Reviews

• gamedeal user

  Mar 15, 2017

  I've played this earlier on Kongregate for free... the Steam version is similar, but has slicker graphics and interface and a bunch of extra features and missions, and is well worth it if you want a less cluttered, ad-free version. It isn't the most visually spectacular game, but features deep and complex gameplay reminescent of German boardgames. It's kind of like a head-to-head collectible card game version of Civilization, and for those who like that sort of thing, this is the sort of thing they like!
• gamedeal user

  Mar 19, 2017

  Age of Rivals is a really interesting card game that I would recommend to anyone who likes card games that are a bit different and also ancient history or games like civilization or age of empires. I suppose it would be classified as a deck building game, but the way it plays out is very unique (from what I have played) and the mechanics fit the theme of a clash of two civilizations. At the moment I am finding games in multiplayer with very little waiting. One downside is that there isn't much card art as all of the cards in each of the 9 or so categories have the same picture. The art that is there is good though.
• gamedeal user

  Mar 20, 2017

  This is a fun CCG like game where you construct your "deck" as you play. I love how there are so many equally viable strategies and success is determined by whomever can best adapt to the given situation than who has the biggest card collection. I also love how the devs have gone to great lengths to making their cute little freemium game a real premium one by taking out all IAPs and making it much easier to earn gold for boosters.
• gamedeal user

  Mar 28, 2017

  Simple, quick and fun. You can try it for free at Kongregate and the game is AFAIK nearly identical. It's a drafting game, games are quick and there is a nice mix of short time tactics and long term strategy. There is a good amount of skill to be had, I tried playing this when I was tired and got pwned. It's easy to get a game against a human, but the AI is strong too. There is a collection aspect to the game that I'm a little unsure of, but apparently this is much less grindy on the steam version than on the original kongregate game. This comes very highly recommended!
• gamedeal user

  Apr 25, 2017

  Age of Rivals is a very clean drafting game that feels like a 2-player version of 7 Wonders. There are always some decisions to make, although just like most drafting games, there aren't always multiple good options. The balance of strategic decisions and tactical decisions can be a lot of fun -- would you rather build your economy or attack your opponent's? Is it better to take the card that copies your opponent's choice or the one that negates it? Being able to see your opponent's draft options [and occasionally being passed their leftovers] makes for some nice next-level metagaming, as well. Overall the card design is engaging, although there are in my opinion the balance of economic vs non-economic cards gets worse as you unlock more and more cards [very few of which are economic]. Overall very recommended, well worth the admission price. As of now I have unlocked all of the content but am failing to finish the campaign mode due to a very unbalanced mission that requires some amazing luck to finish. It might keep me coming back, or i might be done for now, but either way, 14h for $10 is a steal.
• gamedeal user

  May 25, 2017

  I fell in love with this little game. Let me explain why. First of all, this is no CCG. The game is pretty much a virtual board game, with some unlocks to try to keep things simple at the beggining. No in-app purcheases means that everything is unlocked very quickly, since there's no incentive for the developers to make you grind. The game is quick yet highly complex mechanically. Expect some moments where you're left wondering what happened after some interactions of cards. And there are some mechanics that you'll only find out about by reading the in-game rulebook (which is short, but very informative). I found no bugs so far, which is fairly impressive given the mechanical depth. Luck seems really important at first, when you're still learning about the game. As your skill improves, it becomes clear that this game is first and foremost a skill game. The implementation of randomness makes every game feel unique. At the moment matchmaking is *very* quick (15 to 20 seconds). The hard AI is also quite competent if you'd rather play singleplayer.
• gamedeal user

  Jun 18, 2017

  This is an incredible card game. Other people have described it well, so I'll just point out how stupid it is to complain that unlocking cards is a grind. You unlock cards by PLAYING THE GAME. This is a good thing. You want to play the game because it is super good. Since the cards are added as you earn gold by winning, the game is constantly changing. WoW is a grind because you do something unrelated and stupid to be able to get to the endgame that is the point of playing. Here you are PLAYING THE GAME.
• gamedeal user

  Jul 11, 2017

  I was looking forward to picking this one up ever since seeing Jesse Cox's Fan Friday on the game. Playing it myself, I got even more impressed by the game's mechanics and variety. There's a lot of interaction between the cards that makes it work on a vastly different level from other card games out there. Even Gwent with its 2-3 rounds per match and different rows doesn't reach Age of Rivals' complexity. However, the game remains extremely simple and intuitive despite it all. Card texts are crystal clear and after the first two rounds you'll already have the hang of the basic rules and design intentions, if not the finer strategical details. Go big on cash generation, excessive culture output or just keep the opponent down with devastating attacker cards? There are many ways to win and enough flexibility to adapt on the fly, due to it being a deck builder game. Synergies have to be planned for in advance to succeed in the later rounds, which is oddly satisfying to pull off. It feels inviting while offering a lot of strategic considerations that could make this game successful on a competitive level. For the time being though, I'm just happy being able to play it a couple of times a day for leisure. I'm looking forward to seeing what the future holds for Age of Rivals.
• gamedeal user

  Jul 12, 2017

  Surprisingly deep card game. A lot of the randomness is off-set by a clever economic system that favors making use of discounts from resources over a flat increase in income and by the excellent four-round system that allows for both rushing and long-term strategies. Ran into a few bugs but these were all patched out within 48 hours of me reporting them. Lots of negative reviews complain about having to unlock cards. I don't think this is an issue as you never get duplicates and there's no P2W aspect as you cannot buy packs with real money. As long as you keep completing quests you should have all cards and Rivals unlocked in no time at all. And starting this game with only some basic cards also prevents new players from getting overwhelmed with tactical options. Highly recommended.
• gamedeal user

  Jul 24, 2017

  It's a decent game, so it'll give you a few hours of nice playing time. The difficulty in the game lies in keeping an overview of both your own and your enemies options, however, I wouldn't call it a mostly skill-based game, because the randomness of the choices you're offered for card selection play a big part in you gameplay. It's hard to have a gameplan beforehand, mostly it depends on your ability to adapt to what is offered to you. Good: + Engaging gameplay + Nice combination of card game/city builder Needs improvement: - The UI is not great - Deckbuilding - The pack-opening is kind of irrelevant, card-collection kind of feels irrelevant, it makes you wonder why they don't immediately give all the cards. - Card special abilities are not always worded clearly enough. I find myself often surprised to discover a card does something very different than what I imagened from reading the card text. In extention of this, it is not always clear in what order special abilities are performed. Though I list a few serious items that could use improvement, I still recommend the game, because these items are not gamebreaking. For its price this game offers enough content and enjoyment, just don't expect the perfect game.