I wouldn't mind paying for the occasional arena entry if I knew it were possible for me to become skilled enough to play for free).

    2. "It's imbalanced; X class is OP". There are inevitably going to be some differences in balance when there are nine classes to choose from and only 200 cards in total. But, there is no class that is completely discounted in constructed; in the most popular set of 14 or so deck lists in the legend (read: highest) ladder, every class is represented at least once. In arena, hunter is decidedly weaker, and mage perhaps a bit better than others, but the "luck of the draw" style of arena balances (or at least mitigates) the power factor of any given race. I've reached 12 wins in arena (the best you can do in an arena run) with 4 classes at this point, including some classes I originally thought would be very difficult to accomplish this with.

    3. "It's too casual and simplistic". Although (after putting many hours into the game) I'm indeed finding myself wanting a bit more depth, it's got enough strategic relevance to compel professional gamers to divert considerable careers to Hearthstone (consider Day[9], Kripparian, and Artosis, to name a few). If this were truly the flappy birds of Card Carrying Games, these players wouldn't have looked twice at the Hearthstone experience.

    It's not a perfect game, and they're still working out some of the bugs, but they've made a lot of progress over the past few months. And on the whole, it does a better job at merging the accessibility of a casual game with the depth and persistence of a big title than any other game I've seen to date.

    I was a bit surprised to find so many (essentially misinformed/wrong)    … Expand
  31. Fixxed
    Apr 4, 2014
    6
    Hearthstone is basically, a pretty and casual ccg. It is a game that thrives on luck and unexprienced tcg players. It lives of its warcraft lore and art and the fact that alot of blizzard's clients will log onto it everyonce in a while (since it is apparently free).

    Negative points? The game is not a tcg since there is no trading. The game is extremely unbalanced, with creatures not    Hearthstone is basically, a pretty and casual ccg. It is a game that thrives on luck and unexprienced tcg players. It lives of its warcraft lore and art and the fact that alot of blizzard's clients will log onto it everyonce in a while (since it is apparently free).

    Negative points? The game is not a tcg since there is no trading. The game is extremely unbalanced, with creatures not following an exact mana to stats pattern hence rendering some stronger than others (for the same cost). The game is 75% luck thus making it casual and not competitive (at all). It is not free to play since free cards have a really small array of effects limiting players to just a couple of strategies per deck. Mechanics linear and straightforward (really not much thinking, got the mana? use it)

    And last but not least, it suffers heavily of the four negative tcg points, 1 bad first hand system, 2 overwhelming, 3 spell control/spell spam and 4. extreme luck based.

    Conclusion. If you never played a tcg or is new or unexperienced to tcgs/ccgs... play the game, since its simple, pretty and you will have a chance of winning an experienced hardcore tcger (long live lucky based tcgs)
    If with time or if you already are a hardcore tcger, well accustomed to magic and other competitive tcgs, then... play this game casually, for if you try it competitively you will only get yourself frustrated or disappointed with the total lack of strategic elements you are used to.    … Expand
  32. Texhnolyze
    Apr 3, 2014
    0
    P2P + P2W. Unenjoyable for F2P
    #01This is a TCG.
    You are ment to spend money in order to get cards. If you are not OK with that idea you will spend time getting wasted in the ranking plays by decks that compose mostly of epics and legendaries. Which will lead to you getting angry, irritated and feeling suffocated. And that will lead you to write a 0/10 review. I got to rank 14. That was    P2P + P2W. Unenjoyable for F2P
    #01This is a TCG.
    You are ment to spend money in order to get cards. If you are not OK with that idea you will spend time getting wasted in the ranking plays by decks that compose mostly of epics and legendaries. Which will lead to you getting angry, irritated and feeling suffocated. And that will lead you to write a 0/10 review. I got to rank 14. That was at the end of the month. Now at the start of the month i see decks packed with 4~5 legendaries on ranks 20~18...

    #02 But why does the game system match F2P players that don't have any epics and legendaries in their decks against P2W players whose decks are packed with them?!
    Here comes out the awful truth. F2P players are just cannon fodder for the players that pay for the cards.
    I don't have any of those. Had to deal with an enemy that played Ragnaros, then on the next turn Ysera and in the end Grommash...Does that seem to you like something to be enjoyable for me if i don't have any epics on rares myself?

    #03 The only chance for me to get epics and legends is opening packs. Which cost gold. Which you get from daily quests...Sorry. Quest
    ONE FOR EACH DAY...Only 40~60 GOLD a DAY. On average a F2P player will squeeze out 2 packs every 3 days.That clearly hits you in the face about Blizzards intentions.
    #04 Arena. Probably the best instalment of Hearthstone. Watched all TotalBiscuit's arena episodes. Played it once myself. Got a **** draft. Ended 5-3. From what i saw it's 45% that you get a great draft, 45% that you get a great hand and follow up and 10% that you won't make any stupid mistake. It's a great gambleSo addictive. And the 2$ entry fee isn't that high right? Just think about it. If every day hundreds of thousands people play several times 2$...AWESOME
    #05 Why P2P? If you haven't figured it out by now then lol. Because if you really want to compete then you have to pay money, silly!

    I told my friend that I'm gonna give this a 0/10. He told me not do it. Give it something betwen 1~3 but not 0. I seem to enjoy it...His words unfortunately confirmed me in my judgement. I don't enjoy it.
    Secondly a 0/10 is controversial and will lure more people to reading a review like this. This game clearly does not deserve an 88 from critics...Yeah I'm gonna bet on that one. I'm a little afraid of stagnation in Hearthstone. How will this game evolve. Are they considering inserting discard cards? That would ruin the game.
    In the end this game is clearly intended for people who are ready to throw money at it. It will be a great game for those people. Especially arena runs. You will buy cards, construct decks that are most popular in the top circles. Test them out on ranked. Disenchant unwanted cards, make golden ones. The illustrations are beautiful. The mechanics is original. The cards have many combinations to test out. Lot's of fun. great but not a 9/10...Blizzard keeps nerfing some cards. Defias got nerfed. Didn't see any rogues on Fight Night(am at S03e03). Shaman totem doesn't heal the hero anymore...That makes sense...

    .I want to to uninstall it...But maybe I'll just keep with doing dailies. Just to get a kick out of opening "Expert packs". One every second, third day...In the end for me Hearthstone is a game i enjoy watching being played like TotalBiscuit's videos or Fight Night.
    BUT IF YOU ARE A F2P THEN STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM IT!    … Expand
  33. TheKinBladez
    Apr 3, 2014
    8
    It's fun, it's addictive, and it's free. Well... it starts out that way. The problem with a game like Hearthstone is that just like Magic:The Gathering, there's only one way to really build a good deck, and that's to shell out the cash. Sure, in MTG you can always kill your friends and steal their decks, but that's illegal and generally a good way to get excluded from tournaments. So youIt's fun, it's addictive, and it's free. Well... it starts out that way. The problem with a game like Hearthstone is that just like Magic:The Gathering, there's only one way to really build a good deck, and that's to shell out the cash. Sure, in MTG you can always kill your friends and steal their decks, but that's illegal and generally a good way to get excluded from tournaments. So you want to play (well)? You're going to have to pay.

    Hearthstone is a spiritual successor to the WoW TCG, and as such it follows that same basic principle. If you want to play competitively you're going to end up spending money on it, and I know from Beta there were a lot of people spending literally hundreds of dollars building their decks. That sounds insane to me, as I'm sure it does to you, and rightfully so. It's essentially F2P, but with that P2W aspect looming over it all the time, there's no denying that the really good players are going to be the ones who have bought into it.

    However, that's not necessarily a bad thing or a problem. I don't think we're going to see Hearthstone as some grand esport a la Starcraft, but even if we did keep in mind that you have to buy Starcraft too, so having to pay for Hearthstone isn't a negative, it's a natural part of the industry and that's okay. What is so great about this game is that the casual players who are absolutely terrible at it like I am don't have to pay for a game they're always going to suck at. You can play it, and enjoy yourself, perfectly well without paying a single penny for anything. I have, and I've had a lot of fun with it. Now I can't wait until it comes out on Android devices so I can get fired from my job for playing on the clock, because I know I won't be able to resist.

