KARDS – The WWII Card Game
KARDS, The World War II Card Game, combines traditional CCG gameplay with innovative mechanics inspired by classic strategy games and real battlefield tactics. Take command and challenge other players in grand-scale warfare on the ground, air, or seas. KARDS is completely free to play with all features available from the start. You can earn all cards through regular gameplay, daily missions and an extensive achievement system. KARDS blends familiar trading card gameplay that make it easy to learn and are combined with innovative mechanics that provide strategic depth and tactical diversity. The innovative frontline mechanics allows you to better protect your support assets and take the battle to your enemy. Rush your enemies with Blitzkrieg tactics, gain air superiority or dig in for bitter defensive warfare until you outproduce and outgun your enemies.
Steam User 24
For casual player:
By far the best WWII CCG out there. Artwork, visual, sound effect, strategy, all is feeling pleasant. I play the game since early out, my previous account data is wiped out and developer are so kindly to give me extra pack for the problem that I experience. You got daily reward too, just like any other game. Yes the game is good that I keep playing it even after some years has been passed.
For competitive player:
+ Compared to many other card game out there, this game feel better as it is more strategy than any other card game out there. I feel the enjoyment in wrecking enemy strategy with combination of better card sync that I have. Yes you need an Elite card (comparable to legendary card on other game), but you don't need it that many, in fact developer limit the use of higher level card into certain limit, so the more powerful card will be less in deck.
+ The strategy is based on rock-scissor-paper mechanic, all/almost all unit in the game have their counter, the problem only arise if your deck are too specialized to beat certain deck type. If you can find a balanced deck that can be used to defeat 60% of the deck build each season, probability of you winning most game is high. On other hand, if you stick on that deck all the time, each season change, unless you adjust your deck, you'll lose.
+ They balance the card, not only popular card but unpopular card too. I'm rarely see it in the other CCG. The only problem is that they gather data for too long, sometimes a season or more. So there's a chance that you have to face certain card being played too often because they're very useful.
- Just like any other CCG, the game fall short in balance. I don't mean that certain card is too powerful, like legendary card on other CCG. Instead, you'll fall into certain play style and deck build/meta for each 2-3 season. The developer often feel like they don't test new card long enough before it is being released. You can check in the forum for many complain about this.
- Become free player is harder for each major update. This is personal and different player may feel differently. However, as a free player I find, that the supply vs update is feeling like stick and carrot vs rabbit. Free player is the rabbit of course. If you don't play the game "everyday" you won't be able to catch up card collection compared to the paying player. So you'll have to build a deck, based on whatever on your disposal. Yes you can still win the game even as free player.
Conclusion:
Would recommend it for people who don't care about being competitive that much. Problem only arise if you think you wanted to feel like you own the game, like how people used to game against AI. No, you can't, even on strategy side you don't make any mistake at all for each phase, you won't be able to beat all enemies with better luck or against a deck that follow each season meta. In short the game is lovely, it only fall at the point where each season you'll find people using same/similar meta build deck, which is not fun when you fight them all long for months. Still, if you know how to go around, you'll find it is fun game to be played on your free time.
Score:
Visual/Art: 9/10
Near perfect, even without extreme animation.
Game Strategy: 8/10
Very different and fun compared to other CCG, and rock-scissor-paper mechanic is applied to the game.
Game Balance: 7/10
Nice on most case, but because certain meta deck each season has more win rate compared to other, you'll see repetitive deck as your enemies.
Competitiveness: 6/10
Not recommended for free player, in the past would score it 9/10. It just become harder to get special & elite card. You can become competitive however if you play it everyday, which is not the case for most player.
Developer care to community: 8/10
They help, yes, they really help even you are free player. They also listen to community input.
Maturation: 7/10
Would say it is still away from being mature as a game. The problem come from game balance of certain deck/play style which become repetitive/ruin the fun. The other problem is that I feel they release some cards too fast without going into many play test.
Is it fun? Yes! Just never take the game too seriously, play it for fun, not for being competitive, and you'll enjoy it.
Steam User 27
This game is insanley underrated, i've never seen a game so hard but yet so interesting and fun would reccomend 10/10
Steam User 17
Note: this review is written by someone who never played digital card games other than Solitaire and Klondike.
Kards is a strategic collectible card game with a WW2 theme and engaging gameplay. Be prepared for a potential grind and occasional balancing issues. If you're looking for a free-to-play CCG with depth and strategy, Kards is definitely worth a try. Just be patient and manage your expectations.
You can access all cards and game modes for free, except for the 5 single-player campaigns which cost extra and I don't see much point in playing them. Daily missions and achievements offer steady card acquisition and while free-to-play, acquiring specific cards for competitive decks can feel like a slow slog - but it's not pay to win. The single-player campaign is short and repetitive, but you should still play all the starter campaigns (that will probably take you 1 to 2 hours to complete) to learn the mechanics, unlock the nation-specific decks and get more cards.
It's probably best suited for mobile devices, this is ideal for quickly jumping into a game and playing for 5-15 minutes. I think in the past 2 weeks I've played it for 10 minutes every day but beyond that I don't see much replay value. I've played against other players and must say luck plays a pretty big role.
Overall: 7/10
Steam User 15
I've played a number of digital CCGs over the years (Magic, Hearthstone, Infinity Wars, Faeria) and Kards may be one of the simplest in terms of deck building strategy and gameplay, but that's also its strength. It's absolutely polished and a fun diversion for veteran deckbuilders and newcomers both.
The innovation of playing with one major card set theme and a minor set essentializes the deckbuilding process, allowing for fewer distractions when coming up with a play strategy.
The biggest benefit though is that unlike games like Infinity Wars and Faeria there are still a fair number of active players, so you can easily find opponents, and unlike Magic or Hearthstone it isn't overrun by pay to win players.
Steam User 8
The game is okay, great if it's not so money grubby but yeah it's pretty good
Steam User 24
Toxic Chinese player
Steam User 7
A lot of fun and a bit addictive. Its a card game so luck is involved. You can have the best deck and still lose if you don't get the right cards from your deck, but you can also win with a weaker deck for the same reason. The ranking system is done well, so you can suffer a few loses without having your season ruined. A few cards - not many - are OP and unbalanced, but you can get all cards without paying any real money.