Artifact is a novelty in the CCG (collectible card games) genre from the renowned PC game developer Valve Corporation. Here are the main pros and cons of the game, gameplay features, and a comparison with the main competitor. You will be able to make a purchasing decision for yourself.
Gameplay
Its difference from other representatives of this genre is the main feature of the project, which can interest new players. Here, as in the games of the MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) genre, there are 3 lines (3 tables). Each has its own cards and on each you need to make a move. For killing your opponent's cards, you are credited with in-game currency, which is required to buy various things during the buying phase. Just like in the Dota 2 game, there is a defense tower and a common throne (main building) on each lane.
A beginner in this genre may find it difficult to enter the gameplay, but at the same time, the project provides many strategic solutions for various game moments.
Pros and cons of the game, comparison with the main competitor
One way or another, Artifact's main competitor is Hearthstone, which has long established itself on the market and has acquired a huge fan base. A large number of tournaments are held on it.
Hearthstone is a free project with an in-game store. Artifact currently costs 1,390 rubles and also has a game store. This is the main reason that pushed people away from the novelty. Indeed, it looks like the project is designed to siphon money from users. That is, you buy a product in order to make purchases within it later. But this is not entirely true.
In Hearthstone, in order to build a decent deck and play with high-level opponents, you will need to purchase sets of cards or spend a huge amount of time mining in-game resources for various cards. By that time, the deck you wanted to build may already be irrelevant and you will have to go through the process again. The downside of the "packs" of cards is the randomness, both in Hearthstone and in Artifact. A big injection of money does not guarantee you good cards.
The advantage of Artifact is that you can, bypassing randomness, purchase the cards you need from other players on the Steam marketplace. And immediately a minus - some cards are now more expensive than the game itself. But this is still a new project and the market is not overflowing with offers. Prices will decline over time. In Hearthstone, there is no option to buy cards. Either craft or buy sets. Since Artifact has card reselling, you can make money yourself if you're lucky. Or if you have good trading skills.
At the moment, an important advantage of Hearthstone is the presence of a rating system.
Output
Artifact is an interesting project with new unique gameplay.
It currently requires a decent amount of cash for a comfortable game. In this regard, a lot of negative reviews fell upon him and there has already been a churn of users. But the developer is Valve Corporation, so there is a high probability of finalizing the project, introducing a rating system into it and promoting it to esports.