    8/10- It does exactly what it sets out to do, adapting a beloved TCG to the digital era. It's fun, it's addicting, and the cost of entry is free, which is almost always a plus. Worth the download and definitely worth the time.    … Expand
  34. CoffeeGuy22
    Apr 2, 2014
    3
    This is a F2P you can't enjoy without paying, first f*cking mistake. It has so many balance problems that it's unplayable (you'd think that would be easy considering it doesn't have a lot of cards), second **** mistake. But the biggest problem with this game is the fact that it's too simple, it has no **** depth whatsoever compared to other card games making it mostly luck-based because ofThis is a F2P you can't enjoy without paying, first f*cking mistake. It has so many balance problems that it's unplayable (you'd think that would be easy considering it doesn't have a lot of cards), second **** mistake. But the biggest problem with this game is the fact that it's too simple, it has no **** depth whatsoever compared to other card games making it mostly luck-based because of the lack of strategy needed so you'll be better of buying Duels of the Planeswalkers or any other digital card game that doesn't have a pay to win model... Can you tell I was dissapointed?… Expand
  35. frest
    Apr 2, 2014
    7
    Without a doubt this is one of the better implementations of the CCG in computer game form. It has the to-be-expected Blizzard interface polish, and looks to be designed for eventual deployment on mobile platforms as well. My criticisms are that it is socially sterile and a little claustrophobic at times. Playing with anonymous people is easy, fast, and painless. It is one of theWithout a doubt this is one of the better implementations of the CCG in computer game form. It has the to-be-expected Blizzard interface polish, and looks to be designed for eventual deployment on mobile platforms as well. My criticisms are that it is socially sterile and a little claustrophobic at times. Playing with anonymous people is easy, fast, and painless. It is one of the friendliest games I've ever played for deckbuilding, test-dueling random people without anxiety or judgment. Playing with friends (and sidestepping the matchmaking and arena) felt almost discouraged. Community feels non-existent ingame, probably due to aforementioned "mobile platform development," and communication is similarly clumsy (IM messages appear as popups and if used, the chat window actively obscures the playing area).… Expand
  36. Alturis
    Apr 1, 2014
    10
    Frankly I don't see how this game could be any better. When compared to any other digital card game it just puts everything else to shame. It's not Magic, it's not Call of Duty, but it is simply the best digital collectible card game you will find anywhere. Give it time to expand and it will give Magic a run for its money.
  37. 8fortime
    Mar 31, 2014
    9
    Hearthstone is casually addictive and fun. The soothing music and the nice feel to the aesthetic make you sit there for hours. It has a nice depth in the gameplay and easy to get into.
  38. smk123
    Mar 31, 2014
    8
    I never thought I would enjoy a card game as much as I have enjoyed Hearthstone, it is immaculately well presented and does a fantastic job of easing card-game newbies like myself into how the systems work etc. Each class feels unique and has its own quirks you will soon learn, and the free to play model is not at all unfair surprisingly, one of the top ranked players managed to get to theI never thought I would enjoy a card game as much as I have enjoyed Hearthstone, it is immaculately well presented and does a fantastic job of easing card-game newbies like myself into how the systems work etc. Each class feels unique and has its own quirks you will soon learn, and the free to play model is not at all unfair surprisingly, one of the top ranked players managed to get to the highest league with completely free, basic cards, just goes to show it is often down to skill!

    However after my 60 hours ish of playing I find myself less interested in the game, I think this is because the meta-game (arena aside) is all too predictable and the game uickly becomes stale at higher levels, if you don't have enough gold to enter the arena (or don't want to pay real money) then at the moment I think it is too-samey, but by all means try it, it's fantastic fun for quite a long time and I'm sure when more content drops I'll be dragged right back in    … Expand
  39. Jinxter
    Mar 30, 2014
    3
    I have played this game a LOT, and there is a LOT of depth in this game, however, there is very little in way of strategy to this game. It is an overly simple game that relies upon 'luck of the draw' than anything else. I have taken all of my characters to 20 and a couple to 35. Regardless of what deck you build, what expert you follow, your 'strategy' WILL fall apart when you do NOT getI have played this game a LOT, and there is a LOT of depth in this game, however, there is very little in way of strategy to this game. It is an overly simple game that relies upon 'luck of the draw' than anything else. I have taken all of my characters to 20 and a couple to 35. Regardless of what deck you build, what expert you follow, your 'strategy' WILL fall apart when you do NOT get 'that one card'. I have built decks with only 6 spells, and I HAVE ALWAYS seen the majority of my first 7 or 8 cards to be spells. In a completely random system this CAN happen, but the frequency to which I HAVE seen it tells me that the system is NOT completely random but weighted to spells so as to balance to game out against players with more spells and less minions.

    I wish they would have spent more time on this game and truly developed a strategic system where in people could ACTUALLY USE strategy, but when you have a game where you have to "hope" your card comes up, is NOT hat good a game. There is NOTHING worse than to be at the beginning of a game, you only have 1 mana available and the first card from your deck is 5 mana or higher.

    Due to the current system, they have cards that are literally worthless to have in your deck. Cards that WOULD have strategic use if they used a system of a weighted draws. However, since they allow ANY card to come up, it IS fair, but the decks you will fight against the majority of the time is FULL of cards costing less than 5 mana, and almost ALL decks are a version of a RUSH deck. It makes the game VERY predictable and ultimately BORING. What purpose is there to 'building' a deck, when the cards that you put in there, to FIT the way YOU WANT to play, NEVER show up in your hand until it is past the point that you could use it to ATTEMPT to win.

    Don't believe that hype of people posting "THIS DECK GOT ME TO LEVEL 5!!! I used this build and GOT A 70% WIN percentage." DO NOT believe these people at all. I took one of these so-called Mid-budget 4000+ dust to craft and after 200 games with the deck could do no better than ~50%. I have found, that due to the way the cards hit your hand there is NO WAY that anyone gets more than a 50% percentage win unless they just plain have better luck. The only strategy is in keeping track of how many cards your opponent has that could possibly hurt you, then realizing that you are not getting the cards you need and then losing yet another game.

    I had hoped for an actual strategic card game...this is NOT it. If you like it, now worries, but I do NOT think this is a good game. It is actually rather poor.    … Expand
  40. Blackjackgamer
    Mar 29, 2014
    1
    Literally dependent on how much money you're willing to spend on the game. You spend a lot on the in-game micro transactions, you'll eventually be rewarded by cards that people who aren't ready to spend on the game don't have. These cards are stronger than normal cards and can essentially win you a duel.

    Blizzard essentially threw this together within a year and aren't even bothered to    Literally dependent on how much money you're willing to spend on the game. You spend a lot on the in-game micro transactions, you'll eventually be rewarded by cards that people who aren't ready to spend on the game don't have. These cards are stronger than normal cards and can essentially win you a duel.

    Blizzard essentially threw this together within a year and aren't even bothered to balance their cards. The only balance changes I've seen were in order to buff already stupidly strong cards.

    The only strong point to this game is the graphics and such which follow blizzard's standard of polishing their games.    … Expand
  41. LD9000
    Mar 28, 2014
    2
    Games like this should be regulated like gambling. If a person under the age of 18 is not allowed to gamble, because their judgement is not considered mature yet, why is Blizzard developing a virtual casino for 9-13 year olds? Sure they will ask their parents or just buy prepaid cards to buy decks. Some will get seriously addicted, as they chase the next "rush" of random battles.

    Arena    Games like this should be regulated like gambling. If a person under the age of 18 is not allowed to gamble, because their judgement is not considered mature yet, why is Blizzard developing a virtual casino for 9-13 year olds? Sure they will ask their parents or just buy prepaid cards to buy decks. Some will get seriously addicted, as they chase the next "rush" of random battles.

    Arena requires you to grind for hours and hours to get a free entry (150 gold to enter, 10 gold per 3 wins, at 50% win rate you need 90 games to get free entry. at 10 minutes per game that's 15 hours of grinding.

    Once you are in the arena, it becomes apparent just how broken it is - the "random" draft lets you stay and fight for long if you have a good deck. But you soon realize that weak decks get eliminated quickly, and you are left fighting players who are either using OP builds, or just have a bunch of OP orange cards in their decks (ex: Ragnaros).

    Introducing PVP is the driver of the pay to win system. Once you see how many people at low ranks have rare and legendary cards in their decks, the feeling of "unfair" will make you buy decks. Once you buy decks, you realize that because they give you cards for all 9 classes, and lots of common cards, you need A WHOLE LOAD of decks to get your favorite class on par with the rest of the players.

    Or you can build one of the rush decks and just overwhelm the enemy. Got frothing berserker? Got void horror? Got buzzard, hyena and unleash the hounds?

