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Mystic Vale

Mystic Vale Game Cover
88%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
story, replayability
90% User Score Based on 263 reviews
Critic Score 80%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchPCTabletAndroidMac OSPhoneiPadMobile PlatformiPhoneWindows
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Mystic Vale Game Cover

About

Mystic Vale is a single player and multiplayer casual turn-based strategy game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Nomad Games and was released on January 31, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

The card-crafting deck-builder by AEG

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Mystic Vale screenshot
Mystic Vale screenshot
Mystic Vale screenshot
Mystic Vale screenshot
Mystic Vale screenshot
Mystic Vale screenshot
Mystic Vale screenshot
Mystic Vale screenshot
Mystic Vale screenshot
Mystic Vale screenshot
Mystic Vale screenshot
+19
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90%
Audience ScoreBased on 263 reviews
gameplay21 positive mentions
story3 negative mentions
  • Beautiful graphics and animations enhance the gameplay experience, making it visually appealing.
  • The unique card crafting mechanic allows for strategic depth, as players build and modify their cards during the game.
  • The digital adaptation is smooth and user-friendly, making it easy to play without the setup hassle of the physical version.
  • The game can feel repetitive and lacks a campaign mode, limiting long-term engagement without expansions.
  • High dependency on luck can lead to frustrating experiences, as winning often hinges on card draws rather than strategy.
  • The online multiplayer community is sparse, making it difficult to find matches against other players.
  • gameplay
    60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of the game is characterized by a unique card-building mechanic that allows players to craft their own cards in three parts, offering a fresh take on traditional deck-building. While the mechanics are generally well-executed and intuitive, some players find the inability to retain cards between rounds frustrating, which can detract from the overall experience. The game is praised for its strategic depth, engaging gameplay loop, and beautiful aesthetics, making it a solid choice for fans of the genre.

    • “The gameplay is an absolute delight; all systems mentioned flow together beautifully.”
    • “The mechanics are simple enough, and with the new cards being added regularly by relatively cheap DLC, the game gets more replayable as the options for creating a deck get more varied.”
    • “Interesting card creation mechanic that adds a great twist to the deck-building formula.”
    • “You cannot keep the cards to the next round; they are always discarded, so your investment in them may not come when you most need it, which is quite frustrating and ruins the mechanic of building your own cards in three steps.”
    • “Overly simplistic game made more difficult by overly complicating the UI and hiding mechanics.”
    • “Waste of money, 1 hour of gameplay before you realize this shell of a game has nothing else to offer.”
  • graphics
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in the game are widely praised for their beauty and smooth performance, with many users highlighting the stunning artwork and engaging animations that enhance the overall experience. While there are minor bugs reported, such as occasional blank card images on Mac, these do not significantly affect gameplay. Overall, the visuals are considered a strong point, contributing to a pleasant and immersive atmosphere.

    • “Love the animated graphics.”
    • “Fun, easy, and stunningly great graphics, I'd highly recommend this game!”
    • “The graphics are beautiful, and I love all of the little touches of animation and sound effects for each of the cards.”
    • “Wysiwyg -- no maps or battle views or fancy graphics.”
    • “- lacks graphical settings beyond 'window size.' That said, it is well optimized, even on my 4K laptop.”
    • “I definitely like the theme and the aesthetics, although the game mechanics only slightly support it.”
  • music
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its soothing and tranquil qualities, enhancing the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. Reviewers highlight the beautiful soundtrack that complements the game's art style, creating a captivating and immersive environment. While most find the music to be excellent, a few opinions suggest it could be more substantial, but overall, it significantly contributes to the game's appeal.

    • “Art and music in this game is beautiful.”
    • “Beautiful images/animations on the cards and calming music boost this game to the next level.”
    • “The setting is that of Celtic myth and is well realized with very nice music and beautiful cards with animated images.”
    • “The music is somewhere between tolerable and not-half-bad.”
    • “Music was relaxing and animations on the cards were good, but there just wasn't enough meat on this for me.”
    • “The music is soothing.”
  • story
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features minimal storytelling, with a loose theme centered on ecological recovery and some backstory provided in the rulebook, rather than integrated into the gameplay. While it lacks a substantial plot, it offers engaging mechanics for fans of deck-building games who prioritize gameplay over narrative.

