Video game fans have been asking: When will “Marvel Snap” come out? And the answer to that question was revealed today at Disney’s D23 Expo as Nuverse, Second Dinner and Marvel Entertainment announced that the collectible trading card game will launch Oct. 18
“We can’t believe the amazing response we’ve gotten from players all over the world who have been able to experience ‘Marvel Snap’ during our beta period this summer,” said Tom van Dam, senior director of BD and partnerships for the game, in a news release. “‘Marvel Snap’ introduces a totally new type of card battler gameplay and fans can’t get enough of it. We can’t wait for players to assemble their ultimate roster of heroes and villains and then battle it out against each other starting October 18th.”
The game has been garnering interest because it is developed by “Heartstone” co-creator Ben Brode and several former members of Blizzard. From its first reveal, the game appeared to have a level of visual polish that separated it from the crowd, and it looks like the developer, Second Dinner, is making the most out of the Marvel license. They’re playing with a lot of the characters and relationships in the comic book universe.
“Marvel Snap” features more than 150 cards at launch and has more than 80 locations that play a pivotal role in the battler. Players use their hero or villain cards to control locations and the goal is to dominate at least two of three locations in a six-turn match. Because each card has a different ability and stats, that’s easier said than done. Players must also understand that only four cards can be played at each location, and these locales have their own traits that impact the field of play.
It sounds a little complicated for novices, but once you see Brode explain the concepts, you can see the potential for fun and the depth. The Snap part of the game almost acts like upping the ante in Poker. By driving up the stakes players can bluff their way out of a loss or they can trick an opponent into risking more Cosmic Cubes, that’s the currency determining a player’s rank.
There are a lot of elements that make “Marvel Snap” feel different from Brode’s previous work. The fact that players drop cards at the same time is interesting, and there’s more of a Poker element. At the same time, matches thankfully run quickly — they’re three minutes at most — so it’s a good pick-and-play diversion if you’re stuck in a line or waiting for a friend.
The big question though is whether the collectible trading card game can reach the same level of success as Blizzard’s game. Second Dinner and players around the globe can find out when the game launches in 13 languages on mobile and early access on PC.
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