Magic 2015 Impressions

A lot has happened since Magic 2014 first hit multi-platform digital storefronts last summer.

By which I mean, of course, that the global online trading card phenomenon that is Hearthstone has hit the ground at the speed of light and left pretty much everything else in the dirt. Maybe Magic's worldwide fanbase is unlikely to the tempted away from the object of their affection by such a comparatively simple game as Hearthstone, but nevertheless, there's a sense that with the release of Magic 2015, the battle lines have been drawn somewhat.

In previous Magic releases, budding spellslingers have traditionally been forced to choose from a list of pre-made decks. As time has gone on, Stainless Steel Games have gradually bestowed more and more freedom in terms of customisation, bringing each passing sequel closer to parity with the fully featured but often bewildering Magic Online. With Magic 2015, they've finally granted longtime series fans' wishes and allowed for decks to be created from scratch. That sounds like a recipe for sure-fire success, right?

Wrong. Dead wrong, in fact, and it's all the fault of pesky microtransactions. Although much of the card pool can be unlocked by simply playing the game, its upper echelons in terms of power and rarity will continue to razz you from behind a paywall no matter how many hours you put in. What we have here, ladies and gentlemen, is a prime example of 'pay to win', something that Hearthstone does a splendid job of not being. The game's £6.99 asking price may make it seem like a bargain, but that's just the tip of the iceberg if you're wanting to stand a chance against deep-pocketed human opponents.

To add insult to injury, there are also annoying technical issues with the PC build, the most concerning of which are difficulties customising the graphical settings - I had to edit the game's config file to get it to run at my desktop's native resolution (which isn't an obscure one, by the way) - and occasional interface lock ups. The iOS and Android clients are nigh-on identical and work well, but the game is borderline unplayable on smaller devices, as the isometric viewpoint makes it difficult to see at a glance what's in play. Sure, you can zoom in to each card individually to check what it does, but having to do so slows proceedings down considerably.

I hate to be, as our cousins across the pond call it, 'nickel and dimed', and unfortunately Magic 2015 has clearly been designed to do that from the get-go.  My advice would be to skip this one and stick to its less money hungry predecessors.