Trading card games (TCGs) have seen a boom in popularity in recent years. People have loved collecting pieces of cardboard with cool art and then playing games using those cards. Everything about TCGs scratches that little itch in my brain that makes me want to keep buying more (even when I probably shouldn’t). And because all you need to create a TCG is a good idea and some interesting art, loads of Kickstarter campaigns and indie game studios have thrown their hat into the TCG market.
Altered was one such Kickstarter campaign and the single most-funded TCG on the site ever. With an accolade like that, I had to give this game a shot. Does it live up to the hype? Or is it destined to join many other Kickstarter projects that couldn’t get out of the gates? Let’s find out.
DISCLAIMER: STARTER DECKS WERE PROVIDED FOR REVIEW, BUT ALL OPINIONS ARE MINE ALONE
Altered is a new TCG made by Equinox that went up on Kickstarter at the start of this year. The game reached its funding goal within a month, raising almost seven million USD. People were keen to give this game a chance, and I can see why. The vibrant art style and unique game mechanics promise a new experience for all TCG players, new and old, which is a growing rarity nowadays. The premise of Altered is that you are leading an expedition to explore a changed Earth after a cataclysmic event.
The aim of the game is to have your Hero and Companion token meet in the Tumult, which is a set of five cards placed between both players. This is done by adding cards to your Hero and Companion expedition teams, using spells and card effects to have your tokens meet before your opponent. Both players make moves simultaneously, so there’s no passing the turn like other TCGs, but there is still a strategy in which cards you assign to each expedition to counter your opponent’s moves. This is a lot of information and rules; I’ll admit it hurt my brain a little. But the best way to learn any game is by playing it, so that’s exactly what I did.
I played a handful of Altered matches over two weekends to get a feel for the game. My initial thoughts are that I enjoyed this different take on a TCG. It was a nice change of pace not to be attacking my opponent to drop their life points to zero or to take all their prize cards. But that’s not to say it wasn’t competitive because it did get heated a few times. The constant blocking of each other’s Hero and Companion tokens so close to victory and the tiebreaker that went on for what felt like forever gave Altered that competitive rush that TCGs thrive on. But I can also see how this could be a very casual game of just two players having a lil adventure and telling stories with little regard for who wins.
I will say that even while I had fun playing the game, I don’t know how much staying power it’ll have. Unlike other games like Yu-Gi-Oh! or Pokemon, most Altered matches end the same way with only a few outcomes. Compared to Yu-Gi-Oh!, which allows you to have these massive combos and an almost infinite way of playing the game, Altered just doesn’t have that at the moment. I think the game will benefit greatly from more cards with more unique abilities, but time will tell if the creators can keep the game feeling new and fresh.
Now, onto one of the most important aspects of a TCG besides being fun to play: the cards themselves. I was able to take a look at two of the launch starter decks: Yzmir and Axiom. Axiom features cards with more of a steampunk aesthetic, such as Brassbug, which, you guessed it, are little bugs made of brass. This deck also includes engineers and foundries that lean into the steampunk aesthetic. This deck also references Amelia Earhart, a neat inclusion that ties into the steampunk aesthetic as the two are occasionally associated.
The Yzmir deck, on the other hand, is much more in the fantasy realm, with cards based on mythical beasts such as the Kraken and deities. The hero card for this deck is Akesha & Taru, and oh my god, I love Taru. He’s just a little squid guy, and he’s just floating around. Taru alone is enough to make the Yzmir deck my favourite.
Overall, the cards look good and feel nice to handle. The art is colourful and features designs that are not really seen in most TCGs, such as characters with prosthetic limbs or people with a wide variety of body types. The overall art style feels like a combination of Magic: The Gathering with a touch of Miyazaki (which the creators mentioned was an inspiration). I wish they had done something similar to Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh!, where certain cards tell a story through their artwork and flavour text. Maybe in future sets, they can incorporate that ideal, but as it stands, there is definitely potential for some crazy-looking cards in the future.
I had fun trying out Altered, but I am concerned about the replayability. While the matches I played were entertaining, I don’t know if it has the staying power of other big TCGs. And while I like how the cards look, something is missing to make them truly memorable. Both of these issues could be resolved by future releases, so we’ll have to wait and see what’s next for Altered.
If you want to give the game a try for yourself, get starter decks and booster packs here and at other online retailers.
Have you tried Altered? What did you think? Do you think it has staying power? Let us know in the comments where we can talk about all things TCGs.
