One of the hottest types of games to ever hit the tabletop game market are collectible and customizable card games. And under the fantasy genre, there are quite a few to choose from. If a company is going to create a game in this category, it has to be good. Real good.
Victory Point Games released a non-collectible but customizable card game with all of the bells and whistles that a collectible game has without the need to keep shelling out money to build the game. The fantasy card game of Twilight of the Gods is for two to four players.
The theme of the game invites players to assume the role of a deity from myth and legend. The deities like to fight to see who is the toughest. Each deity has a play style and cards that are unique. The variety in the game makes it especially addictive. There are four to choose from.
At the core of this game are fantasy battles between avatars. To begin, players can select a pre-made deck or create one of their own. The rules cover all the details. Each deck has an avatar with two special abilities. One can be used when triggered in the game as many times as possible and the other, more powerful one, can be triggered once during the game.
Decks consist of 50 cards, and the variety is enormous. Players begin with a hand of seven action cards but may redraw once, if they don't like what they see. In order to play cards, players typically need to pay for those cards with power. One thing very unique about this game is the need to trade cards with an opponent to gain power. But wait, that's not all.
When a player trades a card, it can later be activated by the original owner for a surprise effect. Typically this results in a disadvantage for the player who was given the card. This is an interesting mechanism I haven't seen in any other game. It's like giving your opponent a stick of dynamite that he or she asked for.
During the game, players will summon creatures and use magic to try to destroy each other. The goal is to destroy your opponent with the cards you have. Every turn, new cards are drawn and played in an attempt to overpower an opponent.
Another thing that makes Twilight of the Gods unique is the way to defeat an opponent. Instead of some arbitrary number of life points, players live as long as their life decks still have cards. The goal is to strike a player's life or draw deck to get them to burn cards. Burn the final card of an opponent and the game is won.
There are so many details and fine points in Twilight of the Gods about how cards are used, how they interact and what is available for players to do each turn that it can't possibly all be covered in a single review. I can honestly say that this is the most detailed and complicated player versus player card game I have played. But as they say, the devil is in the details.
When it comes to card games of this nature, sometimes the game is decent but the artwork is poor. This is not the case with Twilight of the Gods. The artwork is well done and captivating. It looks like it was created by some of the current and popular fantasy artists in the gaming world. The gameplay is equally compelling.
This game fills a specific niche in the gaming world. Those who like fantasy player versus player card games where one can customize a deck, use powers and strategies while executing incredible combinations will absolutely love this game. It is a complex game, so factor that in as well. For more information, see a demo of the game by the designer here.