    After a while, this game made me sick to my stomach because of how such flashy and seemingly user friendly game exploits the human brain.    … Expand
  42. verglia
    Mar 28, 2014
    5
    Since it comes from blizzard and it's free,and they dumbed down all their games in last 5-10 years,you should try it.Cards are fun to play,game is pay to win,but i still had some fun with it.Only 500 cards,the game needs at least 2500 to be competitive,after some time it gets boring cause of this.If they reduce price for packs,or allow players to get more gold i'll gladly come back,but forSince it comes from blizzard and it's free,and they dumbed down all their games in last 5-10 years,you should try it.Cards are fun to play,game is pay to win,but i still had some fun with it.Only 500 cards,the game needs at least 2500 to be competitive,after some time it gets boring cause of this.If they reduce price for packs,or allow players to get more gold i'll gladly come back,but for now,it's just waste of time...… Expand
  43. isg1983
    Mar 27, 2014
    8
    A good mix of casual and serious aspects. Everybody should give it a go whether if you're a fan of card games or not, this game should be a good starter for everyone who wants to enter the sweet geeky card game universe.
  44. Hrothgaar
    Mar 27, 2014
    0
    As the most of the other negative reviewers say:
    This game is a cashgrab!
    Download it for free, play the tutorial, and after that play for another week without spending money. After this week the nice "feel" of the game because of graphic and sound presentation will be gone and you got inside into the money making mechanics enough to realize what it really is: a cashgrab... Be smart,    As the most of the other negative reviewers say:
    This game is a cashgrab!
    Download it for free, play the tutorial, and after that play for another week without spending money.
    After this week the nice "feel" of the game because of graphic and sound presentation will be gone and you got inside into the money making mechanics enough to realize what it really is: a cashgrab...
    Be smart, dont fall for it!    … Expand
  45. 15CharactersMax
    Mar 26, 2014
    10
    It is a card game and does have some level of a random element to it. When I started playing it first felt like just a card game but on for your PC. I kept playing and really got into the game when I realized the versatility of the characters and how every class not only has a different play style but how you can actually pick out your style of play for each class. If you do not likeIt is a card game and does have some level of a random element to it. When I started playing it first felt like just a card game but on for your PC. I kept playing and really got into the game when I realized the versatility of the characters and how every class not only has a different play style but how you can actually pick out your style of play for each class. If you do not like strategy based card games, stay away - If you have never played one before, Hearthstone provides a great experience to learn the game and test your deck building and strategy skills.… Expand
  46. pickxarro
    Mar 26, 2014
    6
    Hearthstone is most likely the best card game at the moment but if you haven't played WoW as me, it doesnt open too well. I guess ill stay in moba games. 6/10
  47. Raskol
    Mar 26, 2014
    9
    Love this game, its short fast fun, Blizzard made a nice thing here, lets hope they keep it. While easy to learn it is complex, ive got many of my friends in to this game, even my parrents, and there over 60.
  48. IGNsus
    Mar 25, 2014
    0
    Hearthstone is casual at first glance, second glance, third glance, fourth.... You get the idea.

    There is actually very little strategy involved in Hearthstone. You have RNG in Arena, RNG in what cards you draw, and RNG in what the cards do when you play them. I laugh at anyone who uses the word "depth" to describe Hearthstone without the phrase "a lack of" preceding it. An    Hearthstone is casual at first glance, second glance, third glance, fourth.... You get the idea.

    There is actually very little strategy involved in Hearthstone. You have RNG in Arena, RNG in what cards you draw, and RNG in what the cards do when you play them.

    I laugh at anyone who uses the word "depth" to describe Hearthstone without the phrase "a lack of" preceding it. An absolutely abysmal, shameless cash grab by an Activision owned developer.    … Expand
  49. Dubstep
    Mar 25, 2014
    8
    First things first: it is NOT pay to win. A bunch of legendaries or epics won't win you a single game, because in order to use them right you need some know-how and skill. HOWEVER if you do play with a solid mixture of basic and easy to obtain expert cards, you can beat even legendary decks.

    The game itsself lacks some of the tactical depth of MTG (which obviously was role model for    First things first: it is NOT pay to win. A bunch of legendaries or epics won't win you a single game, because in order to use them right you need some know-how and skill. HOWEVER if you do play with a solid mixture of basic and easy to obtain expert cards, you can beat even legendary decks.

    The game itsself lacks some of the tactical depth of MTG (which obviously was role model for this game)
    but also purges the gameplay of unnecessary aspects that take speed out of matched (beeing landflodded etc). Balancing is well done. Sound is nice. Graphics are Ok.
    In short: I like it.

    Let's see if Blizzard comes with some options to give their players long term motivation apart from getting all important cards or becoming a legendary ranked player.    … Expand
  50. Lane_Steel
    Mar 22, 2014
    5
    How much you like Hearthstone is going to be dependant upon how casual you like you CCG experience to be, or to restate it, how favorably/unfavorably you view the word "accessibility" in reference to multiplayer games.

    It should be no surprise for a Blizzard entry to focus on producing a highly polished and user-friendly game that allows for players of all ages and skill levels to play.    How much you like Hearthstone is going to be dependant upon how casual you like you CCG experience to be, or to restate it, how favorably/unfavorably you view the word "accessibility" in reference to multiplayer games.

    It should be no surprise for a Blizzard entry to focus on producing a highly polished and user-friendly game that allows for players of all ages and skill levels to play. This is not the easy to learn, but hard to master template, but easy to play, easy to master, with a good deal of luck determining who will win barring glaring errors in judgement.

    It is simple fun, matches are relatively short, and there is a good amount of humorous references to keep WoW players entertained.

    Now if you are looking for something in terms of a CCG challenge to highlight your player's edge, this isn't the real thing.

    For self-proclaimed CCG hardcores - 5 or less (i.e you'll shortly uninstall it)
    For people new to CCG's and/or who want a stress-free, fun way to pass time - 8 or more    … Expand
  51. Kcen
    Mar 20, 2014
    1
    Pay to win + horrible new player experience.....not a good combination

    When you start the game you either have to pay a lot of real money to build a deck, or accept you are going to lose every match for a long time.. neither is really fun or conductive to a new player experience. You see the way the game matches players is flawed and it sticks brand new players against people with    Pay to win + horrible new player experience.....not a good combination

    When you start the game you either have to pay a lot of real money to build a deck, or accept you are going to lose every match for a long time.. neither is really fun or conductive to a new player experience.

    You see the way the game matches players is flawed and it sticks brand new players against people with tricked out decks and a lot of rare and legendaries, new players cant counter this and just get crushed, this is of course intentional to cause said new players to go spend money to even the odds.....

    Yeah great idea... dragged down by the real money aspect, it would have worked much better as a monthly fee or pay once where you know it would be balances for fun and not for sucking money.    … Expand
  52. morgonfreemun
    Mar 20, 2014
    9
    This game puts Magic:The Gathering to shame.
    Altough it's free to play you never feel like its pay to win.
    Great balance and its much faster than Magic.
  53. Blackdragon666
    Mar 19, 2014
    7
    Wonderful concept held down by the pay to win nature of the game.

    The only enjoyable the thing about this game is the Arena, which is pretty well balanced, and loads of fun.
  54. Crescendo
    Mar 19, 2014
    6
    I've played the game since early beta - if you're searching for quick and fun matches without having to go into the think tank a lot this is for you. It's a pretty dumbed down TCG with WAY too much focus on pure luck for my tastes - but I still play it once in a while. To be honest, the Arena is the only thing in this game worth your while, and even that features an immense amount of luckI've played the game since early beta - if you're searching for quick and fun matches without having to go into the think tank a lot this is for you. It's a pretty dumbed down TCG with WAY too much focus on pure luck for my tastes - but I still play it once in a while. To be honest, the Arena is the only thing in this game worth your while, and even that features an immense amount of luck to get a good draft pool. Still, I can see the people who enjoy blizzard games as of late enjoy this one too.… Expand
  55. Leap8
    Mar 19, 2014
    10
    For starters do not listen to the people who say that this game is pay to win. Players have reached the top of the rankings in the game without paying a penny and indeed some have reached very high just using the basic decks given to the player at the start of the game. This game can feel unfair sometimes and i believe that is what these players are feeling. However this is due to theFor starters do not listen to the people who say that this game is pay to win. Players have reached the top of the rankings in the game without paying a penny and indeed some have reached very high just using the basic decks given to the player at the start of the game. This game can feel unfair sometimes and i believe that is what these players are feeling. However this is due to the random nature of some of the cards and the very real aspect of luck involved in drafting the right cards for the right situation. Although this leads to some seemingly unfair games it does tend to balance itself out the more games you play. Anyway now the good and the bad. (Also please remember that this game is free and every card in the game can be earned without paying a penny!)

    Good:
    Brilliant and addictive card game. The sounds and animations are both extremely satisfying and the graphics are very reminiscent of WoW which gives it a nostalgic feel. As mentioned above the payment method is rather moot depending on how you wish to play the game. If you want to jump into the game and be able to play every deck then and there you will have to sink in some money to buy packs of cards. However this is not how the game is meant to be played and is much more suited to a slow progression doing quests and arena runs (its the journey people). Not to mention skilled players have reached the top of the rankings just days after starting a new free account.

