SolForge Fusion
- April 16, 2024
- Justin Gary
- 25h median play time
Get on SteamSolForge Fusion is a card-battling game designed by Richard Garfield and Justin Gary, where players use tactically deployed creatures and spells from fusioned decks to outmaneuver adversaries. Every card played levels up, amplifying its power, leading to infinite possibilities in this easy-to-learn yet deep strategy game. Battle other Forgeborns in PvP duels or embark on a campaign in the frozen world of Solis to earn rewards and collect experience.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Great online implementation of the physical card game, making it easy and accessible for new players.
- The unique deck fusion mechanic allows for endless strategic possibilities and keeps gameplay fresh and engaging.
- The community is welcoming and supportive, with regular updates and a lively tournament scene.
- The game has significant pay-to-win elements, making competitive online play frustrating for free-to-play users.
- The user interface and visuals are lacking polish, which detracts from the overall experience.
- The integration of NFTs and blockchain elements has raised concerns among players about the game's future direction and monetization strategy.
- gameplay76 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Solforge Fusion is highly praised for its solid mechanics, innovative deck fusion system, and strategic depth, making it accessible and engaging for players of all skill levels. While some users noted minor bugs and concerns about balance for free-to-play players, the overall experience is described as addictive and rewarding, with a unique lane-based combat system that enhances tactical decision-making. The game successfully combines traditional card game elements with modern digital features, ensuring a rich and varied gameplay experience.
“The gameplay is enthralling, featuring a five-lane battlefield where creatures and exalts evolve through three levels, becoming increasingly powerful.”
“Overall, this is a great game with sound mechanics and an addictive fusing mechanic where you can combine two different algorithmically-generated half decks to form your personal deck which is unique to you.”
“I love the lane-based card placement that vastly reduces analysis paralysis, the card upgrade mechanic that allows decisions about optimal plays now vs. building for later, and the clarity of playing two cards in each round of play out of a hand of five.”
“The deck fusion mechanic is also terrible.”
“I just can't recommend the game in its current state, though the core gameplay mechanic is pretty decent.”
“The only complaints I've ever had with playing the physical version is that some of the mechanics, the tracking of health and upgrades, was more time consuming than I'd like and the digital version has taken care of that.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players criticizing the visuals, particularly the character portraits, as unappealing and in need of polish. However, others appreciate the overall artwork and mechanics, noting that the game translates well into an app format. Despite the positive aspects, there is a consensus that graphical improvements are necessary for a better player experience.
“Fantastic card game that translates really well into an app on Steam with great artwork, great mechanics, fantastic testing, and solo options and campaign... love Solforge and really glad to see the fantastic product that is now playable online.”
“The visuals are currently not pleasing, especially the character portraits on the decks.”
“I take 0.5 off because I don't like its graphic design.”
“It's quite telling that they chose to pursue new players in web3/crypto instead of addressing the real problem of player growth and retention via balancing, system redesigns, or even graphical/audio polish.”
- monetization10 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The monetization system has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with players expressing concerns that the game is shifting towards a crypto-based cash grab following a lackluster physical launch. While there are plans for in-game unlocks and microtransactions, the specifics regarding their cost and effort required remain unclear, leading to frustration among users who feel uneasy about future monetization strategies.
“It appears to have cosmetics to unlock, but I haven't seen any microtransactions in the game.”
“It's clear now that the physical launch did not succeed in how they wanted, and instead they're switching much of the game into a crypto monetization cash grab.”
“Ways to unlock more are supposedly planned both in-game and with microtransactions, but we have no idea how tedious or expensive this will be.”
“I have no interest in the physical product, and it feels bad to buy to play a game that will eventually introduce microtransactions to progress.”
- story6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The story is praised for its fantastic art and cool characters, though some users suggest a need for expansion in PvE content, including new bosses and rogue-like missions to enhance the narrative experience.
“The story and art are fantastic, and the characters are just plain cool.”
“And the storyline?”
“Should they focus on expanding PvE and try making new bosses and foes to fight, more akin to rogue-like missions?”
“And the storyline?”
- replayability6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users highlight the game’s high replayability, noting its intriguing and challenging nature that offers many hours of gameplay. Many feel it provides excellent value, especially when purchased at a discount, making it a worthwhile investment for fans of card battlers.
“Intriguing, challenging with many hours of replay value.”
“I think for 50% off (at the time of writing) this is a great deal for a card battler with lots of replayability.”
“You want to get high replayability with minimum investment.”
- music6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game evokes a strong sense of nostalgia, resonating well with players despite some describing it as bland. While the original soundtrack and sound effects are appreciated, the overall presentation may feel dated, which could detract from the experience for some users.
“When I booted up the game, the nostalgia of the music was nice.”
“The original soundtrack and effects really hit the nostalgia in the right way.”
“The music evokes a strong sense of nostalgia that enhances the overall experience.”
“Only cons are the art feels a bit dated and the music is pretty bland.”
“The original soundtrack and effects really hit the nostalgia in the right way, but the music overall feels lacking.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be less tedious when played online, as the app manages bookkeeping tasks that can be cumbersome in real life. However, there are concerns about the potential grindiness of unlocking additional content, both through gameplay and microtransactions, with uncertainty regarding the effort and cost involved. Overall, players who prefer strategic gameplay over repetitive grinding may find the experience more enjoyable.
“Ways to unlock more are supposedly planned both in-game and with microtransactions, but we have no idea how tedious or expensive this will be.”
“Mind you, I'm the type of player who doesn't enjoy grinding a PvP ladder for hours and specifically enjoys discovering underdog/less-obvious strategies against somewhat dumb, yet overpowered PvE bosses.”
“It is one of the rare games that is actually better online, since the app takes care of all the tedious bookkeeping and other minutia that a real-life player can sometimes forget.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is reported to be quite buggy, leading to a perception that it was a missed opportunity for a polished experience. However, there is hope among users that many of these issues will be addressed during the early access phase.
“They had a polished game they could have expanded on and instead decided to scrap that and went with this buggy mess.”
“It's fairly buggy, but I hope/expect that the majority of these will be resolved during early access.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users find humor in the irony of Solforge being initially designed for digital play, yet launching its Fusions version as a physical product before attempting to transition it back to digital. This contradiction highlights a comedic disconnect in the game's development strategy.
“I find it humorous that they supposedly designed Solforge for the digital space but launched Fusions as physical and are now trying to take it digital again.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is well-optimized, running smoothly and providing an intuitive experience that makes deck management and gameplay accessible to players of all skill levels.
“On the technical side, the game runs smoothly, and the play is intuitive, which makes both deck management and gameplay accessible to players of all skill levels.”
