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Before I begin this review allow me to say that coming into Krosmaster Arena, I had no prior knowledge whatsoever about Krosmaster, WAKFU, or anything else Ankama had previously developed. To clarify, Ankama Studios are the developers and creators of Krosmaster Arena, which is based on the tabletop board game of the same name. Krosmaster Arena (both versions of the game) take place in the world of Krosmoz; where the currency is known as Kroz, and for some apparent reason everyone is short. I mean really short. For some reason, these diminutive characters are also very very angry at each other, which probably explains why the name of the game is domination. That is, domination using tile-based tactical strategy. Of course, that is all to say that Krosmaster Arena is a turn-based strategy game that for anyone familiar to the genre should be recognizable.
If green means go, and red means stop, what does red & green mean.
The core mechanics of the game are laid out through a beginning tutorial that does a decent enough job of introducing the core gameplay mechanics and icons. Laid out are things such as hit points, move points, and attack points. Each proponent is tied to a character using icons that float atop their HUDs. Move points are displayed as green diamonds, attack points are blue stars and hit points are the universal red heart (note: hit points are the amount of damage your character can take before its demise). Other groundwork laid out pertains to that of “initiative†points (purple thunderbolts) that dictate a player’s position within the move queue. Higher initiative means higher possibility of having the first move in the game. One detail not touched upon in the tutorial, however, but is very significant throughout the game is the level indicator. The level indicator signifies, well… the overall strength of the character. These latter two character indicators are very important when considering the make-up of your team.
The bright and colorful world, as well as the art design, is something that really stands out in this game.
Just like the board game, Krosmaster Arena (the video game; stay with me here people) allows for the compilation of characters to form a team. To maintain an even balance among teams, they are capped off by their collective amount of initiative (10) or skill points (12). Initially, I was disappointed by this rule as I was unable to compile the team I had my heart set on, but through afterthought I realized this is more of a good thing considering it maintains as good a balance as possible amongst the numerous team combos. I say “as possible†because my time competing against other players online left me with a lasting feeling that’s contrary to the ideal of the rule. Of course, this is all to say that the online matchmaking is pretty… well, I’m not sure if it even exists. Of all the matches I played online, I, a beginner to the game, was set face-to-face with what seemed like seasoned players. I was unable to get even close to what could be considered a win. I thought that maybe through trial and error I would learn to eventually get a victory, but no. After a few hours of such demonstrative defeats, it is a euphemism to say the least that I was fed up with even trying anymore.
Though this is of no benefit when you consider that the game’s Adventure mode does the opposite of the online mode of play. In adventure mode, you go through basic stages of challenges that range from boring to mundane. Kill seven sheep opponents, okay. Move from one end of the board to the other without dying, sure. Challenges of this ilk remind me of b-side missions rather than main missions, yet they are treated here as such. I felt the only reason to continue playing this mode was to gain more Kroz (again, that is the world’s currency), which can be used to purchase new characters. Speaking of characters, there is quite a bit of them to be found here – over a hundred to be slightly more precise. Suffice it to say that aside from the music, the character design is the highlight of the game. I probably spent more time looking through and examining the design and artwork of the characters in the menu than I played with them. What stands out the most with these characters are their colorful, cartoony graphical exteriors that maintain an almost unique dichotomy to the dark undertone of their nature that seeps through both their artistic design and some of their attack descriptions. If I could describe these types of characters in one phrase, it would be something along the lines of Disney Infinity-meets-anime. Quite a poignant description I must say since Krosmaster Arena can also be described as “pay to win.†Although there are chances to gain in-game currency, it isn’t much more graceful than its large conglomerate cousin.
It is only a shame that this game comes off as too inclusive when it comes to newcomers. This is why I have to say that I can not recommend Krosmaster Arena for anyone in particular, except for those who already played the board game itself. Or perhaps for those so accustomed to tile-based strategy games that they are willing to work with the game to figure out the finer details of the mechanics that can progressively be mastered through self-determination. Aside from that which I described above, I cannot justify looking into this game, except maybe because it costs nothing to try it out. It’s entirely up to you.
This review was based on a code that was supplied to Mouse n Joypad by the Developer, Publisher or their PR Company. To see our full review breakdown please click here