    Bad:
    So far everything has been quite positive but like every game it is not perfect (which is not what a 10 indicates fyi). The game does still even after release suffer from some annoying card swapping and overlapping bugs, these can be a real pain and even cost you games. The game is also very lacking in playing modes. Only two currently exist at launch, constructed and arena. This problem is likely to be addressed in later expansion packs or DLC but for the moment the area is lacking.
    Certain cards in the game are just simply stronger versions of others and are almost a 100% pick every time in a deck, this can make match ups very repetitive as you are bound to see these certain cards in every game. Unfortunately most of these cards are legendary (which are very rare) which often leads people to believe the game is pay to win (even though these cards are fully achievable through free means).    … Expand
  56. blubberguts
    Mar 19, 2014
    7
    At lot of fun ..at first. Especially against the computer players.

    Then you reach PVP and it's pay to win. I remember I had cards that cost 2 mana and did 1 damage .. others had cards that cost 1 mana and did 3 damage. No matter what you do, unless you pay, you aren't going to win. It's a shame. Graphically, I really like the game, it has loads of style. The cards look good, the    At lot of fun ..at first. Especially against the computer players.

    Then you reach PVP and it's pay to win. I remember I had cards that cost 2 mana and did 1 damage .. others had cards that cost 1 mana and did 3 damage. No matter what you do, unless you pay, you aren't going to win.

    It's a shame. Graphically, I really like the game, it has loads of style. The cards look good, the colours are clear and bright, the animations are great. The voices and sounds are good too. As you'd expect, coming from the creators of WOW, it's a work of quality. I really enjoyed playing ..until I got to PVP.

    I have a suggestion for Blizzard. TWO sets of leagues. One league for "skill" players only. There are no cards or advantages you can buy, the winner is determined by sheer skill (And luck in the draw, of course, but that averages out the more games you play.) This will draw in a huge number of people and generate buzz.

    The other league for players who bought cards.

    Both sets of gamers could be happy!

    If you do this, I will go back to playing again. Until then, no more for me.

    7/10 for this. Would have been 9 or 10, except for the pay-to-win. Apart from that, it's an excellent game. I recommend people try it anyway; until you get to pvp, it's the best card battle game I ever played.    … Expand
  57. Not_Disclosed
    Mar 18, 2014
    7
    The game is very deceptive. First of all, do not expect to be competitive in ranked play for a long time, unless you want to spend real money. If you do spend money, you will not be truly competitive anyway, but you will manage to get some wins just because you have better cards.

    For a long time, I thought that cards are everything, but actually there is quite a lot of strategy    The game is very deceptive. First of all, do not expect to be competitive in ranked play for a long time, unless you want to spend real money. If you do spend money, you will not be truly competitive anyway, but you will manage to get some wins just because you have better cards.

    For a long time, I thought that cards are everything, but actually there is quite a lot of strategy involved. As a new player, you will need to do daily quests. I do not recommend playing any more than for dailies, as when you play against much better decks, you will feel that it is unfair and pay - for - win. As such, I recommend not buying the decks straight away, but spend the gold in arena. Yes, you will be losing a lot at the beginning - but also you will learn to play and to choose cards. Make a spreadsheet of your arena wins so you can see your progress in time. Initially you will think that 'it is all luck' and that 'opponents were lucky at draw and play' but after some time (a couple of months for me) you will realise that actually how you play and way you choose cards affect your performance in Arena immensely, and that having few very good cards in a badly chosen deck does not make wonders. To play constructed competitively, as long as you do not want to pay, expect 3-6 months of doing dailies and spending your gold on Arena runs.

    Constructed has many issues currently, but the game is getting better, and even though maybe at the moment is not as good as competition, given Blizzard determination (and pushing it as an e-sport) it is very likely to be the best in maybe a year time.

    However, building your skill to be competitive in the game (and Arena) will take time. You can buy your way to be competitive early, but with all the cards you can imagine, you will still not achieve top ranks without skill.    … Expand
  58. DonutTyrant
    Mar 18, 2014
    10
    Arena mode gives players random cards to build a deck with before having us go head to head. Cannot buy cards for arena, only player skill matters there. This is where the fun is at so do yourself the service of playing this amazing free to play game. You have nothing to lose but your time.
  59. funkyalex99
    Mar 18, 2014
    8
    A fantastic game that had amazing potential in open beta but did not meet my expectations when released. This is because, in my opinion, there was no hype when released and seemed to be bugger than when it was in open beta. I didn't even know it was out until a few hours ago, however it is still extremely addictive game that when you spend at lest 30 minuets playing it, you are instantlyA fantastic game that had amazing potential in open beta but did not meet my expectations when released. This is because, in my opinion, there was no hype when released and seemed to be bugger than when it was in open beta. I didn't even know it was out until a few hours ago, however it is still extremely addictive game that when you spend at lest 30 minuets playing it, you are instantly attached to it. Blizzard have made some mistakes in the past but this by far is not one of them. 8/10

    :D    … Expand
  60. sniperfoxdls
    Mar 18, 2014
    0
    No idea how the critics rated it this high unless they only played for the first hour. The first hour or two is fun, because it's against computers who don't have decks full of 90% rares & legendaries. Once you hit your first few PvP battles, you'll quickly realize that this is just a P2W (Pay To Win) money grab.

    Is it as obscene at the new Dungeon Keeper on Android? No. Do you have    No idea how the critics rated it this high unless they only played for the first hour. The first hour or two is fun, because it's against computers who don't have decks full of 90% rares & legendaries. Once you hit your first few PvP battles, you'll quickly realize that this is just a P2W (Pay To Win) money grab.

    Is it as obscene at the new Dungeon Keeper on Android? No. Do you have a chance at winning this game without out PAYing your opponents? No.

    TL;DR - Do NOT believe the Blizzard fanboy 10/10 ratings. Avoid this game and play ACTUAL free to play games like DotA 2 / Team Fortress / League of Legends instead.    … Expand
  61. Isten
    Mar 18, 2014
    7
    I played they WOW TCG for the game, not the unlocks...and that makes me a minority as best I can tell.

    In either case, Hearthstone is a faithful if dumbed down version of the TCG.

    A Fun way to burn time (and money). It will never be competitive like MtG and that is okay. It fills a good niche.
  62. mei_karma
    Mar 18, 2014
    6
    Rule is very simple and easy to learn. Even if you're a beginner of TCG, you can play this game excitingly with out "learning curve"

    Despite of many fascinating things. but there is a sort of limit to enjoy the game deeply. It depends on "luck" so much than any other card games. and its simpleness made the game less strategic. If you are a person who love TCG like "MTG" or "YUGIOH"    Rule is very simple and easy to learn. Even if you're a beginner of TCG, you can play this game excitingly with out "learning curve"

    Despite of many fascinating things. but there is a sort of limit to enjoy the game deeply. It depends on "luck" so much than any other card games. and its simpleness made the game less strategic.

    If you are a person who love TCG like "MTG" or "YUGIOH" , HearthStone might not able to satisfy you.    … Expand
  63. GreK
    Mar 18, 2014
    9
    Я просто напишу"+" и "-" игры.
    + Интересная боевая система;
    + Хорошая графическая составляющая;
    + Интересно собирать карты;

    - Порой бои выигрываются благодаря удачи вся стратегия коту под хвост.
  64. Nican
    Mar 18, 2014
    1
    Hearthstone is a game that you can either love or hate.
    Here are a few things you should know to help you make up your mind:
    1. Its a "pay to win" game, you must be prepared to either dish out around 80 bucks to build decent decks or spend several months playing at a serious disadvantage while building them. 2. There are some balance issues. Some classes just aren't viable in high    Hearthstone is a game that you can either love or hate.
    Here are a few things you should know to help you make up your mind:

    1. Its a "pay to win" game, you must be prepared to either dish out around 80 bucks to build decent decks or spend several months playing at a serious disadvantage while building them.

    2. There are some balance issues. Some classes just aren't viable in high ranked play. If you dont mind switching to whatever class works you will be fine. If you like sticking with your favorite class, you might have a problem. 3. Hearthstone favors "aggro" / "rush" decks, meaning if favors decks with low cost cards resulting in relatively short matches.    … Expand
  65. Planeswalker
    Mar 17, 2014
    3
    TITLE: BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TECH SUPPORT

    Let me start by saying that this game is great and addictive. It has solid game mechanics that is fairly easy to understand and you can create a variety of decks from the total card pool. So why do I give it a negative score? Customer service and Technical support. I spent money on this game on expert packs. I got some good cards from it,    TITLE: BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TECH SUPPORT

    Let me start by saying that this game is great and addictive. It has solid game mechanics that is fairly easy to understand and you can create a variety of decks from the total card pool. So why do I give it a negative score? Customer service and Technical support.

