Mystic Vale

89%
Game Brain Score Based on 342 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • music
Mystic Vale Game Cover
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In Mystic Vale, become a druidic clan tasked with healing the Valley of Life, using the innovative Card Crafting System to build and improve your deck. The game features compelling gameplay, easy-to-learn basics, and a challenging experience even for deck-building pros. With amazing visuals, a good soundtrack, and both single-player and online multiplayer modes, discover and create powerful card combos in this immersive and strategic game.

  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Windows
  • Android
  • Mobile Platform
  • Tablet
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

89%
Audience ScoreBased on 342 reviews
gameplay29 positive mentions
story3 negative mentions
  • Mystic Vale features a unique card crafting mechanic that allows players to build and enhance their cards during gameplay, providing a fresh take on the deck-building genre.
  • The game boasts beautiful artwork and animations, creating an immersive and visually appealing experience.
  • The digital adaptation streamlines gameplay by automating bookkeeping and calculations, making it easier to enjoy the game without the setup and teardown of the physical version.
  • The user interface can be unintuitive, leading to confusion about game mechanics and card interactions, especially for new players.
  • The AI can be inconsistent, with reports of it being either too easy to defeat or exhibiting strange behavior during gameplay.
  • The game lacks sufficient multiplayer activity, making it difficult to find online matches, which can limit the overall experience for players seeking competitive play.
  • gameplay95 mentions

    The gameplay of Mystic Vale is characterized by its innovative card crafting mechanic, allowing players to build and enhance cards in unique ways, which adds depth and strategy to the deck-building experience. While the game is visually appealing and offers a relaxing atmosphere, some players have noted issues with AI behavior and a lack of competitive interaction. Overall, the mechanics are engaging and intuitive, though they may require some time to fully grasp, making it a solid choice for fans of the genre looking for a fresh twist.

    • “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.”
    • “If you love deck-builders, this one really shines with its unique mechanic of modifying cards in your deck.”
    • “As an avid deckbuilder and card game fan, while the game itself is fun, the constant cheating by AI (playing illegal cards, taking cards they can't afford, or just outright cancelling your actions) ruins the actual gameplay experience.”
    • “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 each of your own cards in three steps.”
    • “Waste of money, 1 hour of gameplay before you realize this shell of a game has nothing else to offer.”
  • graphics28 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their beautiful artwork, engaging animations, and immersive presentation, which enhance the overall gameplay experience. Users appreciate the cozy mood and fantasy art style, noting that the visuals are well-optimized and free of significant bugs. While some minor graphical issues were mentioned, they do not detract from the game's enjoyment, making it highly recommended for its stunning aesthetics.

    • “I love the lush artwork, cozy mood, and overall presentation along with the great gameplay.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful, and I love all of the little touches of animation and sound effects for each of the cards.”
    • “The artwork is incredible and really comes to life!”
    • “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.”
    • “The digital version of this card game is very well made, the graphics add more immersion than the card game is lacking (obviously in a board game so it's different immersion).”
  • music22 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its soothing and calming qualities, enhancing the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. Many reviewers appreciate the fitting soundtrack that complements the game's fantasy and druidic themes, with beautiful animations and visuals that elevate the presentation. While some find the music merely tolerable, the majority agree that it contributes positively to the game's ambiance.

    • “Flawless UI, tranquil soundtrack, 5 difficulty settings for AI, stable online matches against friends, everything is on point!”
    • “Beautiful images/animations on the cards and calming music boost this game to the next level.”
    • “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!”
    • “The music isn't particularly evocative of druidry but it's suitable.”
    • “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.”
  • replayability7 mentions

    The game offers high replayability through its card creation mechanics and the introduction of various currencies and purchasing options, allowing for diverse strategies. However, some players feel that the reliance on a single strategy can limit replay value over time. Regular expansions and affordable DLCs further enhance replayability by introducing new cards and mechanics, keeping the gameplay fresh.

    • “Endlessly replayable due to the fact that you literally create most of your cards as you play by adding new sections to them from the available selection in the play area.”
    • “The different currency units and purchasing of cards allows for many variations and replay value.”
    • “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 become 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.”
    • “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.”
  • story7 mentions

    The game features minimal storytelling, with a loose theme centered on ecological recovery and some backstory provided in the rulebook, but lacks a substantial narrative experience. While the mechanics are engaging for deck-building enthusiasts, those seeking a rich story may find it lacking.

    • “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.”
  • monetization4 mentions

    The monetization aspect of Mystic Vale has been criticized for lacking an in-game shop, microtransactions, or booster packs, leading some to view it as a cash grab from mobile developers. Reviewers describe it as a mediocre card game that feels poorly adapted for PC, suggesting that the developers prioritize profit over quality.

    • “No in-game shop, no microtransactions or booster packs.”
    • “The game respects players by not forcing any purchases.”
    • “I appreciate that the monetization model is fair and doesn't disrupt gameplay.”
    • “Mystic Vale is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as if it was a real PC game (it's not)... it's a cash grab from greedy mobile devs. The game is a middle-of-the-road CCG/deckbuilder game.”
    • “It's because most of the developers create quick cash grabs and are usually bad at coding.”
    • “To get more players, there must be more advertising.”
  • stability4 mentions

    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 between different platforms and setups.

    • “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.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of Mystic Vale's physical card version tedious due to the cumbersome process of managing and inserting cards into composite sleeves, which can detract from the overall experience. In contrast, the digital version alleviates this burden, making gameplay smoother and more enjoyable by automating the card management.

    • “The only real negative you can level at the physical card version of Mystic Vale is that players might find it tedious to slip each card into the composite card sleeves that make up your deck.”
    • “Without having played the physical version of this game, I can't say for sure, but I suspect Mystic Vale greatly benefits from the digital format; it looks pretty tedious and fiddly to play the physical version with all the possible card combos.”
    • “Likely one of the rare times when the PC version is actually a more enjoyable experience than physical, as it handles all the tedious management for you.”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its calming and immersive qualities, enhanced by great music and graphics that complement the theme. Players find it satisfying and engaging, with the ambiance contributing significantly to the overall experience.

    • “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!”
    • “I was so engrossed in the gameplay that I felt the music gave a nice tone to the atmosphere while playing.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    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.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

80% average critic score

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Play time

6hMedian play time
4hAverage play time
1-7hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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