Neverland Card Battles

 PSP
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 18 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 18
  3. Negative: 1 out of 18
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  1. RichardCrabb
    Feb 13, 2009
    10
    Rated a 10 if you like collectible card games and enjoy the metagame of building decks to face different foes. Some cards are much more powerful than others, but overall it's the on CCG style game on the PSP that really worked for me. I've played hundreds of battles and find myself still coming back to this game.
  2. VeteranGamer
    Oct 30, 2008
    8
    First, if you have even a miniscule (even just a teeny-tiny amount) knowledge of card games, ignore the My Gamer review. That reviewer (from his gripes) CLEARLY does not know how card games and their mechanics work. This reviews also missed that the tutorial states that you CAN recycle your deck once depleted (for 5 life). With that aside, what matters most in card game is...the cardFirst, if you have even a miniscule (even just a teeny-tiny amount) knowledge of card games, ignore the My Gamer review. That reviewer (from his gripes) CLEARLY does not know how card games and their mechanics work. This reviews also missed that the tutorial states that you CAN recycle your deck once depleted (for 5 life). With that aside, what matters most in card game is...the card game. And, this is where NCB shines. I thoroughly enjoy the cards and game mechanics. The downside of NCB, the graphics. The "map" view is tolerable...the battle sequences are GBA-ish. I have picked up every PSP strategy game (some I wish I never had) and plenty of GBA/DS titles and can definitely give a recommendation to NCB to any strategy gamer out there. I score this a solid 7.5, worth the $30, not for everyone, but is for most semi- to serious gamers.… Expand
  3. ToddSmith
    Dec 14, 2008
    5
    As a big fan of card games, I was disappointed. The worst part of the game, is that the cards do not test you on how well you can manage luck. I see this game as a role-playing game with your attack choices restricted by the luck of the draw.
  4. JosephSymanski
    Oct 29, 2008
    8
    A great TCG for the PSP at last! Has a fantastic and deep territory system which really adds to the strategy level. The story takes itself a bit too seriously and the graphics are not so great but the gameplay really delivers and that's what's most important. If you like Trading Card games or Japanese Strategy RPG's definitely pick this game up.
  5. IndigoLarson
    Feb 16, 2009
    9
    Very fun game, reminds me of Culdcept on the PS2 (not the 360 version). I like that opponent #3 and #6 are mroe of a challenge unless someone has at least 1-2 of each of the 250 cards to build a deck to beat them 1st round.

    Good value for the money!
  6. WabbitofNeverland
    Dec 9, 2008
    8
    Don't get this game if: you feel good graphics are required to have fun; you haven't played a card based battle system before; you aren't into turn-based games.

    If the above hasn't turned you off, then look past the common reviews of this game. I myself did, and was pleasantly surprised what was under the hood. A good tactical strategy game that merges    Don't get this game if: you feel good graphics are required to have fun; you haven't played a card based battle system before; you aren't into turn-based games.

    If the above hasn't turned you off, then look past the common reviews of this game. I myself did, and was pleasantly surprised what was under the hood.
    A good tactical strategy game that merges traditional card based dueling (i.e. Magic the Gathering) with an interesting twist. The twist lies within how you collect mana. You move your 'hero' across a grid based battleboard. As you walk over a grid it turns your side's colour which gives you 1 mana next turn. The more grids you claim, the more mana you have to cast your spell arsenal. Of course, enemies can claim your grids by moving atop yours. To further this mana harvest, units you summon also can move around and take grids accordingly. So while the game sports traditional card dueling, an interesting strategic sidegame emerges for land control as well.

    To boot, units offer radius effects. Like all adjacent allies get +1 defence. You can also place 'bases' which cannot move but provide a wider aura of bonus. Troops also get lots of other abilities, like first strike, fierce strike, mutal fight, etc..

    To add another layer, the game has 5 types of land, which all grids are one of. The most common are just regular grids with no bonus. But there is also fire, earth, wind, etc.. Some units have a land affinity which gives them bonuses to attack and defence while combating on their corresponding land type. Units of land affinity can also be summoned to any related grid square, as opposed to the normal rule where all summons must be in an adjacent grid of your hero or one of your units.

    The game has some challenging moments which may turn off people who don't like a good difficult encounter (but fear not - even if you lose a round you get new cards and always get stronger eventually getting the upperhand to offset the handicap).

    There is also a technical flaw worth pointing out. The game has a lag when selecting units on the board. Maybe a 1/2 second. Something is borked with the load time perhaps. To me, as I'm a patient turn-based fan, this is nothing game breaking. But it may be of issue to some.

    Sound and music are decent. Repetitive and you can't turn it off, so if you don't like it you'll have to mute all sound.

    There are over 200 cards and you can edit your deck between battles for your 30 card deck.

    The campaign story is ok, nothing to write home about.
    Haven't tried multiplayer - so no comments there.

    The total sum of these parts has made for some excellent battles. I do wish the game was nicer to look at, but it is on my top five psp games irregardless.    … Expand
  7. DanTheTimid
    Mar 12, 2009
    9
    Definitely not a game for everyone with its stiff difficulty and high level of strategy, but for those like myself tired of mindless grind games this was an exhilirating and brillant mix of Collectible Card Game and Go/Chess like elements. Closest comparison is Culdcept, but I enjoyed this game MUCH more as luck plays MUCH less of a roll.
  8. Bush_Mango
    May 25, 2019
    10
    I enjoyed this game as a kid, its difficulty intrigued me and had me keep on trying and having powerful cards are fun too

Awards & Rankings

41
#41 Best PSP Game of 2008
11
#11 Most Discussed PSP Game of 2008
20
#20 Most Shared PSP Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
57

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 14
  3. Negative: 4 out of 14
  1. Extreme Gamer
    48
    Overall, Neverland is a little too dated at is in the tough market of strategy games on the PSP which hurt its overall appeal.
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  2. My Gamer
    38
    Neverland Card Battles has more problems than solutions and entertainment value.
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  3. GameZone
    73
    Visually the game won’t win any awards simply because of the battle graphics. Yet I found Neverland Card Battles to be an engaging game that sucked me in with its intriguing gameplay.
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