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
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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.
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  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.
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