    I spent money on this game on expert packs. I got some good cards from it, one was a Legendary card named Lord Jaraxus. For some reason, the said card is now missing from my collection. I went to the hearthstone forums and found out that this is already a rampant problem with the game with many players reporting cards disappearing from their collection.

    My thead is here: http://us.battle.net/hearthstone/en/forum/topic/12091329391 ... as of writing, there has been 0 response from tech support. A tech support did reply into another missing cards thread only to post Blizzards' "No card restoration or refund" policy. The thread is right here: http://us.battle.net/hearthstone/en/forum/topic/12032473280

    Please take note that the tech support did not even explain why the cards are missing or any information at all about this issue. I have already filed a dispute with paypal to hopefully get at least a refund from my initial purchase. This behavior from blizzard is a huge turn off. I advice those who plan to spend money on this game to think twice before doing so.

    Summary: Should have been a great game. But let down by poor customer service and a very unhelpful tech support.    … Expand
  66. maxsmiley
    Mar 17, 2014
    4
    The animations and mechanics are extremely satisfying. The voice acting is as good as Blizzard has always delivered, and makes you reminisce about what made WC3 so great. But this game is plain and simple a pay to accelerate to drain the pockets of preteens. Not worth anyones time.
  67. Psyga
    Mar 17, 2014
    0
    The game is fun only for first several weeks, after that you will realize how stupid and toxic this game is.

    In constructed, almost everyone is net-decking some kind of low-budget cheesy rush or legendary heavy control because this game has no depth, so you will have to face same decks over and over again if you want to climb up the ladder, also, you get almost nothing upon losing, only    The game is fun only for first several weeks, after that you will realize how stupid and toxic this game is.

    In constructed, almost everyone is net-decking some kind of low-budget cheesy rush or legendary heavy control because this game has no depth, so you will have to face same decks over and over again if you want to climb up the ladder, also, you get almost nothing upon losing, only some slight exp gain which is required to unlock foil cards/hero portraits.

    The arena is absurdly unbalanced, totally dominated by AoE heavy Mages who have bunch of board clear spells to win, some say it's fun but I found it toxic after playing like a month, not even competitive thanks to RNG hell.

    Please remind that The Blizzard already stated they won't be touching much balancing issue after the release, which means this game is as good as dead.

    If you want to try you luck, just play some online-poker, and never pay a dime into this game.    … Expand
  68. jlplatten
    Mar 17, 2014
    10
    This game is addictivelyfun!

    Those scoring this game extremely low don't have a valid argument as to why they don't like the game. First off, the game is FREE! Those complaining they can't easily get a good deck when they paid nothing for the game are ridiculous. Blizzard has to make some kind of money on their products, or else they wouldn't produce any. View the download of this game    This game is addictivelyfun!

    Those scoring this game extremely low don't have a valid argument as to why they don't like the game. First off, the game is FREE! Those complaining they can't easily get a good deck when they paid nothing for the game are ridiculous. Blizzard has to make some kind of money on their products, or else they wouldn't produce any. View the download of this game as a free trial. You can play through some fun tutorials with basic cards, unlock everything you can with the free decks you can get, and then when ready to take on online opponents, be prepared to get whooped... which is still fun, because you get to see the various deck strategies others have put together, and gives you ideas on your own. I'm having so much fun with this game, I decided to pay $50 for more cards, which is really the price of a normal game nowadays anyways. Second, when you play ranked games, your rank fluctuates up and down based on games you win/lose, so more times than not you are playing up against equally ranked opponents with similarly powerful decks.

    I wish Blizzard had a whiner-detector to prevent the complainers from downloading their free game.    … Expand
  69. Metalsand
    Mar 17, 2014
    8
    A fun game of card-chess for anyone to play, not just serious card game players. It takes all the convoluted, and unnecessary rules within most card games and throws them out the window in favor of easy to learn, hard to master gameplay. The only card-game I've ever truly had fun with and had some strategics thought of with.

    One of the oddest parts is the F2P element, which is somehow    A fun game of card-chess for anyone to play, not just serious card game players. It takes all the convoluted, and unnecessary rules within most card games and throws them out the window in favor of easy to learn, hard to master gameplay. The only card-game I've ever truly had fun with and had some strategics thought of with.

    One of the oddest parts is the F2P element, which is somehow fit into the game. Decks are based on a few token cards that you include in nearly any deck you can, but some of these token cards are night impossible to obtain unless you play 100 hours+ or pump over $100 into the game.

    Overall though, I really like it a lot. A good player can win with a bad deck, and a bad player can lose with the best deck, it really is up to the person itself just as much as it is with the deck they make.    … Expand
  70. Paulo_Jorge
    Mar 17, 2014
    9
    Heartsone - Heroes of Warcraft is one of the best card games that I've ever played, the design is beatiful and motivational, the voiceover is perfect in all lenguages, the rules are simple and easylearned, but as you level up in the game, it gets harder and harder, a well balanced game. The classes, cards, decks creation, cratures, magics, everything that you need in a card gameHeartsone - Heroes of Warcraft is one of the best card games that I've ever played, the design is beatiful and motivational, the voiceover is perfect in all lenguages, the rules are simple and easylearned, but as you level up in the game, it gets harder and harder, a well balanced game. The classes, cards, decks creation, cratures, magics, everything that you need in a card game Hearthstone offers you, almost perfect game!… Expand
  71. TitaniumDragon
    Mar 17, 2014
    5
    This game is thoroughly mediocre. Magic has massively more strategic depth than it has; this game is quite shallow, primarily due to its lack of interactivity. You act, then your opponent acts, then you go again, back and forth, and the inability to interact during your opponent's turn, while it is a reasonable decision from the point of view of speeding up the game, really makes the gameThis game is thoroughly mediocre. Magic has massively more strategic depth than it has; this game is quite shallow, primarily due to its lack of interactivity. You act, then your opponent acts, then you go again, back and forth, and the inability to interact during your opponent's turn, while it is a reasonable decision from the point of view of speeding up the game, really makes the game a lot more shallow.

    The net effect is that the game is more of a diversion than something which is actually all that deep; it tries to addict you with various Pavlovian methods, but in the end the lack of interactivity means that while playing against other players rather than the AI makes the game more difficult, it doesn't create a fundamental difference in how fun the game actually is to play, which is to say, a little, but not very.

    Not worth your time, and certainly not worth your money; if you like Magic, you'll find this a disappointingly shallow imitation which is a lot less fun; if you don't like Magic, then you certainly won't like a disappointingly shallow imitation. Yes, it is ostensibly free (and really, you can play it for free if you're patient enough), but the amount of time you spend on it in favor of something else is a real cost, and that time you'll never get back.    … Expand
  72. Interus
    Mar 16, 2014
    0
    Blizzard under Activision has turned from a company that creates stories and experiences into a company that exploits the worst of the human condition by turning their games into virtual casinos. Hearthstone folows the same formula WoW and the Diablo series, by providing flashy, happy graphics and glittering interfaces interfaces (remind you of a Casino?) for the player to do the sameBlizzard under Activision has turned from a company that creates stories and experiences into a company that exploits the worst of the human condition by turning their games into virtual casinos. Hearthstone folows the same formula WoW and the Diablo series, by providing flashy, happy graphics and glittering interfaces interfaces (remind you of a Casino?) for the player to do the same actions over and over in hopes of a payoff (remind you of a Casino?).

    In Diablo it's killing the same monsters in the same acts over and over in hopes of legendary. in WoW it's going to the raid casino every tuesday and in Hearthstone it's play games in order to buy decks to maybe get the right cards. The thing is that it is an empty, soul sucking, life wasting endeavor.... when you get all your best cards, legendaries or raid loot, what is there to do? What is the payoff?

