The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game
- August 28, 2019
- Fantasy Flight Interactive
- 7h median play time
"The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game" is a fantasy turn-based strategy game, where players can enjoy a beautiful story and masterful game mechanics in single-player, cooperative, and multiplayer modes. Players build decks of iconic heroes and travel through famous locations in Middle-earth, completing story-driven quests and forging a new legend. With dense atmosphere, stunning graphics, and a wonderful soundtrack, the game offers a highly replayable experience, although it does have lots of grinding and a few too many ads.
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Phone
Playstation 4
Windows
Xbox One
Android
Linux
Mobile Platform
PlayStation
Tablet
Xbox
Reviews
- Great narrative and voice acting that immerses players in the Middle-earth lore.
- Fun and challenging gameplay that requires strategic deck building and decision making.
- Developers are responsive to community feedback and have made significant improvements since early access.
- Game is not a direct adaptation of the physical LCG, leading to disappointment for some fans.
- Microtransactions and the monetization model are seen as aggressive and frustrating.
- Limited content at launch, with only a few quests available, leading to repetitive gameplay.
- story338 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its engaging narrative and integration of Tolkien's lore, while others criticize it as bland or poorly executed. Many appreciate the immersive voice acting and well-written quests, which add depth to the gameplay, but some feel that the story is overshadowed by repetitive missions and frustrating mechanics. Overall, while the storytelling has its strengths, it is often hampered by gameplay issues and a lack of content.
“Awesome Middle-earth art, music, lore, story, and voice acting!”
“The story is entertaining.”
“The story element doesn't even need to be there, but they half-assed it and put something there anyway.”
“Also, the story is kind of bland, feels like cheap fanfiction of LOTR.”
“None of that translates here and most of the story gets lost in the bland gameplay.”
- gameplay252 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its strategic depth and engaging mechanics, while others criticize it for being overly simplified compared to the original tabletop version. Many players appreciate the integration of Tolkien's lore and the variety of deck-building options, but express frustration over balance issues, poor graphics, and a lack of meaningful challenge. Overall, while the game offers enjoyable moments and potential for future content, it struggles to fully capture the complexity and richness of its predecessor.
“The gameplay itself is clever enough with meaningful decisions and variety.”
“A fun game with solid mechanics and a great theme.”
“The mechanics are balanced with different difficulties throughout the game.”
“A sloppy voiceover, ordinary graphics, terrible mechanics, dull and boring missions... it's a real disaster.”
“The gameplay just felt like it was doing the bare minimum - didn't do enough to spice up the card game genre here.”
“The mechanics have been completely changed, most cards have no abilities and the ones that do are extremely basic; there is simply nowhere near the level of depth in this game that you would expect considering it has been branded with the same name.”
- graphics64 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the high-quality artwork and immersive visuals that reflect the Tolkien universe, while others criticize outdated designs and poor UI elements. Overall, the artwork is often highlighted as a standout feature, contributing to the game's atmosphere, though some players express disappointment with certain graphical aspects and mechanics. Despite these criticisms, many agree that the visuals effectively enhance the gameplay experience.
“The artwork is high quality and the gameplay is fun and addictive, with that just one more turn feeling.”
“The graphics are above what I expect with early access and are promised to be cleaned up and improved over time.”
“The graphics and in-game effects are great, the soundtrack in itself is a work of art and the voice acting is also very good.”
“A sloppy voiceover, ordinary graphics, terrible mechanics, dull and boring missions... it's a real disaster.”
“Recycled artworks, awful graphic design, cheap stories, reeks of low production value, average gameplay.”
“As for the game itself, the graphics are outdated, you have to buy more campaigns/cards all of which are pretty limited at the moment.”
- monetization61 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The monetization model of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing frustration over the prevalence and cost of microtransactions, which some describe as aggressive or predatory. While a few users appreciate the absence of overtly predatory practices and note improvements in the monetization system, the overall sentiment leans towards viewing it as a cash grab, particularly in light of the game's online-only requirement and limited initial content. Despite some positive changes, concerns about the long-term implications of the monetization strategy remain prevalent among the community.
“No microtransactions either, which is nice.”
“Good gameplay, not too overt with in-game purchases, lots of replay value and multiple difficulty settings.”
“The best part is that there are no predatory microtransactions or any of them whatsoever.”
“The online-only requirement coupled with the size of the unexplored campaign map and potential for so many microtransactions and scummy behavior in the future raised a lot of alarms in my head.”
“Seriously, this is some cash grab game.”
“The microtransactions are an absolute horror.”
