Recently I stumbled upon Cryptozoic’s; HEX: Shards of Fate. Hex is toting itself as the first ever digital TCG MMO. But what does that really mean? Well, Hex has created features appealing to both TCG or MMO players. These features are combined to make the first TCG MMO, oh and did I mention cash prizes? Hex isn’t stopping at “30 Player versus Environment (PvE) dungeons with epic bosses” but aims to be “the definitive professional online TCG.” with daily tournaments and “on-demand 8-player drafts.”
The Big Bang
It began with a Kickstarter campaign in May of 2013 which aimed for $300,000 to jumpstart BETA. At the top of the Kickstarter page is a video featuring Cryptozoic’s President Cory Jones in a comical attempt to raise money for the game (like robbing a bank or selling his kidney) while discussing the game. Luckily, Cory didn’t have to resort to those tactics, in a mere thirty days, 17,765 backers raised $2,278,255 (yes, you read that correctly!) With that amount of cash the game didn’t just launch into Alpha stage, it exploded.
So what is the difference between this and Hearthstone? Hex’s gameplay makes Hearthstone look like small potatoes.
What Sets It Apart?
So what is the difference between this and Hearthstone? Hex’s gameplay makes Hearthstone look like small potatoes. Hex will have both PvP and PvE aspects, an auction house to trade cards, guilds and quests. Upon viewing many of the game play videos I found it looked and acted more like a TCG than Hearthstone ever has. President Cory Jones boasts about another unique aspect; cards have sockets! Socketing gems “fundamentally changes” the cards. Customization doesn’t stop at sockets, 2-3 pieces of equipment can be added to each card to personalize as well. Transforming cards is another fun feature being implemented in Hex, cards will have the ability to change mid fight bringing a whole new challenge in play.
Are You Sold Yet?
Hex announced Closed BETA on April 24th and the website currently has a sign up available for Open BETA. With the amount of energy put into this game I suspect the release isn’t too far away, so head on over to hextcg.com today!