    They just start the hamster wheel again by introducing better cards/loots/legendaries. Love yourself as a human being and avoid anything made by Activision/Blizzard, they are not game makers, they make 21st century slot machines.    … Expand
  73. Cornwheat
    Mar 16, 2014
    0
    Let me get this straight. Blizzard now has a luck based card game. They then add a random number generator to this luck based game. Then they add possibly the worst card collecting system in CCG history in which 5 very likely crap cards cost a total of 2 bucks (so each virtual card costs 40 cents ea.) OR you have to grind for AT LEAST 3 hours (Each pack costs 100. 10 gold every 3 wins. 30Let me get this straight. Blizzard now has a luck based card game. They then add a random number generator to this luck based game. Then they add possibly the worst card collecting system in CCG history in which 5 very likely crap cards cost a total of 2 bucks (so each virtual card costs 40 cents ea.) OR you have to grind for AT LEAST 3 hours (Each pack costs 100. 10 gold every 3 wins. 30 wins for one deck. ~60 games assuming you're lucky enough to win half. 60 * about 10 minutes per game = 600 minutes. THAT'S 10 HOURS FOLKS. You've got daily quests which if you're lucky take off about 6 hours from the grind. Then they give people , legendaries meaning the win rate for a grinder drops down to 30%. Then you got the fact that some classes will hands down destroy your deck. They expect you to plan for everything and your mother in 30 cards.
    Bout the only thing going for this game are it's aesthetics. OOoooo shiny colors and explosions Ahhhh *watches as 2 flame strikes, 2 arcane explosions, (insert aoe and/or removal spell(s))*
    In terms of gameplay, there is none. Figuratively. Literally. You draw cards. You play what you can since the number of options in this game is extremely limited. You hope your opponent doesn't have that card. He does. You curse at the computer and a terrible chat system (maybe it was intentional) that doesn't allow any communication between you or your opponent between 6 generic phrases. The end. I understand how card games are supposed to be luck based but the main problem is this game is too luck based and too damn simplified. The main crux being there is absolutely no counter play. None. They picked up counter play and threw it out of a 10 story window. You got what you can do on your turn and then you watch as your opponent does what he does. If that happens to be the complete destruction of your side of the field from a card he just drew from the top of his deck; well too bad (justification from hearthstone fanatics: should've planned for that). Magic allows you to choose what creature you want defending. Yu Gi Oh has trap cards. Even the damn Blizzard World of Warcraft card game had counter play. What's that you say? Secrets? You mean the "trap" cards only 3/9 of the classes have and that there are only 3 of? You can literally google "Mage Traps Hearthstone" and it'll show you the whopping list of 5 possible traps (2 of which are crap that a mage should never have) allowing you to easily sidestep these token cards.
    Which leads me to the next point. Hearthstone has 465 playable cards; about 30 of them are legendaries basically making them unaccesible for anyone but the lucky or the pay-to-win. Furthermore of these cards about 80 are useful. Why? It's the meta. All of the rest are useless. They're situational, inefficient, or just downright bad. One of the fun things typical card games do is allow you to experiment; in Hearthstone if you experiment you lose. That simple. Of course unless you go against someone else who doesn't get the meta.
    But back to the legendary issue. They are the meta breakers simply because they're rare. Rare and downright unbalanced; Now I do have to give Blizzard props, they tried to balance this. Unfortunately the way they tried to balance it is figuratively mentally retarded. They added removal cards. As in if you don't like a card you pick it out and say gtfo. Now I'm all for arbitrary death but seriously...in an already luck base card game. Now as if getting lucky wasn't enough you can get really lucky or more likely unlikely as in that card you finally managed to get out and buffed for the win now gets destroyed cause the other guy top decks a "kill-anything-you-feel-like-card". Well done except that took literally no skill. It also means that the luck based level of the game has now dropped down to the point that a 2 year old with the same cards as a professional player can now beat that player. Good job blizzard. All in all excellent work on the balance and luck issues. I do have to give it a one thought because the graphics are nice and the game is mind-numbingly simplistic. Also at least it wasn't Diablo 3 Blizzard. At least it wasn't.

    Things to make it bearable: In ranked, before a match begins allow people to see what class they're up against and allow them to build a deck. Use a removal card to remove the removal cards from this game completely permanently. Nerf the legends. This isn't league. Set the cards so a random number generator doesn't determine whether you live or die.

    p.s. It's quite sad when the signature game mode (which you have to pay to play) is Arena Mode. When literally your entire deck is composed of RANDOM cards.    … Expand
  74. NecroMnemic
    Mar 16, 2014
    5
    Average game, that is fun for a couple of minutes but gets boring pretty fast. Also even for a TCG it's too depended on luck, making the games a coinflip. Most decisions are also without any alternative making the gameplay itself stale rather quickly.

    Blizzard keeps following the mantra "Easy to learn, easy to master", which again results in a game that just doesn't motivate playing    Average game, that is fun for a couple of minutes but gets boring pretty fast. Also even for a TCG it's too depended on luck, making the games a coinflip. Most decisions are also without any alternative making the gameplay itself stale rather quickly.

    Blizzard keeps following the mantra "Easy to learn, easy to master", which again results in a game that just doesn't motivate playing beyond the duration it's designed for - a couple of hours.    … Expand
  75. Servasky
    Mar 16, 2014
    0
    This game is rubbish. Pay to win and luck, you dont need anymore. You can turn your brain off and win win win win (paying first of course :D). Dont waste your time here.
  76. MaxPay
    Mar 16, 2014
    0
    Free2Grind for 100s and 100s of hours to build some good decks? Or just Pay2Win from the start? Both actually, this game has something for everybody that likes those things. I am however left disappointed.
  77. Polarthief
    Mar 16, 2014
    3
    Critics give it way too much praise. Most (good) decks are composed of about 90-95% of the same cards (excluding class cards, which are the same among the decks of those classes), so every match comes down to "who drew what first". I know most card games use luck as a factor, but skill can usually overcome that. In this game, no such level of complexity exists. Decks are too small, no wayCritics give it way too much praise. Most (good) decks are composed of about 90-95% of the same cards (excluding class cards, which are the same among the decks of those classes), so every match comes down to "who drew what first". I know most card games use luck as a factor, but skill can usually overcome that. In this game, no such level of complexity exists. Decks are too small, no way to counterattack unless you're one of the few classes with Secrets (trap cards), it's a total crapshoot! If you enjoy games of little to no skill in a fun, casual, Warcraft theme, then this is definitely for you.