- music40 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music and voice acting in the game are widely praised for their high quality and ability to immerse players in the world of Middle-earth, with many noting the soundtrack's fitting themes and atmospheric qualities. While some players find the music to be repetitive over time, the overall presentation—including sound effects and narration—enhances the gaming experience significantly. The art and music work together to evoke the essence of Tolkien's lore, making it a standout feature of the game.
“The quality is top notch; voice acting, music, art, everything is above other games of the genre.”
“The music, voice acting, stories, and art feel very much like LOTR and immerse players into the world.”
“The soundtrack in itself is a work of art and the voice acting is also very good.”
“Gorgeous graphics and settings are paired with lackluster music and voice acting.”
“6 only 3 quests in voice acting.. nice but skip past once heard once.. and often have my own soundtrack on.. didn't feel the in-game one was as stirring as Howard Shore's score from the films.. or Bruhnville on YouTube.. I guess if it was missing entirely it would be a negative.”
“The presentation: art design, soundtrack, narration (leaving aside Gollum and the orcs which are terribly acted), card animations are all very polished.”
- replayability27 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
Overall, the game boasts strong replayability, with players enjoying various modes such as solo challenges, co-op play, and different character combinations. The deck-building mechanics and branching quest decisions enhance the experience, allowing for multiple strategies and tactics in each playthrough. While some players express concerns about long-term replay value, the abundance of content, including free campaigns and procedural missions, keeps the gameplay fresh and engaging.
“They have very good replayability even for single players using offline mode - and I barely started the campaign with many hours still to go!”
“Figuring out how to navigate all the things the quests throw at you is lots of fun and there's good replayability value because there are so many different ways you can build your deck that will completely change your tactics.”
“When you play an adventure, you play it like a campaign, keeping your card hand, resources, and cards in play from one chapter to the next; deciding between rushing or not makes for great replayability and risky decision-making.”
“I’ll probably do some of the other solo challenge stuff, but after that, not sure how much replayability there is for me.”
“Replayability: even though there is only one campaign right now, I find each time it is a bit different depending on the events and cards Sauron plays.”
“Some quests offer branching decisions, increasing replay value.”
- grinding22 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that grinding in the game can be excessive and tedious, often requiring players to replay the same missions repeatedly to earn in-game currency for progression. While some appreciate the shift towards more thoughtful deck construction over time, many feel that the current model demands too much grinding or financial investment to access content, leading to a frustrating experience, especially in single-player modes. Overall, while grinding is a common aspect of many games, players express that it detracts from the enjoyment and flow of this particular title.
“If you don't want lots of grinding replays and are struggling to finish a campaign, then avoid this one; otherwise, enjoy!”
“Grinding in single-player missions gets boring fast; hence, more missions should be initially open.”
“Grinding your way through the same content over and over again to get a few valor every time would take you days just to get enough valor to get somewhere.”
- atmosphere15 mentions
- 73 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive qualities, featuring excellent voice acting, beautiful artwork, and a captivating musical score that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the dedication to creating a chill and engaging environment, with well-crafted narratives and quests that contribute to the game's charm. While the plot may not be groundbreaking, the atmospheric elements effectively draw players into the world, making it a delightful experience for fans of card games and thematic storytelling.
“Yes, cute and atmospheric, with beautiful voices, music, and artwork.”
“The artwork, presentation, and narrative campaign delivery is very well done and effectively helps set the atmosphere.”
“The music is actually really good, the voice-acted original stories that accompany the gameplay are a welcome inclusion and really help with the immersion and atmosphere of the entire experience.”
- stability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing multiple bugs, glitches, and crashes, while others report a smooth and enjoyable experience without any issues. Overall, the game's early access status suggests that improvements may be forthcoming, but current stability remains a concern for many users.
“Enjoyable, but buggy and several poorly thought out UI designs.”
“+ Art is good, but glitches and awkward UI will take your attention from it.”
“Had multiple crashes and UI glitches.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for slow performance and occasional server issues, leading to frustrating gameplay. Additionally, the shift from the original mechanics to a more stuttering, turn-based system has detracted from the overall experience, making it feel less engaging.
“The price system is fair, motivating (you get currency based on your performance) and transparent.”
“This game runs slowly and is so ridiculously difficult as to be unfun.”
“Server performance suffers with long pauses from time to time.”
“The game shifted away from the original unique and challenging 'phase-based' mechanics of the physical card game to a stuttering one action per turn mechanic, which feels different but worse.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by players' exaggerated reactions to the absence of PvP, which some find amusingly irrational.
“The absurdity of the situations in this game had me laughing out loud.”
“The witty dialogue and unexpected scenarios kept me entertained throughout.”
“I love how the game pokes fun at common tropes in a clever and humorous way.”
