Overall Impression
Thronebreaker is a narrative driven deckbuilder set in the Witcher universe. It’s a smaller scale project compared to the mainline Witcher games; however, it still presents an intriguing narrative full of surprises and twists like you would expect from the series. It also expands upon a modified version of the Gwent card game adapting it for more PVE and puzzle style encounters rather PVP as in the Witcher 3. Altogether, this may be a title that many have missed. Nevertheless, those that enjoy Gwent or deckbuilders or even those new to this world, who are looking for a unique experience with a narrative focus should check this out.
Target Audience
The primary target audience are likely gamers that really enjoyed the Witcher 3 and Gwent and are looking for something more from the same world that is also a bit different. It could also appeal to fans that are new to the series but never experienced it before. The style of the card based gameplay is pretty unique in the deckbuilder genre and the narrative is well executed as you would expect from a game set in the witcher universe.
Gameplay
The core gameplay experience is unique in the deckbuilding genre. You’ll be exploring small areas on the map in an isometric perspective. Exploration is rewarded with resources and cards. The other core component of the experience are PVE and puzzle style card combat encounters. The PVE and puzzle encounters are varied adding interesting win conditions or modifications that make battles interesting throughout the experience. The card game has been adapted from the original Gwent version that was more focused on PVP style encounters. This time around the core premise is the same; however, there are 2 rows to place cards instead of 3. The basic premise is simple; play cards and increase your total army score. The side with the highest overall score wins. Cards may be placed in either of 2 rows. Most cards have an ability that may be impacted by their row placement. Furthermore, each leader you select for your army has an innate ability that can affect your overall decks playstyle. As you would expect, the core game mechanics are easy to learn and well designed allowing for strategic plays and customization that meaningfully impact battles. Lastly, there is an upgrading system that allows you to increase the power of your deck and acquire new cards. Altogether, the core gameplay feels complete compared to other deckbuilders allowing you to explore, fight and upgrade your deck.
Narrative
The narrative is a highlight of the entire game and one of the defining features that makes it standout in the genre. The story is set before the events of the games and books. It focuses on Queen Meve, leader of Lyria and Rivia on their journey to reclaim the throne. As you would expect the story is full of similar themes from the witcher series focusing on political conflicts and warfare with a focus on its impact to individual characters and your army. Your choices also impact the story with immediate and long term consequences. It can impact your journey through a territory by opening up new paths or opportunities or force allies to leave (taking their cards with them). The end of the story is also impacted by your choices with several different endings depending on your choices. In addition, the game delves into more moral gray areas often asking you to choose between options that have both benefits and consequences. Overall, the narrative is well executed crafting a tale that is as unique as the choices you make. This is the aspect that made the Witcher 3 so intriguing and elements of that choice based story telling is here as well.
Art & Design
The overall visual design aesthetic has a striking illustrative graphic novel look. The combination of the illustrative aesthetic with digital effects gives the game an animated comic look that exhibits the brutal realities of the world and dark fantasy setting. In addition, the camera movement and animations during cutscenes give energy and life to the narrative. The explorable world makes use of an isometric perspective and cel-shaded characters with a dark colour palette. The world feels dynamic with small details that bring it to life, such as drifting smoke/fog, wandering wildlife, NPCs, and plenty of secrets to uncover along the journey. The art on the cards has a dark realism and painterly aesthetic that fits within the fantasy genre. Overall, the visual design is a distinct feature that adds to the unique feel of the game.
Challenges
One of the core challenges is understanding does this type of experience resonate with you? This is because Thronebreaker isn’t just a deckbuilder. It’s the sum of all its components. It’s a narrative based journey full of choice combined with card based battles and puzzles along with exploration and RPG systems. Gamers that are just looking for a straight deckbuilder may not necessarily vibe with all these components. However, for those that do understand what this game represents and enjoy these aspects will be in for an experience that feels complete, seamlessly merging gameplay, adventure and narrative.
The other aspect of the game that may or may not be an issue depends on how you build your deck. Most of the encounters are tense and challenging. You may even need to repeat certain battles or have to dig deep to overcome a puzzle. However, near the end of the adventure, you may also have developed an extremely powerful deck. This isn’t necessarily an issue in itself. I think games should reward and allow players to develop strong builds. However, having a very powerful deck can take away some of the tension in the narrative/final battles.
Closing Thoughts
This is an incredible deckbuilding adventure with an intriguing choice based narrative and unique gameplay elements that include exploration, card based combat and RPG systems to develop your deck. It’s the type of experience we need to see more of in this genre. If each of these components resonate with you, this is a title you may want to check out. Those familiar with this world or new fans of the witcher universe are in for a game that will likely surprise them with it’s narrative depth and unique experience.
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GAME DETAILS
PLATFORMS: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android
RELEASE: 2018
DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER: CD Projekt Red
GENRE/TAGS: Deckbuilder, RPG, Adventure, PVE, Narrative Focus
TARGET AUDIENCE: Gamers looking for a unique deckbuilder RPG experience
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