Recent reviews by Aesith

I could write a scathing review, instead I'll just post my unanswered feedback - it's kinder that way. Most of my playtime is on mobile, it's just garbage enough to warrant reviewing on steam as well.

I can’t support this game.
The concept is fun. The first few games are fun. The underlying game is fun. Having rng tell me that I’m going 13th and can’t play the actual game isn’t fun. Burning 50 coins to not find the third unit to triple isn’t fun. Losing because I didn’t throw thousands of dollars into the game isn’t fun. Spending 5000 gems on dwarf chests and then never getting to see them shine because of the above isn’t fun. Seeing the top ranked players have next to no games played and millions of stats on a card because they cheated isn’t fun.
I get it, the monetization scheme is to goad people into rage buying. I’m not going to and frankly neither are people I recommended this game to - though had I played a few dozen more games to see how it really works, I wouldn’t have recommended it to begin with.

A shame really, this game could have been something. Instead it’s just another uninstalled piece of money-grabbing garbage.

[Edit]
After several patches, the vast bulk of my previous review remains true. Polish is being slowly added and the fear I had that the hero level system, after the trial period, would be pay to win has proven to be largely unfounded - the minor boosts are completely washed away in the roguelike rng nature of each match.
[/edit]

This game has potential.
The gameplay is fun, it's to be at least as balanced as teamfight tactics, all of the champions are unlocked from the start, it appears to be as free to play friendly as one could reasonably hope for in the two thousand and twenty fourth year of our lord. And arguably most importantly it has 100% less bugs than whatever rushed "AAA" game last released.

For the bad, something about this game feels janky or unpolished - I just can't quite place exactly what it is. There is naturally a premium currency and a battlepass. The gameplay extender is crates that drop the normal currency currency and the premium currency as well as champion upgrade shards, so far I've seen mostly crates that take 3hrs to open and one that takes 6hrs - naturally these can be rushed with premium currency and you cannot wait on more than one to open. The hero upgrade system, while being technically pay to win, is nothing that can't be, in my experience so far, subverted with either the inherent roguelike randomness or playing better.

Right now the only real issue I have with the game is that the community and playerbase is currently smol. In my 12 games I have encountered 3 opponents that I am certain are human players, the other 90 odd opponents I am almost certain were bots that range in skill from quadriplegic toddler to drunken frat boy - that is to say they're easily beatable but there's about a 5% chance they'll slip you up or maybe I'm just bad. But even still as the game grows, this issue basically ought to stop existing.

Ultimately it's a fun game that has plenty of room to grow and doesn't pander to whales.

I'll start with I play Yu-Gi-Oh for fun, I have since it first came out. This, this however is not fun. I'm not sure what masochists enjoy playing solitaire while their opponent fiddles on their phone - but it ain't me. It's really hard to enjoy playing when the game boils down:
Opponent goes first.
Special summon from hand.
Special summon from deck.
XYZ summon.
Special summon.
Link summon.
XYZ summon.
XYZ summon.
Link Summon
Special summon.
Special summon.
Link summon.
Link summon.
Special summon.
Link summon.
Special summon.
Special summon.
End Turn.
BILLY MAYS HERE BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE
Special summon.

Seven minutes and two seconds later it is now your first turn of the game. Your opponent now has ~20k in attack on the field. Your opponent also has an Ash Blossom in hand. Welcome to the world of the player Lyrilusc. D/D/D plays the same but with far more immunity and card block. Same with Traptrix. And I assume every other archetype aside from Harpie Ladies. I however wouldn't know because I fall asleep after around the 3rd extra deck summon.

This is ranked. I'd like to not play ranked but ranked is the only mode that progresses the battle pass. So when I queue in hopes of gaining a level or two on my pass, I have a good 25% chance of wasting ten minutes as my opponent plays solitaire by himself and then locks me out of my turn through unending negates and destruction in the end gaining me a grand total of zero points (for after duel loot) because I quite simply was not allowed to play. So buyer beware: bring a book or youtube with you, it's gonna be a long wait.

Oh, the weather in ARK is frightful
The snow is so not delightful
And since we've got no clothes to show,
Let us die, let us die, let us die

Oh, it doesn't show signs of stopping
And my veins are ripe for popping
The graphics turned way down low,
Let it lag, let it lag, let it lag

When we finally make a thatch hut,
Why, we'll begin to wonder:
Who in hell thought of this update?!
They should really be fired.

The server is slowly dying
And my buds are still crying
But as long as there's still this snow
Let us freeze, let us freeze, let us freeze

Oh, it doesn't show signs of stopping
And my veins are ripe for popping
The graphics turned way down low,
Let it lag, let it lag, let it lag

Oh, the weather in ARK is frightful
The snow is so not delightful
And since we've got no clothes to show,
♥♥♥♥ the snow, ♥♥♥♥ the snow, ♥♥♥♥ the snow

♥♥♥♥ the cold! ♥♥♥♥ the snow! ♥♥♥♥... IT... ALL!