Shadow Era - Trading Card Game | Game Brain

Shadow Era - Trading Card Game Game Cover

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Shadow Era - Trading Card Game is a single player and multiplayer action game. It was developed by Jonathan Bjork and was released on April 14, 2013. It received positive reviews from players.

Choose your hero and build your deck in a dark fantasy, cross-platform CCG!

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Shadow Era - Trading Card Game screenshot

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84%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,340 reviews

gameplay94 positive mentions

grinding15 negative mentions

Great strategic and engaging gameplay with unique resource mechanics that provide depth and challenge.
Fair and balanced card game with generous free-to-play model allowing players to acquire any cards over time without pay-to-win.
Beautiful and original artwork, smooth UI, and support for both single player campaigns and multiplayer modes with active community and developer support.

Game suffers from slow gameplay pace, especially AI turns, leading to lengthy matches and player frustration.
Difficult progression and grind for new cards and in-game currency without spending money; some players find matchmaking unfair and multiplayer experience punishing for new players.
Frequent bugs and glitches reported including crashes, UI issues, campaign bugs, and unaddressed problems causing negative gameplay experiences and lack of recent meaningful content updates.

gameplay
154 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
37%
2%
The gameplay is generally praised for its solid mechanics, strategic depth, and engaging card interactions, with many appreciating its easy-to-learn yet hard-to-master nature. However, a common criticism is the slow pace of matches and animations, which some players find frustrating and tedious, suggesting the need for faster gameplay options or animation skips. Overall, the game offers enjoyable and well-balanced gameplay with a variety of decks and mechanics, appealing especially to fans of collectible card games.
- “The resource mechanic coupled with the various hero abilities makes for intricate decision making when creating decks and fine-tuning gameplay against opposition.”
- “The mechanics are easy to pick up, the art on the cards is amazing, and there is a depth of strategy that I have only just begun to scratch.”
- “Gameplay is very well thought out and it's very easy to learn and build the deck you want.”
- “After 20 minutes of gameplay (half of which I waited for the slow mechanics to resolve) I got bored and instantly uninstalled.”
- “The gameplay is too slow. I was playing at the fastest setting but still it's slow. I got frustrated at how slow it is. The gameplay speed should be increased, worst!”
- “AI gameplay too slow, I won't be back unless you guys speed it up.”
graphics
99 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
30%
3%
The graphics of Shadow Era receive generally positive remarks for their clear card artwork, unique style, and smooth visuals, though some users note that the overall graphical quality and effects feel dated or low resolution and could benefit from an overhaul or enhancement. While the artwork itself is praised as beautiful and detailed, occasional critiques highlight graphical bugs and the need for improved resolution, especially on larger screens. Overall, the game's visual presentation is appreciated but is seen as an area with significant potential for improvement.
- “Beautiful artwork and attention to detail.”
- “Shadow era is one of the best trading card games I have ever played in a very long time; the gameplay is stunning, the game mapping is smooth, and the graphics and controls are fantastic and user friendly.”
- “The cards themselves look clear and are easy to read, but the other graphics, aside from the green logo, are starting to look dated and low resolution.”
- “I like the game, but it has graphical bugs and touches that I don't like, such as the graveyard staying open after the end of the game if it was open, and when a unit with a card on it dies and the debuff dies and goes into the graveyard, it just looks really bad now, the opposite of an improvement.”
- “Graphics look like garbage on my Z Fold 3.”
story
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
60%
9%
The story mode is generally appreciated for adding depth, multiple job/class choices, and guiding new players, though some find it slow-paced, limited in progression options, or lacking excitement. Several users praise the solid backstory and enjoyable narrative, while others note issues with AI behavior and repetitive mission design. Overall, the story enhances the game but could benefit from more variety, faster gameplay, and better advancement mechanics.
- “An underrated card game with storylines and multiple choices of jobs/classes.”
- “Strong opening story line, lots of different cards (that seem easy enough to get) and plenty to think about while being relatively uncomplicated when you know what to do.”
- “It takes a bit to get used to, and it requires a bit of grinding to get new cards, but overall a really cool game with a solid story and mechanics.”
- “In the game you need to buy cards, decks, etc. to become powerful, but to do that you have very few options: repeat 200x the same 3 levels against AI (the game lacks a story), win one of the two championship options in which you need to play like 5 hours a day (and with a lesser deck, let's not forget that) to be able to win (because you need to end up in the top for you to win anything, but of course you could pay... becoming powerful is slow and almost impossible unless you pay beforehand.”
- “The two star campaign mission for the rogue in the first area will not let me finish it; the AI will just do nothing. Played it a bunch of times and every single time the turn before I am going to win, they simply do nothing. I can hear the game make sounds when I click on stuff, so it is not frozen, that's why I put 4 stars and not 5.”
