ChangYou mixes RPG elements into the MMOTCG genre and creates Rise of Mythos.
Did this developer play his cards right? Or are they bluffing their way into the MMO world with this game? Here I am with yet another MMOTCG article. This time I will be writing about my findings of the game Rise of Mythos. Since Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft has become a once-a-day must for me, I wondered if this MMOTCG would be just as good, or better. Throughout this Rise of Mythos Review, we're going to find out!
Rise of Mythos is, as I already mentioned above, a massive multiplayer online trading card game. This game was brought to the market as Kings and Legends, but it changed names a couple of months ago. The developer is supposed to be ChangYou, a known online game developer in China but largely unknown out here in the western parts of our realm.
Rise of Mythos is not your ordinary MMOTCG by the way; it mixed the card collecting aspect with a smudge of RPG to create a unique game. Sounds a little vague? Well, let me explain it you guys. In Rise of Mythos you do not merely play your card(s) to the board and watch what happens. You play your card(s) and watch them appear on the 2D world on your screen. This 2D world exists out of 4 lanes and several grids on which you can place your minions. You can use the first three squares on the grid of each lane as a starting spot, but take note of the card you are playing.
When a card is played, your minion will appear on the grid. Each turn your minion moves forward on the grid, it has a chance to come across the enemy. When your minion encounters an enemy minion, they will fight to the death. The goal is to get your minions ‘behind enemy lines’, where they can damage your opponent and drain their HP. When looking at the 2D world alone, it looks a little like Plants Vs Zombies.
The reason that I told you earlier to take note of the card you are playing, is that some minions have ranged attacks, magic attacks, powers that allow them to heal your own minions in adjacent lanes etc. These effects give a whole new strategic meaning to this game, and will make it so much more fun. Not only will you have to think about what enemies are in which lane, you will also have to think about your own characters too.
So now that you know how the game works…I will get to how the game plays.
Since the game is a browser-mmo, you don’t need to download anything. Just make sure that you have least flash 10.0, and one of the major browsers, and you should be just fine. When starting a game, you will have to create your character by choosing a class: Warrior, Mage, Priest or Ranger. Each class comes with a specific power like inflicting damage to your opponent directly, healing your minions or take control of enemy troops.
The first thing I did was build a deck after choosing my class. The game offers four different classes; Warrior, Ranger, Mage and Priest. I chose the warrior and got on with building my deck. Your deck will consist out of skill cards and creature cards. There are seven different race-cards: Human, Elves, Goblins, Half Bloods, Ogres, Beasts and Undead. If you collect all the cards of the same race, the game will grant you bonuses.
Once I finished building my deck by choosing from several skill cards and creature cards, I started the PvE campaign. Immediately I felt the familiar touch of a tutorial holding my hand and I wanted it to guide me through this unique type of MMOTCG. But instead of guiding me through all the options and steps of the game like a seeing-eye dog, it felt like I was going to sign a prenup with a lawyer explaining me nothing but the basics. “Click this, and now click that. Why? Because I tell you to. Very good, you’re done. ”
The first thing I noticed when playing were the characters…they looked so familiar to me. And then it hit me; almost all of the artwork looks like it is ‘borrowed’ from other MMOs like WoW and League of Legends. I wonder when Blizzard and Riot Games will pick up on that little trick.
As I was playing the game, I realized that I really didn't need the tutorial at all. Because of the added grid and four lanes, you just have to adjust your mindset and that will take only a couple of matches. Rise of Mythos has a weird option u can use while playing a match; it is called ‘auto play’. Pushing this button, you will forfeit being in control over your cards and game, and let the AI take over. The only problem is that once you hit that button, most of the times I couldn't turn it off anymore. Sometimes it would mysteriously take over a match without me clicking on that button, although that happens less and less nowadays. The other thing that bugged me was the instability of the game itself; oftentimes I got kicked, disconnected or the game just froze up on me. Whether or not that depended on me playing the game in the Netherlands remains a mystery.
The PvE campaign will keep you playing for couple of hours at least, and as you move forward in the campaign your character will earn xp, in-game gold and unlock buildings in your city. Your city is actually your main menu where you can select different game modes and options by clicking on a building. The City Hall will earn you taxes from your citizens, and allows you to upgrade your other buildings. In the Guild Hall you can join or start your own guild and you can use your Alchemy Lab to create new cards. There are several more buildings to build and upgrade. This feature is very cool, as you get to build and expand your own city from the ground up. Now don’t get me wrong here; it’s no Settlers or something!
If you feel comfortable enough with the gameplay, there are different game modes you want to try out. First you want to try beating real humans in the Arena; play 4v4 guild battles or maybe team up with a friend to do a 2v2 battle or take on opponents in a PvP match. Gotten tired of mindless battles against other players? Why don’t you try out the Ascension Tower or Challenge Hall? In ascension Tower you will need to last for 50 rounds of increasingly difficult AI opponents. Each time you win, you get tower tokens to buy more powerful cards. Challenge Hall will let you play with four random players against powerful bosses; these bosses will vary from extremely easy, till extremely difficult.
As I really like playing all these different kinds of modes, the Arena mode is only fun when you are just starting to play the game. Soon you will notice opponents playing really powerful cards, and you will end up losing most of the matches because of that. In Rise of Mythos it is possible to buy extra packs of cards with your hard earned gold, but you will never get those powerful cards. Some cards can only be bought by becoming a VIP member in the game, and that means you will have to spend real money. In short…this game is Pay to Win when it comes to playing PvP.
Rise of Mythos is a unique game, and I think most of the MMOTCG fans will want to try is at least once. It is a free-to-play game, and you won’t have to download a game client because it is a browsed based game. The 2D world is innovative, and the use of fighting lanes and a grid really makes you want to think about your tactics. The fact that the developer mixed RPG elements into this trading card game, makes all the more fun to play.
That being said, I cannot overlook the bugs and the P2W aspect of this game. Playing this game is fun, but only when it works like it should. Oftentimes you will end up with a game freezing up on you, disconnections, auto play taking over and much more. Losing a match to an opponent simply because he bought better cards is just outright frustrating. And if you could counter that by playing more, and buying those cards with your hard earned gold, it would make up for that. But the fact that you cannot buy certain cards when you choose not to spend money, is a very poor choice of the developer.
Are you looking for a different kind of trading card game, and are you willing to give in on the quality of gaming at the same time? Then this is your game. But if you are a gamer who wants an honest F2P MMO and good functioning gameplay? Then I suggest you walk on, and look for another game instead.
Below you will find the official trailer:
