If you ever frequent a trading card game (TCG) tournament you expect a mishmash cast of geeks, nerds and cosplayers. One thing you don’t expect? Grandma. But with EverdreamSoft’s Spells of Genesis (for iOS and Android devices), they’ve created an intuitive yet addictive twist on the TCG genre that hooked a grandmother from Southern Ontario.
This article was provided by The Vanbex Group
Meet the Spells of Genesis Grandma
“I started mostly with basic mindless Facebook games such as Farmville or Candy Crush,” said 53-year-old Christine Panton. “It’s nice to play a game with a bit more behind it. [SoG] is similar to two games I enjoyed in the past (Bubble Witch and Bust-A-Move) which made the learning curve quite small.”
The Bust-A-Move and Bubble Witch comparison comes from EverdreamSoft’s unique approach to using spells in SoG. You don’t just cast and wait for the magic to happen. You use your finger on touchscreens to guide your spell, rebound it off walls to get behind defenses and attack specific enemies. The unique addition to a traditionally turn-based game brought her to the TCG genre. And once she was in, she realized the levels of strategy within.
“[Bubble Witch and Bust-A-Move] are quite mindless,” Panton explained. “With Spells of Genesis, there is leveling up and new ‘blockchain’ characters coming out quite often. There is more game to enjoy.”
Panton got hooked on the game because her son-in-law is an avid trader in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. SoG makes use of Bitcoin and its blockchain to buy BitCrystals (SoG’s in-game currency), giving players the ability to physically own or sell their digital cards like a real trading card store. This is unlike Magic: The Gathering Online, which uses a system so inefficient it’s created an unregulated black market; Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft doesn’t offer trading at all.
“I recently bought a monkey (the Sarutobi card) for 60 BitCrystals,” she said. “The strongest on my team is currently a ‘Slashing Crirawin,’ for now that has to be my favourite. I do plan on purchasing more.”
SoG also sets itself from the competition by offering asymmetrical multiplayer similar to Clash of Clans or King of Thieves. Instead of your time and data on a network for 10-15 minutes, SoG lets you “attack” your offline opponent’s defenses. You don’t have to run through a whole deck of elements and boosts, you choose your four cards based on your opponent’s weakness and go to work. It’s a simple concept to pick-up and play, but it still provides the deep strategy that any TCG requires.
“I think games that require learning basic strategy and game theory, such as leveling up and collecting better characters, are far better for the senior or retired community,” Panton said. “It helps to keep the mind sharp.”
Leveling up your cards is as simple as beating your opponent. Victory awards Elemental Crystals and Gold. Elemental Crystals buy upgrades, 20 Gold summons new cards. Fusing a pair of the same upgraded cards evolves it, fusing two of the same evolved cards create its final form. A bit of a daunting process overall, but the system keeps Panton playing. She can’t stop summoning and can’t stop upgrading.
“My strategy is to play a specific level that I can clear in three shots,” she said. “This allows me to go through as quickly as possible and get as many waves as I can. Hopefully using the BitCrystals reward I can buy some new characters for my team.”
The gaming grandmother put in a lot of hours and effort and the game is just in its BETA stages. Imagine when it officially drops on mobile and tablet devices?
“I will likely tell more friends after the official release,” Panton said. “I’m hooked on the competition, I’m constantly checking the leaderboard to see my rank.”
Want to try the BETA? Click Here and try Spells of Genesis!
Images courtesy of Spells of Genesis, Vanbex