    Aside from giving the gameplay an absolute 0, the sound effects, music, graphics, and overall theme, however, are very delightful. For the few months that I played, it was definitely fun, until I realized how luck was everything. Still, outside of the gameplay, it's pleasant, but sadly, games without good gameplay get scores such as these, if not worse. If it ever comes to smartphones (and not just the iPad), I'd vote it a 6 or 7 as a Mobile game, but for a PC game, it doesn't deserve the ridiculous praise people are giving it.    … Expand
  78. MisterShmi
    Mar 16, 2014
    5
    Being free, I can't complain too much. The game is certainly of high quality and well made, and fun for short relaxing sessions every now and again, but it gets old really fast, especially when you are playing against people who have the money to drop on overpowered cards. Its essentially a pay to win game, which is really unfortunate, because I WANT to like it really bad.
  79. moxie30
    Mar 15, 2014
    0
    As of right now it's the best virtual CCG on the market and probably will be for many years to come. Although the fact that it's impossible to trade cards is a big letdown and you can expect to grind for several hours or shell out $100+ to build just a few of the competitive decks you want. It's fun and addicting but it will never be a true competitive "esport" because of the randomnessAs of right now it's the best virtual CCG on the market and probably will be for many years to come. Although the fact that it's impossible to trade cards is a big letdown and you can expect to grind for several hours or shell out $100+ to build just a few of the competitive decks you want. It's fun and addicting but it will never be a true competitive "esport" because of the randomness that all card games have. If you take two equally skilled opponent it comes down to about 90% luck to determine the victor.… Expand
  80. vunacar
    Mar 15, 2014
    10
    I will be frank, I never really liked WoW. I loved Warcraft 3, and tried to like WoW because it was a continuation of story, but the game was boring and I never played it more than a month.
    With that said, Hearthstone is an exact opposite. I got into beta in november and still love the game. Each match is unique and fun, and the game constantly rewards you with new cards which alter your    I will be frank, I never really liked WoW. I loved Warcraft 3, and tried to like WoW because it was a continuation of story, but the game was boring and I never played it more than a month.
    With that said, Hearthstone is an exact opposite. I got into beta in november and still love the game. Each match is unique and fun, and the game constantly rewards you with new cards which alter your experience.
    The best part of the game is that it is totally playable without spending a cent. In my 5 months of occasional play to complete quests I have unlocked all common cards, 70% of rares, 30% of epics and I have 6 legendary cards. I repeat, I never spent a cent.
    For this fact alone, this game is a 10 in my book. Yes, it is a little light on features, but that will be changed in time. Yes, it has some bugs, it will also be changed in time. What will not change time is an amazing attention to detail, beautiful animations and aesthetics, great balance and a smile on my face when I turn around an already lost match...    … Expand
  81. mijxero
    Mar 15, 2014
    9
    I used to be an avid Magic the Gathering player so when I played Hearthstone I was amazed at how fun, strategic and most of all quick the matches can be. I can win or lose a match in 5 minutes or less and that makes it really fun. The sounds, visuals, and overall play style is just very fun and somewhat casual with a deeper strategy hiding beneath. Their free to play model is very goodI used to be an avid Magic the Gathering player so when I played Hearthstone I was amazed at how fun, strategic and most of all quick the matches can be. I can win or lose a match in 5 minutes or less and that makes it really fun. The sounds, visuals, and overall play style is just very fun and somewhat casual with a deeper strategy hiding beneath. Their free to play model is very good as well. You can earn a pack of cards by playing 2-3 days worth of simple quests like "Win 2 matches" or "kill 20 minions". You can spend real money to get more cards but I wouldn't say its pay to win really. Highly suggest.… Expand
  82. effervescing
    Mar 15, 2014
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Hearthstone is the most deceptively balanced game i have ever played. Hearthstone starts you off by giving a simple and fun tutorial, then gradually puts you through the games own personal quests that reward you with points to buy card packs in the shop to further increase your card library. Then Hearthstone introduces online play against other players, ranked or not depending on your choice, then faces you against other players somewhat equivalent to your level. This is where the game begins to be even more fun then it is. Eventually as you progress though battles and levels you will soon start to realize that there are certain overpowered cards within the game that simply destroy every possible strategy conceived to the human mind just by paying a mana cost of seven or less, in which most games don't end until both yours and your foes mana count is at at least 9 or to the limit of 10. you will soon find yourself in an array of multiple poorly beginning hands which is drawn by random and cards drawn by your personally customized or game built deck, which is also randomly picked. It is only a matter of time until you figure out that you must pour actual dollar after dollar in the game just to buy the card packs to hope to get these overpowered cards and hope to win which really comes down to more luck than skill at a certain point. What the developers tried to do was well worth it in my opinion, from the hero getting points and equipment, to the automatic upgrading mana system, but that simply does not save the game from the anathmatizing and unmagnanimous balancing flaws from luck obtaining the cards from the bought card packs, or the cards drawn during the game.… Expand
  83. kitano123
    Mar 14, 2014
    0
    Full pay2win game, my second match against another player and most of there cards where epic/legendary making it impossible to win. You'd be a complete fool to play this "game" as the only challenge is the size of your bank account. Avoid if you enjoy fair and competitive play.
  84. Wodenborn
    Mar 14, 2014
    10
    A masterclass in game design, Hearthstone creates endless hours of top level competitive strategy gaming for the everyone to enjoy. Every time I have sat down to play a competitive game, I have always been frustrated by the natural barrier created by manual dexterity, reaction times, and age. I will never be a world warrior in Street Fighter, no one will ever call me "gosu" in Starcraft,A masterclass in game design, Hearthstone creates endless hours of top level competitive strategy gaming for the everyone to enjoy. Every time I have sat down to play a competitive game, I have always been frustrated by the natural barrier created by manual dexterity, reaction times, and age. I will never be a world warrior in Street Fighter, no one will ever call me "gosu" in Starcraft, and I'll never get a quintuple kill in DOTA2, but at least when I loose in Hearthstone, I know for a fact that the only thing holding me back from tournament level greatness is my intellect, the one thing I am tirelessly interested in improving, no matter what I do.

    The rules of the game couldn't be simpler, and yet the tiniest choices you make in building your deck or playing your cards have tremendous importance and consequences. Great players are able to realize all the effects of class choice, board position, deck style and composition, and how to make calculated risks or punish careless opponents. It is the most meticulously balanced competitive game I've ever played and the more you learn, the better you are. It's as simple as that. Hearthstone is not only a great game - it makes me want to be a better gamer.    … Expand
  85. RealmCopier
    Mar 14, 2014
    10
    Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft was not a game I first expected to enjoy, since I have not enjoyed any of Blizzard's other games. However, Hearthstone was an immensely fun game and I put at least 20 hours in during my first week of play. I really like the uniqueness of the cards as well as the way your plays get better each turn.

    Over all I give it 10/10 because it is an incredibly fun    Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft was not a game I first expected to enjoy, since I have not enjoyed any of Blizzard's other games. However, Hearthstone was an immensely fun game and I put at least 20 hours in during my first week of play. I really like the uniqueness of the cards as well as the way your plays get better each turn.

    Over all I give it 10/10 because it is an incredibly fun game, and adds a certain uniqueness, never achieved before, to the CCG Genre.    … Expand
  86. Tikicobra
    Mar 14, 2014
    9
    As someone who isn't a huge card game fan, I find this game to be insanely fun and addictive. The gameplay is simple and easy to pick up, but it's full of hidden depth and strategy. The look is charming, the card art is amazing, the music is delightful, and the matchmaking is great about pitting you against players of your own level. The freemium elements are brilliantly implemented, and IAs someone who isn't a huge card game fan, I find this game to be insanely fun and addictive. The gameplay is simple and easy to pick up, but it's full of hidden depth and strategy. The look is charming, the card art is amazing, the music is delightful, and the matchmaking is great about pitting you against players of your own level. The freemium elements are brilliantly implemented, and I don't feel at all like they're being forced down my throat or as if they're necessary.

    The game is free, guys. Get it.    … Expand
  87. Firemind
    Mar 14, 2014
    6
    Hearthstone is a pretty much 'okay' game but really nothing more. The lack of many gameplay mechanics makes it a linear experience. After the first day when everything feels fresh and is fun I caught myself losing motivation playing it. That's not because it it a bad game there is just not enough variety like in other TCGs.
  88. Avadon
    Mar 14, 2014
    8
    As a recreational MtG player for the last 14 years, I find Hearthstone a welcome distraction. It's cute, colorful, not very complex (which means you can play it well enough while sleep deprived or intoxicated) and very, very fast (an average ranked game between experienced players probably won't last more than 4 minutes). It features tiny 30-card decks, which is fine if the game is builtAs a recreational MtG player for the last 14 years, I find Hearthstone a welcome distraction. It's cute, colorful, not very complex (which means you can play it well enough while sleep deprived or intoxicated) and very, very fast (an average ranked game between experienced players probably won't last more than 4 minutes). It features tiny 30-card decks, which is fine if the game is built around them, and it also means you can suddenly have a deck concept and proceed to build it and test it within seconds. It also feels amazing to be able to disenchant cards that you don't need and turn them into ones that you do need.

    Is it pay-to-win? Well, assuming 2 players of equal skill and experience, the guy who has spent 200$ will of course be able to make more powerful and varied decks and will win a higher percentage of games than the guy who has spent 0$. However, as opposed to MtG, you don't really have to do that in Hearthstone. Starting out as a new player can be a bit bumpy, but paying 50$ once will give you enough cards and dust to be able to make several good decks. Alternatively, if you don't want to pay anything, you can play Paladin or Mage, who have strong basic decks, and farm some money to do Arenas. I was able to get to about rank 10 in constructed with a basic Paladin late-curve deck, which is pretty amazing.

    Is it "balanced"? Well, card games are never really "surgically" balanced, because the luck factor tends to considerably influence the win rates. However, in Hearthstone the luck factor is significantly lower than in MtG, mostly because you can mulligan without consequences. In constructed the game seems to be in a good place to my experience. There are decks from all classes that can (and have) done well if played properly. Druids are probably a little too versatile and don't have any striking weaknesses, but that's all. As for arena, things obviously vary wildly according to your draft and your ability to make the best plays with it, and it's also really hard to play around cards as you would in constructed. Mages definitely seem too strong due to basic/common rarity hard removals and board wipes, which are often impossible to play around, so make sure you play them yourself when you get the chance.

    All in all, for a launch product, Hearthstone is really good, and as all card games it will get much better as more cards and features are added to it. It's definitely worth installing, and keeping it installed for a very long time.    … Expand
  89. TwisterRK
    Mar 14, 2014
    9
    Don't pay attention to the negative reviews. This game is amazing. If you're any good at it. The thing is, the community is terrible. In the Beta, things have been nerfed that didn't deserve nerfing because all the bad players didn't know how to counter them. This will probable still go on forever. Don't pay attention to complaints about RNG, it's a Card Game, there is always gonna be RNG.Don't pay attention to the negative reviews. This game is amazing. If you're any good at it. The thing is, the community is terrible. In the Beta, things have been nerfed that didn't deserve nerfing because all the bad players didn't know how to counter them. This will probable still go on forever. Don't pay attention to complaints about RNG, it's a Card Game, there is always gonna be RNG. Bottom line; this game is a perfectly executed with great potential for expansions and more. Too bad the community are pretty mindless at times.… Expand
  90. JohnJackson
    Mar 14, 2014
    10
    I never played a digital CCG before, and i have to say i am having a blast. It is like most Blizz titles easy to learn, but hard to master. I was hesitant to try it out, when open beta started, but i did, and i'm glad i did it. It is the game i spent the most time playing this year, and it's free! The graphics are beautiful for a card game, and the gameplay is nothing but fun. And theI never played a digital CCG before, and i have to say i am having a blast. It is like most Blizz titles easy to learn, but hard to master. I was hesitant to try it out, when open beta started, but i did, and i'm glad i did it. It is the game i spent the most time playing this year, and it's free! The graphics are beautiful for a card game, and the gameplay is nothing but fun. And the best thing is, you don't have to spend any money on it. Various players have proven, that it is possible to reach even the highest rank with absolutely no money spent.

