Nova Island Review: Card Power
“To play, or not to play, that is the question.” It’s a dilemma that any card game fanatic has faced while staring down a difficult decision that will determine who's victorious in the next turn. It's precisely this level of mind games that makes the genre so interesting. There are so many card games out there, and many of them are similar, but this is that special element that sets a truly great card game out from the pack. Nova Island is one of those truly great card games, bringing a unique playing field and a striking new perspective to the genre.
Nova Island is a free-to-play strategic card game featuring a gameplay experience unlike any other I’ve experienced before. Charged with action, Nova Island primarily features one-versus-one combat on a grid field, where your characters power up to earn Nova Stars.
Image Credited to Nova Island | Thirteen Games
Nova Island is genuinely a near-perfect example of a card game done right. With a focus entirely on one-on-one matches, the primary thing you need to know is that to win games, you must acquire Nova Stars and fill up your collection bar with it. Nova Stars are acquired through the cards you place down, and these cards can be upgraded during your turns to produce more stars.
Another side mechanic you'll need to consider is the cost of cards. Nova Island's card system requires tactically using your cards, as each costs one or more coins. At the start of the game, you'll receive one coin, and for each round that passes, you'll accumulate more. The coin cap is ten for each player.
Image Credited to Nova Island | Thirteen Games
Nova Island features a grid with squared slots to place your character cards into. Each square has a number that represents the percentage likelihood that the card placed there will produce Nova Stars. Each player gets to put down one card per turn, and once both players have finished their turns, the energizing stage begins.
The energizing phase is when all your cards activate their passive effects and produce Nova Stars. But since you’re only allowed to play one card per turn, your opponent can damage and even destroy your cards if you’re not careful about thinking ahead. See, Nova Stars on your cards function like health bars too. If you boost your card by ten, then you’ll receive that many additional Nova Stars during the energizing phase. However, you also need to be wary of where you place your cards on the grid. If most of your cards are in a spot with odds less than fifty percent, chances are you won’t produce as many Nova Stars during the energizing phase, and you may lose the game in the long run.
I've never really seen card games using grids for battlefields. I also found the idea of having percentage chances of whether or not your cards would charge up Nova Stars pretty intriguing. I had to selectively pick areas for my stronger cards to sit so I'd benefit more from the energizing phase. The coin system also forced me to place my cards wisely. There were so many turns where I wasted coins when I could’ve done a different move. I slowly had to learn how to be cost-efficient with my plays. These mechanics inspired me to come up with strategies each turn, allowing time for me to conceptualize game-winning approaches.
Image Credited to Nova Island | Thirteen Games
But of course, what is a card game without decks? Nova Island allows you to choose standard starter decks with different characters (known here as “professionals”) representing your avatar. Unlike other games wherein you have to build a deck, Nova Island hands you multiple prebuilt options, accessible at any time. Don’t worry though, you can always build your own deck later down the line; these choices are just for beginners dabbling in the game.
Each deck functions differently, and every avatar features a few spell cards unique to that character that affect your cards or the enemy’s. Nova Island features a variety of gameplay strategies to master, and many of them focus primarily on which professional you use. For example, Max is an avatar that charges his cards with health-boosting spells, while Dr. Boom takes pleasure in destroying whatever cards are placed onto the grid. Every character has some sort of gameplay direction that determines how you play. And unfortunately, you can use general cards acquired from other decks to build your own, but you can't take other professionals’ abilities.
Image Credited to Nova Island | Thirteen Games
As someone that plays card games religiously, Nova Island surprised me. It's definitely not really comparable to some of my most adored card games, like Hearthstone, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links, or Legends of Runeterra. Nova Island is in its own league, less in the sense that it’s better than those other choices, but more in that it's created its own unique style. Put another way, the game feels close to home in how it builds off of some of the core mechanics from other cards games, but in a way that you’re sort of returning to it from a long vacation. Many things feel familiar, but others are new and different, and even if you’ve been here before, you’ll need some time to settle into reality. Nova Island is well-polished, and its avatars and card designs could easily anchor an animated show if the developers decided to create a spin-off. It honestly has it all.
Image Credited to Nova Island | Thirteen Games
On top of everything else it has going for it, Nova Island is one of the most player-friendly card games I’ve ever encountered when it comes to monetization. This is one of those rare specimens in the mobile game space that doesn’t force players to watch ads nor to spend money on microtransactions. Players can acquire all the cards by jumping into matches and earning Nova Stars to trade for deck components.
Yes, you heard right: No more opening packs or loot boxes for that mythical ultra-super-rare card needed to progress up the ranked ladder. Nova Island's only microtransactions are via purchasing cosmetic skins for cards.
The only issue I had with Nova Island was how little help is provided to beginners. There is a tutorial, but it only covers the core mechanics of winning games, playing cards, and so on. Nova Island's tutorial doesn't explain the intricacies of its card effects or some of the professionals themselves. But don't let this sole wrinkle stop you from enjoying this fantastic card game’s creatively charged and inventive experience. As with most card games, you’ll get the hang of things after a while, and from then on, it’s full power ahead.
SCORE: 4 STARS OUT OF 5
PLAY IF YOU LIKE:
• Hearthstone. If you love Hearthstone as I do, you might enjoy Nova Island. Both games share a randomized experience that forces players to make various difficult choices throughout any given match.
• Pokémon TCG Online. Like the Pokémon franchise, Nova Island features cartoonish characters that resemble many characters from Nintendo’s beloved monster-collecting franchise. This design might pique your interest as a fan, and with its unique card game experience, it might just hook you in for many matches to come.
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