Lies Of Astaroth follows a long-standing tradition for F2P games that we've seen since the boom in mobile gaming. If you've played Rage OfLies Of Astaroth follows a long-standing tradition for F2P games that we've seen since the boom in mobile gaming. If you've played Rage Of Bahamut or Fantasica, you may notice that the main draw seems to be the anime-style visuals. I'll admit that I'm a sucker for cute art and these gals are scantily-clad so they're definitely going for that appeal.. Throw in the CCG mechanics and you have a solid foundation.
It seems the critics have slammed this game because it is a grind to get anything done. Well, that's what one would expect from this genre. You'll have to logon daily or spend money to be truly effective. The sad part with this model is that it limits the player base and the long-term earnings. I really wish F2P game developers would learn this by now but they continue to create these paywall-heavy games. *facepalm*
That said, this game is nowhere as bad as the Mobage games. I still play Fantasica casually and that game very clearly makes every event a pay-to-win scenario, with players needing to spend at least $10 in order to compete but, really, $100 if they want the top prizes. At $100, you get a 50/50 shot at the most legendary loot.
The virtual economy in Lies Of Astaroth seems much more reasonable. You can get a started pack for 10K and they start you with around 200K - that's 20 packs worth of loot! The starter packs have cards ranging from one to three stars, which means you won't get any of the amazeballs 4 or 5-star cards. You can also exchange tickets, which randomly drop, for a 3 to 5-star card (also, you start with 10). The premium currency, crystals, cost around $6 per 280-320 batches.
Pay careful attention to the price per unit as, sometimes, you save more with the smaller purchases. While Lies Of Astaroth does a good job rewarding you for your dedication, an opportunity most "free" to play games miss, they do make a $400/40000 crystal package available to boot. I'm sure the insane mobile game addicts will drop much each month or week. Again, that's the issue: you can't have a sustainable business model where only 1-10% of your player base is spending real money consistently.
Now, while the money stuff is always important to consider in these F2P games, what's really important to note is the fun factor and skill cap. This game is quite accessible as you can auto-battle if you're feeling lazy or control the battle if you want to do specific strats. When you first start off, the type of combos and "micro" you can pull off is quite limited so auto-battle will be best. In this manner, the game is a bit more on-rails like, say, Bad Blood (a little-known CCG that I quite enjoy, even if it's very "basic").
What this means is that you don't have to be a card battle pro to jump in. Even better, the Xbox One version seems limited to singleplayer at the moment so you won't have to worry about PvP and battling against big spenders, which is something that really ruins F2P games IMHO. Hopefully, when they implement PvP, they'll set up brackets according to spending. No one wants to invest any time or money into a game that is "pay to win".
That leads me to the next consideration: skill cap. Better yet, is LoA more skill or luck-driven? I haven't put enough time in to comment on that but I do notice that some cards have effects that trigger randomly. Drops are random, too, so there's at least a big of RNG to consider. Theoretically, if you have inferior cards but play them right, you should be able to win. From what I've seen, the AI opponents have some sweet cards but you can keep pace due to the "cost curve" mechanics. In short, opponents can't simply drop OP cards on you due to cost restrictions. That means that you can likely win using agro decks like you would in Hearthstone, perhaps.
Deck management is interesting. You start off with three slots, with additional slots unlocking at Level 3 and up. Basically, the more time you put in, the more diverse your decks can become. You can have up to 10 decks, with your 10th deck slot unlocking at Level 95. You're also limited on overall deck cost, with the cap at 16 and the average card costing 3 points to play.
Fans of card games will be happy to know that the effects on the cards are actually interesting. Even the low-rarity cards have multiple effects that synergize well with others. While a lot of it is generic, if not formulaic, there is quality there and enough to keep you engaged with deckbuilding at least.
A few more things to note: the BGM is rather generic and annoying. Bring your own music. The menu system is clean and easy to follow. Don't forget to go to the Mission menu to collect rewards. I reckon those will come in handy! Menu items include: Campaign, Challenge, Deck, Mission, Store, Album, Settings, Event Board, and News.
Overall, this game has potential if it's managed properly. At the very least, it's a nice palette cleanser like Gems Of War and other simple F2P games.… Expand
