5.6 /10 1 Votes
6/10 GameSpot Director(s) Stuart Bayliss Genre Collectible card game | 60% Metacritic 4.5/10 IGN Initial release date 9 July 2014 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Designer(s) James Kay
Robert Shaer
Miles Boylan
Steve Earl Developers Wizards of the Coast, Stainless Games Platforms Android, Xbox One, iOS, Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 Publishers Wizards of the Coast, Microsoft Studios Modes Single-player video game, Multiplayer video game Similar Stainless games, Card games, Other games | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Magic 2015 – Duels of the Planeswalkers (referred to in shorthand as Magic 2015) is a video game based on the collectible card game of the same name, first published by Wizards of the Coast in 1993. The game was released in July 2014 on PC (Steam), Xbox 360 (Xbox Live Arcade), iPad (iTunes), and Android devices (Google Play and the Amazon Appstore). An Xbox One version was released in November 2014. It is the fifth game in the Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers series. The gameplay follows that of the original card game, however within a more restrained framework. The game, like all the previous installments, is priced $10 on most platforms. On the iPad, the game is free for the first realm (4 battles) but has in-app purchases for the remaining realms, more cards and additional features.
Contents
Gameplay
In Magic 2015, players are given the ability to create custom decks. As games are won and experience is earned, new cards of the player's choice are added to their collection. Players are also given the ability to open virtual booster packs to give more options when deck building, and the game gives assistance in creating decks.
Acquiring cards
The game releases new cards through a booster system. The first booster is small, with only 3 cards. Successive boosters have more. The distribution appears random, with exception to the Return to Ravnica block, which yields 4 guild gates of the player's chosen colors. After defeating the final opponent, each realm can be returned to in order to compete against much more difficult decks for additional boosters. The alternative is to purchase additional cards or card sets as in-app purchases.
Reception
PC Gamer's Tom Senior rated the game 30/100, writing, "At best it's a frustrating, poorly paced experience with fewer features than its predecessors, at worst, Magic 2015 is a cynical redesign that wants to suck more money out of players. As such, I'm unable to recommend Magic 2015 to anyone at all."
Game Informer's Daniel Tack rated the game 88/100, praising its addition a deck customization feature but wishing for other game modes.
IGN's Leif Johnson gave it a 4.5/10, saying "MTG: Duels of the Planeswalkers at last adds customization, but ruins it with microtransactions and grindy gameplay" and that "it's a shame that the 2015 version of this once-proud game feels best defined by what it lacks".