    Go and try it out, you have nothing to lose, but be warned, it is highly addictive!    … Expand
  91. Mrandom
    Mar 13, 2014
    7
    Hearhstone is pretty fun and has the potential to be one of the most popular multi-player games like Dota2 or LOL. Of course it is a CCG, but its professional art design and well-balanced gameplay really shows it is a Blizzard game, like the classic WOW, Starcraft and Warcraft 3.
    However, like what they said in the ads, the game is "deceptively" simple. Yeah, it looks simple, but it is    Hearhstone is pretty fun and has the potential to be one of the most popular multi-player games like Dota2 or LOL. Of course it is a CCG, but its professional art design and well-balanced gameplay really shows it is a Blizzard game, like the classic WOW, Starcraft and Warcraft 3.
    However, like what they said in the ads, the game is "deceptively" simple. Yeah, it looks simple, but it is not. It is extremely hard for new players who just enter the game. I started playing the game around closed Beta, even back then I lost 9 of my first 10 games. Now it is even worse. More and more players have large card collections, the newbies are gonna suffer for a long time. Of course it is possible to play extremely well with limited card collection like what Trump did, but you'll need to spend a huge amount of time in the Arena before being able to do so. For a new player, it is impossible to play well without spending money on overpriced cards. This is what they call "pay to win".
    The game is also pretty time consuming. Yeah each game is short indeed, but you'll need to spend hundreds of hours to master it.
    All of these above sounds pretty much like Dota, right? Unlike LOL or WOW, both Hearthstone and Dota has steep learning curves. However, unlike Dota, Hearthstone is too luck-based. Sometimes your just can't draw the right cards in the first few rounds, and can only watch your opponent plays all his/her combo. Sometimes you just keeps getting duplicated cards from opening decks. Too much time is wasted on bad luck. Players can rarely feel they deserve the bad draw/lose game. Even worse, some of these unlucky situations happened because of the bugs in game mechanic. e.g. Nat Pagle used to only have 25% chance to draw a card.
    All in all, do not think this is a simple and not-time-consuming game. It can be casual and pretty fun, but be prepared to spend time and money if you want to play well or try those legendary cards.    … Expand
  92. Erazor2014
    Mar 12, 2014
    0
    Pointless game at best, It's a CCG (Card Collecting Game) You spend REAL money to buy VIRTUAL cards, but this is not like a real life CTG (Card Trading Game), You can't trade your cards, you can't sell them and they don't get valuable over the years so card rarity is worthless. The most funny thing is whilst you spend real money to acquire these cards, remember they are always blizzard'sPointless game at best, It's a CCG (Card Collecting Game) You spend REAL money to buy VIRTUAL cards, but this is not like a real life CTG (Card Trading Game), You can't trade your cards, you can't sell them and they don't get valuable over the years so card rarity is worthless. The most funny thing is whilst you spend real money to acquire these cards, remember they are always blizzard's property, you basically renting ****ing virtual cards, so pathetic. NOW I'm not saying to bring these features into the game, games should NOT be Pay2Win or about making money it should be something that you pay once for a product that is truly yours which you can indulge in to have fun and escape reality, get it blizzard? Game's should = FUN, however Blizzard's Formula is: Money Milking + Grinding + Fake Reward system (Virtual items), they treat people like addicted rats with a reward system. Yes it is a F2P game, if you don't mind Grinding for hours and hours to earn the same cards as it would cost £34.99 then yes It's FREE. This game is so simplistic in nature and development it should only have a Retail price of around £20 with no P2W module and gold grinding could be made easier with 5 daily quests as appose to 1 but that wouldn’t be enough “Money Whoring” for Blizzard. Sh!t Game with the wrong intentions, end of story. Is Blizzard even run by the same people before World of Warcraft??… Expand
  93. DishBish
    Mar 12, 2014
    0
    So you like PW2 card games?
    Sure go ahead and play this game.
    It's fun at beginning, I mean the only fun party is tutorial. When you get into multiplayer your oppents dish out **** legendaries over your common cards, which is you can't do **** about it.

    0/10 would not play again.
  94. nedellis
    Mar 12, 2014
    6
    It's fun for just few hours until you realize that you need thousand of hours of grindfest to have decent cards.
    It's both for casual and enthusiast player, and this it's not a real advantage because it could be very frustrating at the beginning.
    Grindfest or credit card to have fun. Not for me thanks.
  95. EclipseEx
    Mar 12, 2014
    7
    I usually play Hearthstone while waiting for other things to load or just when I want to play something short. The game is fairly casual there's no real pressure to win other than you can accumulate gold. I find it relaxing to just play without stressing out. One of the negative things is the fact that you can pay to dominate. Buying the $50 card pack will make your decks ridiculouslyI usually play Hearthstone while waiting for other things to load or just when I want to play something short. The game is fairly casual there's no real pressure to win other than you can accumulate gold. I find it relaxing to just play without stressing out. One of the negative things is the fact that you can pay to dominate. Buying the $50 card pack will make your decks ridiculously good. Also, like any card game luck has to do with how well you do which can get annoying or make you laugh hysterically when you get just the right cards to wreck your opponent. All in all worth checking out as it costs you nothing.… Expand
  96. CrafTricks
    Mar 12, 2014
    10
    Hearthstone is casual at first glance but I am unsurprisingly terrible at it, as it has depth that isn't that noticeable at first. It is extremely fun though, even losing is enjoyable to me and I can't wait for Blizzard to start expanding upon the game.

    For what it is now, I give it a 10/10 for being a well balanced and extremely fun game with enough depth to last for quite a while.
  97. vovanas666
    Mar 12, 2014
    1
    Эта игра сделана разработчиками-халявщиками, привыкшими делать всякое гавно для школьников, домохозяек, весь смысл игры сводится к покупке карт или доступа к арене, никакого баланса тут в помине нет, одно разочарование.Эта игра сделана разработчиками-халявщиками, привыкшими делать всякое гавно для школьников, домохозяек, весь смысл игры сводится к покупке карт или доступа к арене, никакого баланса тут в помине нет, одно разочарование.
  98. spyke2009
    Mar 12, 2014
    3
    Negative reviews sum it up, this is basically the warcraft CCG that they released a while back as a flop. Overly simplified gameplay which would be a bonus if they didn't break the golden rule of F2P models

    "NEVER, SELL POWER" Perhaps if they hadn't been so filled with greed and hubris this would have been a real contender with the other F2P titles on the market, but right now it's    Negative reviews sum it up, this is basically the warcraft CCG that they released a while back as a flop. Overly simplified gameplay which would be a bonus if they didn't break the golden rule of F2P models

    "NEVER, SELL POWER"

    Perhaps if they hadn't been so filled with greed and hubris this would have been a real contender with the other F2P titles on the market, but right now it's not competing and doesn't deserve a good review.
    They can do better.

    Alongside the financial model issues is the heavy reliance on RNG in their card design, a problem which alongside the cost was noted by many of my friends on the actual CCG's release.

    Overall due to the fact there are many documented bugs and flaws, and the fact they've had an active cash shop for months now while still being a "beta" product, I cannot in good conscience give this any higher than a 3, worth some time if you don't take it seriously, but a monumental let down in terms of potential... YgoPro etc won't be quaking in their boots from this "official" release.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best PC Game of 2014
7
#7 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
41
#41 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 42 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 42
  3. Negative: 0 out of 42
  1. Hardcore Gamer
    Jul 6, 2014
    90
    When Blizzard announced they were making a digital CCG, we all expected it to look and sound beautiful, and there was little doubt that it would be well-balanced, but I don’t think anyone anticipated this level of sophistication and subtle brilliance.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Jun 28, 2014
    85
    Simple rules, high production values, low system requirements and huge tactical freedom make Hearthstone one of the best card games available. And if you take into account the free-to-play model – it’s the best one. [05/2014, p.62]
  3. GameOver.gr
    Jun 7, 2014
    85
    A fine example of a great free-to-play game. Hearthstone is not only an addictive and well designed card game, but absolutely fair with gamers that do not wish to spend money on it.
    Read full review
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