Shadow Era

About

As the first full-scale trading card game on mobile, Shadow Era has had a long history of innovation. The gorgeous card art, balanced gameplay and cross-platform accounts quickly earned it a place as one of the best indy card games. With the release of Shadow Tokens, ownership of the game was given to the players, with the opportunity to receive great rewards.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 45 reviews

replayability3 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Shadow Era offers a deep and engaging card game experience with a variety of heroes and decks, allowing for unique playstyles and high replayability.
The game is genuinely free-to-play, with many players reporting that they can progress and build decks without spending money, thanks to daily quests and a generous card unlocking system.
The artwork is visually appealing, and the game has a welcoming community, making it a pleasant environment for both new and veteran players.

The game suffers from poor balance and design issues, particularly in the campaign mode, where players can face overwhelming odds and poorly designed opponents.
Many players report that the game feels pay-to-win, with a heavy emphasis on microtransactions that can create a frustrating experience for those who do not spend money.
The user interface and deck management features are criticized for being unintuitive and lacking essential functionalities, making it difficult for players to navigate and enjoy the game fully.

gameplay
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The gameplay of this card game is criticized for its poor mechanics, including a resource system that forces players to sacrifice their cards, leading to shallow and unbalanced interactions. While the core mechanics are easy to understand and offer some strategic depth, the lack of defensive options and a poorly implemented AI detract significantly from the experience. Overall, many reviewers express disappointment, citing the need for substantial improvements and a more intuitive interface to make the game enjoyable.
- “Mechanics are easy to grasp and similar to MTG.”
- “Gameplay takes some getting used to, but it brings a new way of thinking about strategy and combinations.”
- “It has nice mechanics, art, and campaigns, although I wish there were more sets by now.”
- “At face value, this is a badly made mobile app ripoff of Magic: The Gathering Arena. Bad mechanics, weak artwork, and terrible design and balance aside, this game seriously makes you pay cash money for cards that you have to then destroy during a match if you want to have any hope of winning.”
- “The attacking player gets to decide basically the outcome of everything; there is no interactive defense or counters that you can do. The offensive player can dictate terms, which makes for very shallow gameplay.”
- “The AI is extremely poorly implemented and makes the worst choices you could imagine. It is also very bugged and has some exploits of its own where it bypasses game mechanics and can abuse these bugs against the player. It's kind of crazy that some of these are still in the game as they are completely game-breaking.”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the pleasant artwork on the cards, while others criticize the low-resolution visuals and unintuitive interface. The overall presentation is deemed visually unappealing due to grainy art and jarring screen shakes, which detract from the gameplay experience. Despite some potential for improvement, many reviewers find the graphics lacking and difficult to engage with.
- “The graphics and art on the cards are quite pleasant and not too overbearing, making the overall visual experience enjoyable.”
- “Nice artwork on the cards, very visually pleasing overall.”
- “The game handles itself well, and the graphics contribute positively to the overall experience.”
- “Low-res graphics?”
- “I can give the game a pass on being ugly, as graphics can be swapped out as development continues, but the dialogues are presented with screen shakes that are jarring enough that they induce nausea. There's no tutorial to be found anywhere obvious, and the gameplay interface is unintuitive. The cards and everything else are too difficult to see, in part due to the low-quality, grainy art.”
- “There are too many negatives; I can't recommend it unless you have no other card game to try and you somehow like the artwork in this game so much that you can ignore all the mechanical, balance, gameplay, and other issues.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The story aspect of the game is perceived as simplistic, primarily serving as a means to complete daily quests rather than offering a compelling narrative. Players find themselves stuck after a few hours due to slow card acquisition, but the campaign's structure allows for extended gameplay with multiple missions across various difficulty levels for each hero.
- “There are 20 missions (each with three difficulty levels) for each of the 32 heroes, so I can just chill out in the campaign game for many hours to come.”
- “The campaign is simple; its only purpose is to complete tough daily quests easily, in my opinion.”
- “You get stuck in the campaign after a few hours, and the rate at which you receive new cards from daily quests is really slow.”
- “There are 20 missions (each with three difficulty levels) for each of the 32 heroes, so I can just chill out in the campaign for many hours to come.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
The monetization model is considered straightforward and traditional, though some users report issues with microtransactions not functioning properly on certain platforms like Linux/Proton. Overall, it appears to be a mixed experience, with some appreciating its simplicity while others face technical challenges.
- “Monetization isn't bad; it's old-school and simple.”
- “The microtransactions are so excessive that they completely ruin the experience for me.”
- “The monetization strategy feels predatory and takes away from the enjoyment of the game.”
- “It's frustrating how much you have to spend to unlock basic features; it feels like a cash grab.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players appreciate the high replayability of the game, as each hero and deck offers a unique gameplay experience, allowing for diverse strategies and personal playstyle exploration.
- “Every hero and deck plays completely differently from each other, adding a lot of fun and replayability while giving you the choice to find your own playstyle.”
- “The variety of strategies and character builds keeps the game fresh, encouraging you to replay it multiple times.”
- “With numerous paths and outcomes, each playthrough feels unique, making you want to dive back in for more.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
300%
The music in the game is described as repetitive but not overly annoying, contributing to an overall positive experience. While it may lack variety, it does not detract significantly from gameplay.
- “The graphics and art on the cards are quite pleasant and not too overbearing, and the music is repetitive but not too annoying, making the game handle itself well.”
- “The music is repetitive but nothing too annoying.”
- “The music lacks variety and quickly becomes tiresome.”
- “The soundtrack feels generic and fails to enhance the gaming experience.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players note that grinding for gold in the campaign is limited, as once an opponent is defeated, they cannot be challenged again for additional gold, restricting opportunities for further grinding.
- “You cannot earn gold in the campaign once you have beaten the same opponent, so there is no possibility for grinding gold in the campaign past a certain point.”