After the arrival of Clash Royale in 2016 on IOS and Android, the real-time strategy genre was fundamentally reinvented. The game was extremely successful, as it made a niche of titles, certainly little loved and particularly complex, literally within everyone's reach - since this suddenly became available for every smartphone - as well as surprisingly simple and above all free. Many works have decided to follow over the years the enormous wake of the new strategists, which tends anything but to fade, given the disproportionate number of clones of the famous Supercell title present on the various stores, but in the midst of this enormous dust manages to emerge and get noticed Minion Masters.
We are talking about a strategic title that very much follows in the footsteps imprinted in the market by Clash Royale, as it is based on the genre that this last work has practically patented. The differences, however, tend to get noticed immediately, as the only fields in which Minion Masters aims to compete are those of the PC and Xbox One world. We have thoroughly tested the branded experience Beta Dwarf, and we have examined all its facets linked to a considerable amount of content, keep reading this review to know how it went!
Is Minion Masters yet another Clash Royale clone?
Thankfully, answering this question is extremely simple, as we are happy to assure you that Minion Masters it shines with its own light, and is intended to be anything but a port of the Supercell title to PC. Starting from the basics it is possible to notice - as can be seen in the image above - that the graphic sector is undoubtedly on another level. This is in fact much more qualitatively high than the production for phones, and presents details and animations that are really pleasant to look at, as well as an artistic sector and a choice of bright colors that want to keep the player attached to the screen at all times. In addition to the strongly inspired genre of experience, this feature is precisely the one that most unites Clash Royale and Minion Masters: creating a kind of addiction. One game leads to another, they last very little and in less than 5 minutes I can take home another victory… here is what you repeated before playing all afternoon. What is shown really seems to bewitch anyone who approaches it in a second, and not just for the qualities already listed.
What immediately catches the eye is that although it is configured as a classic free to play game with microtransactions, the experience absolutely does not want to force the player to spend to find new cards and improve their deck. There are certainly dozens of banners with new offers every second and delicious purchases that would greatly favor progression, it is clear, but all this is not absolutely necessary. The message that the game immediately manages to inherently convey is that by continuing to play, you can get everything, without having to wait for tedious hours to open the cashier or who knows what other method to get players to shell out money. What can be purchased is divided almost exclusively into packages and new heroes, all resources easily obtainable with several hours of play. There are no timers dedicated to blocking too many games, by playing you can easily continue in the season pass and get chests, through which you can find the currency to unlock everything you need, such as the heroes that differentiate Minion Masters from what is seen in games of this genre.
A fresh and different, albeit conservative, experience
With what is listed that is configured in a series of merits, however, there cannot be much to support the experience ... if not solid and effective gameplay. Just what you find in Minion Masters, which has managed to reinvent the already consolidated formula with new small features inserted. With just one main tower it opens the way for the addition of various champions, which all have a different attack, dedicated to repelling enemy units, as well as other interesting features. By defeating enemies and taking possession of the two bridges present, experience is accumulated and three unique skills for each hero are waiting to be unlocked by leveling up. These are passive statistics and upgrades, or particularly useful cards that are automatically inserted into the game deck, up to the fourth level which guarantees the famous "overtime", which prodigiously increases the generation of energy necessary to deploy spells and units.
Everything just mentioned is tremendously balanced, with each hero being able to defeat the opponent if commanded by a smarter and more experienced player. The many spells that accompany the deployable units are in fact quite varied and able to change the fate of each game, even if in a correct and contestable way with the right deck, which makes this addition anything but unbalanced. Throughout this series of innovations we also find an artificial intelligence at the top, which allows the units not to affect each other and not to waste bullets and shots on targets that are already dead or are about to be defeated. A pleasantly organized army, which seems to be almost capable of communicating however realistically it reacts to variables ... that's exactly what makes the experience so curated and complete. Also speaking of the balance we note the fact that the cards and the heroes do not have a level, by unlocking new units these will already be at the best of their possibilities, which does not create an imbalance between those who invest in the experience and those who keep the wallet closed but want still enjoy good games.
The progression that precedes the many contents
To accompany each new match by a subsequent one there is not only an extremely consistent gameplay, but also the progression system. With easily overcome levels, each game can be a surprise for what you get at the end of it, at least at the beginning of the adventure. Furthermore, apart from the various rewards for rank and for obtaining experience, many more or less innovative modes are unlocked simply by playing. In fact, we find the team battle, equal to the classic matches but playable with a friend or companion found online, as well as some paid mini-experiences (with in-game or real currency) that bring variety to the long-repetitive game formula. , as the draft and mayhem. The first allows you to select the cards for the deck to be used progressively, while the second adds crazy rules to the clashes, and both allow you to always obtain a greater number of rewards based on the number of games won, before the three canonical defeats that involve a expulsion.
Along with all this we also find two semi-adventures. shipments they are a playing field in which you have to interact with various characters to obtain a greater number of power, through the completion of the classic online challenges with further small missions to complete. These then lead to the battle with various bosses, which will be more or less strong based on the number of power correctly redeemed on previous occasions. Then we find the expansion adventure The Research of the Plasmamontagne, which almost proposes a new game. With the mechanics of the classic experience always well rooted, you are catapulted into some small roguelike campaigns, where you have to win various battles against the CPU without dying. Losing, in fact, returns to the starting point. but the deck can be expanded and upgraded after each win and management strategy is key. Although the adventures also include a mini-story, these are unfortunately paid for after the first chapter, which is accompanied by only two others, which does not allow a particularly brilliant and continuous narrative.
