KARDS: Theaters of War is an expansion for the KARDS CCG first released in April of this year. It continues to receive updates from developers and publisher 1939 Studios. Many gamers dedicate themselves to franchises like Call of Duty. While the popularity is well-deserved, some users will still lean towards something with a slower pace.
When it first released, KARDS gave players two options. You could either play against an AI with a random deck. Or you could choose to venture into one-on-one matches against live people. Despite the fun that comes with such features, developers felt their title was still lacking. The ‘big players’ of World War II come with their respective decks, but no one has a story. So why not add a full-on story mode to the mix?
KARDS: A Matter of Perspective
As with the decks, there are five full campaigns for each major country. Each is set during a specific time in a specific place during the war. Germany, for example, has their campaign start in the country of Egypt. During the springtime of 1942, this is when the German forces were aiming to sever the Allied supply line.
As seen above, there is always one central objective. The first mission for the German campaign was to destroy the HQ. This is typically the objective for any match against an AI or human in Battle Mode. While it can go either way in that mode, I found it to be quite tricky when the units just kept coming at me. Eventually, through a lot of waiting card sacrificing, I was able to achieve the objective.
Along with the main objective, came a few side missions. Completing each of these missions will earn you a star. While it’s possible to collect these stars, they aren’t imperative to victory. You can choose to simply focus on completing your main objective. But half the fun of KARDS’ Solo Mode is testing your skill to get every star for all five missions.
A Strategy for Each Occasion
During the Solo Campaign, KARDS users can choose from three different strategies. This choice will directly affect the cards at your disposal. For the Germany campaign I started, my choices were: Italian Column, Tactical Maneuvering, and Supply Escorts.
Each of these comes with a certain set of cards. Once you start the match, you will be able to see what cards you are using. Firstly, the Italian Column, from what I saw, reinforced the German forces with Italians support and infantry cards. Secondly, when I chose Tactical Maneuvering, many of the infantry/tank cards had special buffs. These cards worked in one of two ways: some could only be attached to unit cards, while others activated when they entered the field.
Lastly, there was the Supply Escorts strategy. This is great for anyone looking to use ‘long-range attacks.’ Using this strategy, your deck will come with a fair amount of air units. Thanks to their ability to attack from the support line, anyone looking to maintain distance should choose this strategy.
For each victory one achieves, they are rewarded in two ways: one new card or set of cards is gifted for the victory. The second is that players can upgrade. They can choose between two different effects or decrease the cost of the card.
KARDS: Theaters of War is the new Solo expansion to KARDS: The WWII CCG. You can download it from the in-game shop for $20 or purchase each installment for $7 each.
Will you be adding the Solo Mode to your copy of the game? Have you played it already? What was your favorite part? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments.