Game Review: Alteil
Alteil is a story based online card battle game. If you have ever seen or played games such as Magic The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh, or one of the many others out there then you have and idea of what type of game this is. Alteil is advertised as the #1 online card game in Japan. The game was released in Japan in 2004 and the English version was released in 2008. Being a fan of the genre I had to see if the game lived up to the hype.
First let me point out that the game is totally browser based and runs on Adobe Flash. That’s right, no software to download, then install, then update. This is a big plus because your excitement about getting into a new game is not lost by having to wait through massive download times. The games tutorial was very helpful. You get just the right amount of information you need to get you through a battle. The tutorial takes you step by step and explains what is going on with each action. By the time you finish you will be ready to jump right in and fight. They also provide a newbie guide which contains links to other helpful information. Before you enter your first game you are given a starter pack of cards. This is just to get you going afterwards you will have to purchase cards from the shops. You can also purchase items for you avatar in the shops.
Alteil has a very deep rule set which may be too much for a younger crowd, but those who love strategy then this is it. In the game there are two types of cards Unit cards and Grimoire cards. Units are cards placed on the battle field and deal damage to enemy Units and the Player. Grimoire are cards that activate a special ability or skill in the game such as direct damage to an enemy Unit. In this game strategy gets deeper than just playing the correct card there is also the battlefield to consider. On the battlefield is a 3×3 grid where you can place Unit cards. Depending on where you place a Unit card it has an effect on the cards ability to attack based on a range stat. Alteil has a unique and fresh take on the card battle with changes not common in most card battle games. Attack targeting in the game is random which makes you focus on the entire battle instead of a single card. Another change I found interesting was the way you can attack the opposing player. As with most card battle games each player has a life line and the first to lose all their life loses. In Alteil one way of attacking a player is to defeat one of the player’s Unit cards, and if it remains defeated for one turn the player loses one point of life. The pacing of the battles are smooth and really good. You won’t find yourself in a long drawn out battle that has you falling out at the keyboard. Strategy is king in this game and that makes it very enjoyable to play.
Inside the game you will find it very easy to find your way around. There was a little lag when changing screens, but that’s just a minor issue. The stars of this game , the cards, are like individual masterpieces. Each card has a beautiful Japanese Fantasy Art piece on it. The cards are also very easy to understand in their descriptions of actions and abilities. And the soundtrack takes me back to the days of RPG games on the playstation. You can tell that the music is not being played by the actual instruments, but who cares it still puts you in the mood to do battle.
Overall this game is a winner. I definitely see how and why this is the #1 online card game in Japan. If you love those deep strategy card battle games then this is a must play. Even if you have never played a card battle game before it would still be hard not to enjoy this game.
