Review: Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2015

I had to play Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2015‘s final tutorial level eleven times before I beat it.

That’s not to say that I didn’t understand how the game worked by that point, just that I had a series of very, very shitty hands. We’re talking one land and all monster hands. It was soul crushing.

The worst part about my situation was that I knew that was needed to win. Magic‘s tutorial is designed for those with little to no experience with the game. In other words, me. Through a very thorough process, I was introduced to lands and how they work. I was introduced to how those lands influence the monsters you play. I was shown special moves and the series of supplementary cards that could save your bacon or simply dominate the playing field.

I know how to play Magic now.

The trouble was, I couldn’t use any of that knowledge.

It’s a card game and alas, I was at the mercy of the shuffle. That’s not Magic‘s fault, and not something I’ll hold against the game. When I finally got a hand I could use, I finished off the tutorial boss in no time flat and was itching to get to the rest of the game. I’ll admit, a sense of pride washed over me as I was given my first in-game deck.

Then, I began to encounter things I could hold against Magic 2015. Playing on Xbox 360, I suffered abnormally long loading screens between matches. Like, go-and-get-a-coffee length loading screens. Magic‘s got a story this time around, rather than simply battle after battle, but that story is told via awfully rendered cutscenes. It’s clear that they’re optimised for the smaller iPad screen or something, with pixelated artefacts ripping you out of the very story they’re meant to portray. It’s a shame, really, as the plot line isn’t too shabby.

All up, Magic 2015 is designed to get to you actually play the card-based version of the game. It’s a great primer to do so, and maybe – just maybe – those long loading times are Wizards of the Coasts’ way of getting you to decide it’s time to move on to the hard and heavy stuff.

If you’ve got a lot of patience – and you like keeping your socialising to online means, Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2015 is for you. If you’re on a budget, same thing. Better yet, if you’re looking to jump head-first into the world of card games, the app’s a great place to learn and decide if you’re willing to spend the big bucks on cards and the like. That said, it’s probably better to grab the title for free on iOS (with in-app purchase options, of course) rather than on Xbox 360. Have at it!

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