Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden

76%
Game Brain Score Based on 58 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden Game Cover
Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden is a well-polished traditional JRPG experience with a creatively unique presentation and a thoughtful narrative.
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In "Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden," players navigate a dark fantasy world through a deck of cards, making choices in a tabletop RPG setting. The game follows a group of companions banding together to fight against the awakening of primordial beasts, while exploring themes of sacrifice, camaraderie, and redemption. With strategic turn-based battles and narrative decision-making, players will shape the fate of their party and the realm.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

76%
Audience ScoreBased on 58 reviews
story16 positive mentions
grinding5 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique and immersive storytelling approach, blending RPG elements with a card-based presentation that enhances the narrative experience.
  • The monster-catching mechanic adds depth to character customization, allowing players to tailor their party's skills and roles more effectively than in previous installments.
  • The art and music are praised for their quality, contributing to a captivating atmosphere that resonates with fans of the series.
  • The skill acquisition system is heavily reliant on RNG, leading to frustrating gameplay where players may struggle to obtain desired skills, making combat feel repetitive and dull.
  • The plot is criticized for being predictable and lacking depth, with many players feeling that it fails to deliver a satisfying or engaging narrative compared to earlier games in the series.
  • The final boss encounters are described as tedious and poorly designed, with a lack of save points leading to frustrating experiences during lengthy battles.
  • story69 mentions

    The story of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it predictable and lacking in creativity, while others appreciate its emotional depth and intricate narrative. Critics note that the pacing can be slow and that the plot twists may feel uninspired, yet the unique card-based storytelling and character development resonate well with fans of the genre. Overall, while the game maintains a level of quality consistent with its predecessors, it struggles to innovate and fully engage players in its world.

    • “Yoko Taro's signature style ensures that emotional moments and unexpected twists are plentiful, resulting in a solid and entertaining storyline.”
    • “The story is amazing and has your heart hurting so good in the opening minutes.”
    • “The narration and world-building through storytelling continues to prove effective and enjoyable at a casual level with characters to love and hate.”
    • “The plot lacks any clear direction.”
    • “The weaknesses of the game system are unfortunately very obvious, and dictating the player's feelings so that the weak storytelling can happen is just lazy.”
    • “It feels like the first episode of a bigger story than a complete one on its own.”
  • gameplay32 mentions

    Gameplay in the series has been criticized for balance issues, particularly with difficulty spikes and uninspired boss mechanics, leading to frustration during encounters. However, the introduction of unique mechanics, such as monster capturing, adds variety and customization to combat, making "Beasts of Burden" stand out among its predecessors. While some players appreciate the nostalgic tabletop feel and improved mechanics, others find certain features, like RNG elements and item selection, detract from the overall experience.

    • “In terms of gameplay mechanics, 'the beasts of burden' introduces several changes that make each game in the trilogy feel unique while still being part of the same series.”
    • “The monster capturing mechanic adds a lot of attack variety and gives you the ability to really customize what roles your party members take.”
    • “All of them are nice simplistic JRPGs, but 'Beasts of Burden's' mechanical adjustments and better difficulty curve make it stand out from the bunch.”
    • “I think the series in general had weird gameplay balance issues which led to difficulty spikes at the final boss, but putting an unsavable gauntlet before the hard final boss is aggravating as hell.”
    • “The poor balance of the sandbox RPG card system and the waste of the player's effort and time is thus also the main reason for its gameplay to face punishment.”
    • “Gameplay is usually fine, unless it's an encounter where you're not allowed to do anything because the GM decided to tell you, again, what you think and feel despite not doing their job very well if they have to force you to make decisions their way to make their story work.”
  • music13 mentions

    The music in the game has received generally positive feedback, with many praising its emotional depth and strategic integration into gameplay, reminiscent of earlier titles. While some reviewers noted that it is the weakest aspect compared to previous installments, the addition of new soundtracks has been appreciated for enhancing the overall experience. However, a few critiques mention that certain tracks felt generic or unremarkable, suggesting a mixed reception overall.