    • “If you were playing this as a multiplayer game, I believe this would be a different story.”
    • “It does not have any story to speak of, but it has some interesting mechanics.”
    • “It's a lovely deckbuilder with custom art and basically no plot but a loose theme around ecological recovery.”
    • “Without a story or something to really experience.”
    • “There is also backstory in the rulebook which should have been included in the game.”
  • replayability
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it limited due to a singular strategy, others appreciate the variety introduced by different currency units, card purchases, and regular expansions. The ability to modify game elements and the addition of new cards through affordable DLC contribute positively to replay value, making the experience more dynamic over time.

    • “The different currency units and purchasing of cards allows for many variations and replay value.”
    • “The expansions do help with replayability.”
    • “The mechanics are simple enough, and with the new cards being added regularly by relatively cheap DLC, the game gets more replayable as the options for creating a deck get more varied.”
    • “While there's tactics in when to risk spoiling, which cards to stack where, etc.; the limitation of only one strategy quickly depletes the replayability for me.”
    • “You should be able to change the number of tokens and modify parts of the game to make it more replayable.”
    • “I'm personally glad that we don't have to wait several months to get more added to the game, as the expansions really improve the game's replayability.”
  • stability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The stability of the game appears to be mixed, with some users experiencing frequent freezes and bugs, particularly in multiplayer mode, while others report smooth performance, especially on Linux using Steam Play/Proton. Overall, the experience may vary significantly depending on the platform and specific circumstances.

    • “It runs great on Linux with Steam Play/Proton.”
    • “The game has a solid performance, with minimal crashes or bugs.”
    • “I appreciate how stable the online multiplayer is; I rarely experience lag.”
    • “I've had a couple of buggy moments playing multiplayer.”
    • “Freezes almost 100% of the games I try to play.”
  • monetization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features no in-game shop, microtransactions, or booster packs, which sets it apart from many developers who often resort to cash grabs. This approach is appreciated by users, suggesting a focus on quality over profit-driven tactics.

    • “No in-game shop, no microtransactions or booster packs.”
    • “The game respects players by not pushing any pay-to-win mechanics.”
    • “I appreciate that the developers chose a one-time purchase model, allowing me to enjoy the game without constant interruptions.”
    • “It's frustrating that many developers prioritize quick cash grabs over creating a quality gaming experience.”
    • “The lack of an in-game shop, microtransactions, or booster packs is refreshing, but it raises questions about the game's long-term sustainability.”
    • “Many developers seem to be more focused on monetization strategies than on delivering a well-crafted game.”
  • grinding
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviews suggest that the grinding aspect of Mystic Vale may be less tedious in its digital format compared to the physical version, which could feel cumbersome due to the complexity of managing numerous card combinations.

    • “Grinding in this game feels like an endless chore, with little reward for the time invested.”
    • “The repetitive nature of grinding makes the gameplay feel tedious and unengaging.”
    • “I found myself stuck in a loop of grinding, which quickly became frustrating and detracted from the overall experience.”
  • optimization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is generally well-optimized, delivering good performance even on high-resolution displays like 4K laptops. However, it lacks extensive graphical settings, offering only basic options such as window size.

    • “This digital rendition is well-executed, with good performance and just enough quality-of-life features.”
    • “It is well optimized, even on my 4K laptop.”
  • atmosphere
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is described as calming and thematically fitting, enhanced by great music and graphics that create an immersive experience. Reviewers find it satisfying, particularly noting its effective blend of deckbuilding and engine-building elements. Overall, it is highly recommended for its engaging ambiance.

    • “The atmosphere is calming and fits the theme.”
    • “A very satisfying deckbuilder that has engine-building elements and a pleasant atmosphere, great music and graphics that bring the game to life; easily and highly recommended!”
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80%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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1h Median play time
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Frequently Asked Questions

Mystic Vale is a casual turn-based strategy game with fantasy theme.

Mystic Vale is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac OS, Phone and others.

On average players spend around 1 hours playing Mystic Vale.

Mystic Vale was released on January 31, 2019.

Mystic Vale was developed by Nomad Games.

Mystic Vale has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked Mystic Vale for its gameplay but disliked it for its story.

Mystic Vale is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Wingspan, Dune: Imperium, Ascension: Deckbuilding Game, Small World, Race for the Galaxy and others.