- “Gameplay, story, etc. are all serviceable but lackluster.”
grinding
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding is a significant aspect of the game, especially for free players who find it necessary to invest substantial time to acquire booster packs and build competitive decks. While some appreciate the rewarding nature of progression through grinding, many find it tedious, with slow leveling and expensive in-game purchases making the experience feel grind-heavy and occasionally frustrating.
- “As a free player, it takes a lot of grinding to get booster packs.”
- “It's impossible to get new decks without insane levels of grinding, which is the only way to get free gems at 25 gems per level. Each booster costs 200 gems, or you have to pay real cash.”
- “Reasonably well thought through mechanics for a CCG, but even more grindy than Hearthstone.”
stability
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
93%
Stability in the game is inconsistent, with several users reporting frequent freezes, glitches, and loading issues, especially in multiplayer and merchant sections. While some find the gameplay smooth and glitch-free on certain devices, others experience frustrating bugs that interrupt play. Overall, the game can be buggy and occasionally unstable, though still enjoyable for many players.
- “Was great so many bugs, frozen screens, loading issues, animation and visual glitches that literally leave you with no choice other than to concede, multiplayer draft format just loads indefinitely.”
- “Still slow and buggy with no support and glacial development.”
- “It forces me to skip and end my turn and I can start the game with 26-30 life first round; it's able to bring me down 11-14 life because a single enemy can hit me multiple times in a single turn. That's not all—it freezes periodically.”
monetization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
36%
43%
The game's monetization is generally well-balanced, offering optional in-app purchases without being pay-to-win or overly aggressive, and progression is achievable through gameplay alone. Ads are minimal or cleverly integrated, avoiding intrusiveness, which users appreciate. However, some players feel the game could benefit from more content and fewer in-app purchases.
- “Though some items require in-app purchases, the game is not a pay-to-win money grab like many others these days.”
- “You can either in-app purchase gold and crystals, or you can grind through the storyline to earn the same gold and crystals with some effort.”
- “No ads, which is a huge bonus, and you don't need to spend any cash to progress.”
- “And it does appear to be a game that will require in-game purchases at some point as you progress.”
- “This game is just a cash grab.”
- “I absolutely love the gameplay, mechanics, everything about this game draws me in. Could be more cards and maybe less in-app purchases would make it better.”
music
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
The music in the game receives mixed feedback, with some praising its quality and relaxing vibe, while others find it repetitive, cheesy, or boring. Several users suggest adding options for customizable or unlockable soundtracks and more sound effects to enhance the audio experience. Overall, the music is appreciated but seen as needing more variety and improvement.
- “Relaxing background music, other players are friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable on game dynamics, game mode, and deck construction strategies.”
- “Great music as always.”
- “Brilliant game: artwork and music are amazing. Graphics are okay. Must download.”
- “The music is cheesy as all get out and so is everything else.”
- “It was boring; the music utterly made me sleepy.”
- “New music is needed, it gets extremely repetitive.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is praised for its funny and engaging dialogue, contributing to an enjoyable experience. While some mechanics can behave oddly, the overall comedic tone remains a strong positive aspect.
- “It would be nice to have a 2x speed option, other than that really good game, great art and funny/engaging dialogue.”
- “This game is very good, it gives you a PC feel while on your phone, the dialogue is hilarious, and the campaign isn't half bad.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its engaging and immersive indie vibe, complemented by a welcoming environment and frequent updates that enhance the overall experience.
- “Easy to get into the game, with heaps of awesome decks, and great atmosphere.”
- “Same atmosphere of 'indieness', also now we see more frequent updates.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game runs smoothly and performs well, but it is not optimized for mobile devices.
- “Badass game, it runs smoothly. Thanks!”
- “This game is in no way optimized for mobile.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Character development received criticism for featuring clichéd female character designs, indicating a lack of originality in their portrayal.
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users feel the game lacks replayability due to a limited variety of playable cards, suggesting that adding more cards would enhance the experience.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Shadow Era - Trading Card Game is a action game.

Shadow Era - Trading Card Game is available on Phone, iPad, iPhone, Tablet and others.

Shadow Era - Trading Card Game was released on April 14, 2013.

Shadow Era - Trading Card Game was developed by Jonathan Bjork.

Shadow Era - Trading Card Game has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked Shadow Era - Trading Card Game for its gameplay but disliked it for its grinding.

Shadow Era - Trading Card Game is a single player game with multiplayer support.

Similar games include MARVEL SNAP Strategy Card Game, Magic: Puzzle Quest, Stormbound: PVP Card Battle, Cards, Universe & Everything, Gems of War - Match 3 RPG and others.

Shadow Era - Trading Card Game

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