Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden

78%
Game Brain Score Based on 128 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

78%
Audience ScoreBased on 128 reviews
story33 positive mentions
grinding10 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique monster-catching mechanic that adds depth to combat and allows for character customization.
  • The storytelling is engaging, with a darker atmosphere and a compelling narrative that keeps players invested.
  • The art and music are beautifully crafted, enhancing the overall immersive experience of the game.
  • The skill acquisition system is heavily reliant on RNG, making it frustrating for players to obtain desired skills and leading to repetitive gameplay.
  • The plot is predictable and lacks creativity, with many players feeling that the story does not progress meaningfully.
  • The final boss battle is excessively long and difficult, with no save points, leading to a frustrating experience for players.
  • story142 mentions

    The story of "Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden" has received mixed reviews, with some praising its emotional depth and engaging narrative, while others criticize it for being predictable and lacking direction. Many appreciate Yoko Taro's signature storytelling style, which includes unexpected twists and a dark, immersive atmosphere, but some feel it doesn't innovate enough compared to previous installments. Overall, the narrative is seen as a compelling yet flawed experience, with a blend of personal and grand themes that may leave players wanting more character development and resolution.

    • “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.”
    • “Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden is an excellent entry in this quirky new franchise, pulling together a darker story, a new battle mechanic, and that ever-present cozy atmosphere to make for a hypnotizing and immersive experience.”
    • “I found the story kind of slow, and it's predictable and not very creative to begin with.”
    • “The plot lacks any clear direction after a certain point.”
    • “It misses a lot of opportunities and backloads all the story twists and explanations, leaving me feeling more like a visitor in a grander world that I wouldn't get to fully explore.”
  • gameplay69 mentions

    The gameplay of "Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden" is characterized by a mix of traditional JRPG mechanics and a new monster-catching feature that adds variety and customization to combat. While the game introduces unique mechanics that differentiate it from its predecessors, it suffers from balance issues, particularly with difficulty spikes and uninspired boss encounters. Overall, players appreciate the engaging narrative and aesthetic but express frustration with certain gameplay elements, leading to mixed reviews on its execution.

    • “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.”
    • “By maintaining its easily accessible JRPG mechanics, gorgeous tabletop aesthetic, and engrossing narration, Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden manages to elevate itself above its Voice of Cards brethren thanks to a neat, Pokémon-style monster collection mechanic.”
    • “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.”
  • music28 mentions

    The music in the game has received high praise for its emotional depth and strategic integration, with many reviewers noting its improvement over previous installments. While some found the default soundtrack lacking, the new compositions, particularly from the Nier: Automata team, significantly enhance the overall experience. Overall, the music is described as wonderful and a key element that elevates the storytelling and gameplay, despite some mixed feelings about other aspects of the game.

    • “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.”
    • “[Fundamentally a more traditional JRPG experience once the unique presentation is peeled away, patience is needed to complete some quests, subject matter can get dark, music and narration combat each other in one dungeon area.]”
  • graphics21 mentions

    The graphics in the game are praised for their stunning artwork, particularly for major characters, which significantly surpasses previous titles like "Forgotten Maiden." However, there are criticisms regarding the reuse of NPC designs and the repetitive nature of battles, which can detract from the overall experience. While the visuals are appealing, many reviewers emphasize that the core strengths of the RPG lie in its storytelling and mechanics rather than its graphical fidelity.

    • “The graphics on the major characters are just incredible, leaps and bounds better than the characters from Forgotten Maiden.”
    • “By maintaining its easily accessible JRPG mechanics, gorgeous tabletop aesthetic, and engrossing narration, Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden manages to elevate itself above its Voice of Cards brethren thanks to a neat, Pokémon-style monster collection mechanic.”
    • “For the good, the weird mashup of card battler and Dungeons and Dragons makes for some really neat aesthetics.”
    • “When you take away the artificial motifs and look past its attempt to define aesthetics, you have basically nothing.”
    • “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.”
    • “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.”
  • grinding10 mentions

    Players note that grinding is a significant aspect of the game, often described as exhausting and tedious, yet the engaging soundtrack helps alleviate some of the monotony. While experience grinding is manageable, completionists will find the skill grind to be more time-consuming. Overall, the grind is seen as a necessary part of the experience, with some players appreciating the artistic quality of the game phases despite the frustration it may bring.

    • “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.”
  • atmosphere6 mentions

    "Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden" establishes a darker and more immersive atmosphere than its predecessors, effectively distinguishing itself in the RPG market. The unique representation of characters, enemies, and settings contributes to a captivating experience, blending a cozy ambiance with a compelling narrative and innovative mechanics. Overall, the game offers a hypnotizing atmosphere that enhances its storytelling and gameplay.

    • “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.”
    • “Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden is an excellent entry in this quirky new franchise, pulling together a darker story, a new battle mechanic, and that ever-present cozy atmosphere to make for a hypnotizing and immersive experience.”
    • “The atmosphere in 'Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden' feels disjointed and lacks the immersive quality that I expected from an RPG.”
    • “While the game attempts to create a darker atmosphere, it often falls flat, leaving players feeling disconnected from the story.”
    • “The overall atmosphere is inconsistent, making it difficult to engage with the game's narrative and characters.”
  • emotional6 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 filled with unexpected twists. The game emphasizes the importance of story, character synergy, and world-building over graphics, while its beautiful and heavy soundtrack enhances the emotional experience, making it a memorable RPG.

    • “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 lends so much more to imagining an environment otherwise just shown with description and pictures on cards.”
  • character development5 mentions

    Character development in the game is limited, with some interesting designs overshadowed by a lack of depth in the story that doesn't allow for significant growth. While the character designs feature a blend of fantasy and a 2000s aesthetic, the narrative primarily focuses on themes and gameplay mechanics rather than character arcs.

    • “The character designs are mostly interesting, though some really don't work.”
    • “The best theme exploration and narrative of the trilogy, Keiichi Okabe returns as the composer, need I say more? Character design has a fun blend of fantasy and 2000s edge, monster collecting provides a fun skin to combat.”
    • “There is some character development, but the story doesn't really have room for any major growth.”
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Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
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Critic Reviews

80% average critic score

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