Two years after entering Early Access, the promising trading card game (TCG) Cross Blitz has finally reached its 1.0 release date. We spent some time collecting hundreds of cards and playing against dozens of enemy decks, and can now safely say that for fans of the genre, the wait was definitely worth it.
Curious? Find out why in our Cross Blitz review.
TCG, RPG, Roguelike
Cross Blitz is a TCG with a good bit of RPG mechanics and even a Roguelike mode thrown in for good measure. In a sense, you get two games for the price of one with Cross Blitz. There are two main game modes: Fables and Tusk Tales. An online mode was originally planned, but when the scope of these first two modes expanded, it was unfortunately cancelled. With such a solid game, this feels like a pretty big loss. But what is here should keep most fans happy for quite a while.
Fables features five characters with multi-chapter campaigns. These aren’t short campaigns, either, with an estimated playtime of 45 hours to get through them all. While the campaigns are not voiced, their stories are surprisingly entertaining, and each cutscene plays out like a graphic novel. Each story is connected in an overarching narrative, as you explore the world called Crossdawn Isle, which is navigated on a grid much like Final Fantasy Tactics or any other strategy game you might remember from the heyday of the Game Boy Advance. It is also in this Fables mode where you can perhaps best learn all the mechanics of the game before you try to tackle Tusk Tales, the other main mode which plays like a Roguelike. Though you can dive right in to the Tusk Tales mode, it can be unforgiving for those who aren’t familiar with traditional turn-based card games. Some mechanics, such as your hand being limited to ten cards and any extras (which are automatically drawn from your deck at the start of each turn) being immediately destroyed, are not taught to you until they happen the first time.
Potato-Friendly Specs
Cross Blitz doesn’t merely look like it was ripped from several generations of consoles ago; it also has the system requirements to match. All you need to run the game is an Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 or AMD Phenom II X2 550 or higher – two processors I haven’t thought of in a very long time. GPU requirements are also fitting, then, as anything that can match a GeForce GT 320 or Radeon HD 6570, with 1 GB of VRAM or higher. Suffice it to say, almost any computer you have that still boots Windows 10 or newer will have absolutely no issues running this game.
That isn’t to say the game doesn’t have visual chops. As mentioned, Cross Blitz has the art style of older, pixelated 32-bit games, but with modern sensibilities. The Unity Engine runs things behind the scenes, and does so very smoothly. Not that card games have too much action going on at any given time, when multiple effects happen in a round, Cross Blitz doesn’t skip a beat.
Gameplay in Cross Blitz should be mostly familiar to anyone who has tried Magic the Gathering, Lorcana, etc. Players begin each round with a limited pool of mana which they can use to summon cards; the player who goes second gets a bonus point of mana to make up for the fact that they have to wait a turn to perform their first summon. Cards can be minions, which fight for you in some form, spells which have some effect written on them (and are usually played instantly), and trap cards, which get sent into the playfield face-down, only triggered when attacked by the enemy. Each hero (the person in charge of playing from each deck) has a set amount of HP at the start, and the first to cause their opponent to reach 0 wins. The playfield gives each hero eight slots to lay cards down on, with four columns of two rows apiece. Damaging the opposing hero is sometimes done by certain spell or trap cards, but usually by having a minion attack an empty column, which causes their entire attack to go towards the enemy hero. Again, this should all sound familiar to anyone who has played a TCG.
You’ve Got Options
Relics and trinkets help to change things up, however. Relics are equipped to heroes, and have effects which the opponent must consider, such as summoning new minions whenever any friendly minion dies, or letting you draw a card once certain conditions are met, and many more effects. Up to four relics can be equipped per hero, though this must be unlocked like so much else in Cross Blitz. Trinkets are similar, but apply to cards – multiple can be applied to any applicable card, and they apply to every copy of that card. This can result in some seriously overpowered 1-mana cards, which help in the game’s hard mode.
Cards can also belong to different factions, which other cards take into account to boost their stats. These effects can chain, so you can lay down one card which boosts, say, Pirates that are played onto the field later on. Those Pirates might already have trinkets which give them Tough, an attribute which reduces all damage they receive; combined with a more expensive Pirate-themed card, those lesser Pirates can suddenly become formidable enemies, especially in the later stages of the game where both players near 10 mana per turn. Getting the right combo of cards can quickly turn battles around, and it feels great when you hit the giant Blitz button which begins the combat phase, to then see you enemy’s health getting whittled away.
Cross Blitz is a delightful take on the turn-based card battle genre. For just $19.99 USD, you get an immensely expansive TCG which will beg you to stick around for just one more go. With over 500 cards to collect and alter, twenty characters to unlock, as well as relics to modify those with, and plenty of other things to spend in-game currency on (with nary a microtransaction to be found!). The only thing missing is any sort of online component. Despite this, card game fans will no doubt enjoy this throwback to a time when games launched with everything you needed to have a good time all by yourself.
- Solid TCG mechanics
- 500+ cards to collect
- Two full game modes
- Beautiful, bright 32-bit style graphics
- No microtransactions
Verdict
9/10
Cross Blitz absolutely nails the TCG genre, with a fantastic mix of RPG and Roguelike elements thrown in for good measure.
- No online options
- Some game mechanics are taught the hard way
Cross Blitz was provided by the publisher. You can read MP1st’s review and scoring policy right here.
