Runespell Overture (RSO) is the debut game by Mystic Box, an independent game development company founded by Jesse America and Barry Hoffman.
RSO is a Hybrid between the genres of Role-Playing Game, Collectable Card games, and Poker gameplay. The pacing and implementation of the gameplay is done such that one can enjoy a short session of a few rounds, or get stuck in for a lengthy period of questing and battles.
The gamplay mechanics of RSO will be easily picked up by anyone familiar with fantasy RPGs and with a working knowledge of poker hands. If you aren’t such a person, I believe that the game presents itself in a user-friendly manner that will have players right at home within an hour of their first match.
Story
Players will assume the guise of The Changeling, a faceless humanoid of mythical origin with no immediate recollection of how and why he/she exists. The Changeling enters into a world of alternate European medieval history, heavily laced with fantasy and Norse Mythological elements.
The Changeling
The story is driven forward as the player sets off to uncover their origins and purpose, eventually meeting up with a core set of six allies who will accompany The Changeling to fulfil its purpose – unlocking the legendary and mysterious mountain fortress of Skullgrim.
The story is delivered through animated concept art cutscenes and text dialog boxes that will be familiar to those who have played adventure games and CRPGs of yore. The dialog choices are quite simple, and serve to flesh out the game world, develop characters and most importantly, issue quests and rewards. The dialog is well scripted without becoming overbearingly ‘wordy’ and tedious to read through. If one wishes to skip the chit-chat and immediately receive quests and rewards, the option is presented. There is no voice acting, which is not surprising considering the indie nature of the game.
Your ally, the lovely Brin BarrowHand
Gamplay
Players will be spending most of their time in the battle screen which is laid out as in the screenshot below.
At the top of the screen, The Changeling faces off against its opponent on the right. There are over 30 enemy types inspired by fantasy and mythology, each with a unique card set and attack style.
The core gameplay requires players to create poker hands from their deck of cards. For those unfamiliar with poker, the various combinations are easily at hand through a ‘help’ button. By creating a hand of 5 cards, players will have an attack ready. The amount of damage that the hand deals depends on the value of the hand as in the poker game hand value scale.
Players can also pinch cards from their opponent’s decks. This offers a few strategic options, such as preventing an opponent from building a powerful attack, or using one of the cards to complete your own powerful hand.
Players will also have a variety of spell cards at their disposal, which they will collect or buy along the way. The spell cards are basic enough and regular RPG and/or collectible card gamers shouldn’t have too much trouble coming to grips with them. Those unfamiliar with the typical machinations of RPG and/or collectible card games may have to spend a bit longer understanding the spells on offer. For example, players will utilise basic Fire, Iron, Ice, Nature, Thunder and Poison spells along with more elaborate Fate, Glory, Doom, Divinity, and Fear spells.
Spells come in offense and defence varieties, and opponents will wield a combination of spells themselves. Smart use of defence and offense will be key to winning later battles against talented enemies as powerful poker hands won’t always be enough. To cast spells, players require Rage Points (Mana) which they generate by taking or dealing damage.
Players will also collect ally cards as the story progresses; there are six core allies to gather each with a specialised attack. There are also a bunch of passive ability cards that can collected along the way, giving buffs such as additional hit points and damage-type resistance. Finally, there are a number of secret cards to be discovered.
All of this is organised through the inventory screen (below) from which players can access their collection of cards and equip a limited number before battle
Players will navigate between battles and places of interest on a hand-painted over-world map. Accompanying each battle is another piece of art serving as a location backdrop to the battling 3D avatars of The Changeling and its enemy. Each spell and ally attack also comes with a visually impressive animation.
There are local online leaderboards so that players might challenge themselves, along with 20 Steam Achievements.
Unfortunately there is no multiplayer option and this seems a terrible oversight as the game would lend itself perfectly to battling against friends. Hopefully that is a feature that is introduced in a future patch.
Another minor annoyance is the inability to adjust audio options from within the game – this has to be done from the menu. The SFX and music can also not be adjusted; with ‘on’ or ‘off’ being the only option.
Visuals and sound
The visuals are simple and elegant. They consist of a mix of hand-painted backdrops and character art, and 3D models for the combat phase. The artwork is colourful and crisp and helps to bring character to the game world. The 3D models are detailed and colourful, and animated well. The attack animations are also quite entertaining to watch, and they add a bit of visual aplomb to the otherwise static card gameplay.
The music is solid – the kind of emotive orchestral movements and flourishes that you would expect from a fantasy game. During combat the repetition can become irksome, hence my desire to adjust settings within the game. The various spell and combat sound effects are well produced and suit the on-screen action well.
Conclusion
Runspell Overture is a refreshing take on collectible card combat built on the classic mechanics of poker. It is therefore easy to grasp and just as addictive and fun as a poker game can be without betting real money. Combined with classic RPG elements and a compelling story, it is a well-rounded and fun experience that can offer a few minutes of relaxation or extended sessions of gaming.
RSO is a well-polished indie gem, and aside from a lack of multiplayer game mode, it is difficult to fault. The standard launch price of US$10 (±R70) is another attractive value proposition for a game that can potentially offer many hours of enjoyment.
Runespell Overture review (PC) << Comments and views
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