    • “Art & sound: 9/10 (new music and strategic application of it combined with new and interesting card designs and art)”
    • “Great story, wonderful music, great voice acting.”
    • “This game is a great reminder that role-playing is all about the story, the world-building, character synergy and interesting mechanics; since it's the Nier: Automata team, it also has a very beautiful, heavy and emotional soundtrack that lends so much more to imagining an environment otherwise just shown with description and pictures on cards.”
    • “The reincarnation soundtrack, I will give it, does improve the experience significantly as the default soundtrack sounded a little too stock and unexceptional to me, aside from the parts where it was just not pleasing to my ears.”
    • “So, I guess, with music I really really really liked and story/gameplay I really really really didn't, I give it a lukewarm 3 stars out of 5 for my overall experience.”
    • “The soundtrack of the beast of burden is as thrilling as the last two games.”
  • graphics10 mentions

    The graphics in the game are highlighted for their impressive artwork, particularly for major characters, which surpasses previous titles like "Forgotten Maiden." However, there are criticisms regarding the reuse of NPC designs and the overall aesthetic feeling somewhat superficial, as some players emphasize that strong storytelling and gameplay mechanics are more crucial to the RPG experience than graphical fidelity. The game's visuals are complemented by a beautiful soundtrack, enhancing the emotional depth of the experience despite the repetitive nature of battles.

    • “The graphics, particularly the artwork, are incredible. The designs for the major characters are leaps and bounds better than those from Forgotten Maiden.”
    • “The aesthetic choices in the game create a unique visual experience that enhances the overall gameplay.”
    • “The weird mashup of card battler and Dungeons and Dragons results in some really neat aesthetics that stand out.”
    • “When you take away the artificial motifs and look past its attempt to define aesthetics, you have basically nothing.”
    • “If the aesthetic choices and the stripped-down production also came with dynamic adaptive storytelling, or choices that actually mattered, it would be a very different thing.”
    • “The battles are incredibly repetitive, and those sleek, sharp-looking card art aesthetic transitions and moves suddenly make each battle take longer than they should.”
  • grinding5 mentions

    Players note that while grinding is a significant aspect of the game, it can be both exhausting and tedious, particularly for completionists focused on skill grinding. However, the abundance of resources and the enjoyable soundtrack help mitigate some of the frustration, making the grinding experience more bearable. Overall, the artistic quality of the game phases adds an engaging element to the grinding process.

    • “A bit of experience grinding may be needed, but the skill grind for completionists will take longer than the experience regardless.”
    • “It's exhausting, frustrating, and tedious; though I must say the presence and artistic quality of the phases themselves are pretty epic and engrossing.”
    • “Unlike game 2 where money was hard to come by and grinding was often needed, having over 80k extra at the end of the game is normal.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by Yoko Taro's signature storytelling, which combines whimsical elements with dark, intense moments, creating a captivating narrative. Players appreciate the focus on story, character synergy, and world-building over graphics, while the beautiful and heavy soundtrack enhances the overall emotional experience.

    • “Yoko Taro's signature style ensures that emotional moments and unexpected twists are plentiful, resulting in a solid and entertaining storyline.”
    • “It is refreshingly whimsical, with a smear of darkness and really intense emotional moments.”
    • “This game is a great reminder that role-playing is all about the story, the world-building, character synergy, and interesting mechanics; some of my best role-playing experiences have been text-based or old pixel games. This is a reminder that those core creative aspects are what really drive a good RPG, not graphics or budget. Also, since it's the Nier: Automata team, it has a very beautiful, heavy, and emotional soundtrack that adds so much to imagining an environment otherwise just shown with description and pictures on cards.”
  • atmosphere2 mentions

    "Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden" establishes a darker and more immersive atmosphere than its predecessors, utilizing a unique card-based representation for characters, enemies, and settings. This distinctive approach sets it apart in the RPG market, enhancing the overall experience for players.

    • “Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden introduces a darker atmosphere compared to its predecessors, setting itself apart in the RPG market with its unique and captivating approach.”
    • “Every character, enemy, and setting is represented this way, creating a unique and immersive atmosphere that clearly differentiates it from other RPGs.”
  • character development2 mentions

    Character development in the game is limited, with some interesting designs overshadowed by a narrative that lacks space for significant growth. While there are elements of character depth, they are not fully realized within the story's constraints.

    • “The character designs are mostly interesting, though some really don't work.”
    • “There is some character development, but the story doesn't really have room for any major growth.”
    • “The characters feel one-dimensional and lack meaningful progression throughout the game.”
    • “I was disappointed by the lack of depth in character arcs; they felt static and unchanging.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

80% average critic score

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