Prismata

With the success of online strategy card games like Gwent from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Hearthstone, there rises another widely acclaimed contender for the top spot in the form of Prismata, an early access, free to play title from Lunarch Studios. Prismata does use some of the same mechanics as Magic: The Gathering or even Fire Emblem, but there is a distinct likeness to chess because it is not just a strategy game, but a perfect information strategy game. Simply put, you get to experience the excitement of fantasy/science fiction action while given complete access to all events that have occurred – just as you can see every chess piece on the board, you know where they started and how they got there, Prismata treats you and your opponents units in the same manner. As a result, even your AI opponents will give you a run for your money as you attempt to save Beacon from a seemingly unstoppable robot attack.

Stop the Virus

The story of Prismata is definitely one of the facets that sets this title a part simply because it follows a single player campaign. Most games of this genre tend to be solely focused on battling other players online with no story (Hearthstone, though there is still lore in it), or just acts as a minigame and doesn’t impact the game (Gwent). Prismata’s main story is set on the colonized desert planet of Beacon, hundreds of years in the future, where you take on the role of Swade to help defend humanity against the threat of intelligent machines. Swade is known as a Swarmwielder – the swarm is the latest and greatest advancement in human defense technology, and a Swarmwielder is one of the few individuals capable of commanding them. To make things difficult, a robot uprising has just begun because of a virus that was injected into the code of all Vorexus AI at Centauri Robotics, making them essentially homicidal death machines. Alongside Logan and Anya, your trio is the only thing standing between humanity and total destruction.

Becoming a Swarmwielder

The gameplay of Prismata is unrivaled by titles that have preceded it. The game as a whole may not be for everyone, especially if they’re looking for impressive graphics or RNG elements inserted into gameplay, there are very few outright issues to be spoken of. The core mechanics are simple: gather enough gold each turn to build more units, building up your defenses while buffing up your attackers to be able to overwhelm the enemy’s defenses, all before they overcome yours, of course. There are a limitless number of possibilities to be victorious as more units are unlocked throughout the game; you’ll be able to employ anything from drones all the way to Omega Splitters at your disposal. The complexities beyond these pillars would require a much more in-depth description, but the progression of the campaign is comprehensive and will have you prepared to start playing against other players online in no time.

Around the Firewall

Among the things to praise Prismata for is the balanced, but in-depth, presentation of units, the strategy involved without RNG elements, and the innovative card pool presented to keep the game fresh each round. These may not be for everyone, but coming from a small development team of only 3 people, these are impressive milestones.

Pros

• Carefully designed/balanced units
• Unique unit pool mechanic to keep game fresh
• Free to play with campaign and multiplayer

Cons

• Online play difficult to adapt to
• Some connectivity problems
• Campaign prepares well for online, but some tactics are neglected