Gwent: Rogue Mage Review – Magic in action

The release of the rogue-like card game Gwent: Rogue Mage was really unexpected. One day, the Golden Nekker project appeared, and the next, a novelty appeared on the scene, the release of which surprised not only the players themselves, but also game journalists. It’s just that games don’t release quickly, or if they do, it doesn’t mesh well with the releases. In our review, we will tell you how the new creation of CD PROJEKT RED turned out, what it is focused on and whether it carries significant news.

• Platform: PC (Tested), Android, iOS
• Publication date: July 7, 2022
• Producer: CD PROJECT RED
• Genre: Card bagel
• Czech localization: Not
• Multiplayer: Not
• Data to download: 2.2 GB
• Game time: 30 hours
• Price: 245 CZK (couples)

Mage Alzur on stage!

Sapkowski’s universe, which takes place not only in the book but also in the Witcher game series, is full of interesting characters to build a story around. Gwent: Rogue Mage focuses on a character we’ve heard about a lot while playing the famous RPG series, the mage Alzura. Until now, he was portrayed as a monster who created monsters as if on a treadmill. As part of this narrative, you will look at him from a slightly different angle, as you put on his shoes and, together with his partner Lilly, go in search of mutagens that will help create protectors for this monster-infested world. This is not an easy task, but this master has completely dedicated himself to it.

You can find this story in Gwent: Rogue Mage, but it’s nothing special, or at least I don’t consider it significant compared to Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales. Here, hunting all sorts of monsters, Alzur enters into various dialogues that at first seem insipid, but after a while quickly become commonplace. Overall, I think the deep plot was never intended for this piece. However, I must admit that some passages that reveal the nature of the world of the Witcher are interesting here. Accept here, however, play card fights as such. You will pay attention to them on an interactive map, which is filled in a little differently each time.

Sometimes you will have more fights on the map, sometimes you will have to solve more random events. Before I move on to card battles, I’ll talk about the nature of casual stories. They are always clearly marked with a question mark, so you will know that you are going to solve the problem. Each question is presented to you in the form of a short text that you can choose to answer. Personally, I liked, for example, meeting with karbunkers, with whom I played for magical energy. I tried my luck only twice, because the third time I already counted on the fact that I could lose more than I originally earned.

The game world of Gwent: Rogue Mage is full of magic and enemies

Mana itself is a resource that you use not only when solving side quests, but especially during battles, where spells are an element that can properly shuffle cards or simply remove them from the playing field. As for how to regenerate it, you get it in ranked mode by visiting places of power where you can basically choose if you want to regenerate magical energy or rather make adjustments to your deck. Individual cards can be improved at these points, exchanged for another part, or excluded from the set. The options available are always random, as are the enemies that prevent you from traveling through the game world.

The range of ordinary opponents is really extensive. In addition, each of them has their own set of cards along with a unique ability. While Alzur enters all fights with the ability to cast spells, his opponents enter the card arena equipped with buff spells, simple attacks, or moves that will take your breath away more than once. For example, such a Mad Alchemist is a character who can change a unit for another random item every few turns, which can sometimes confuse a person. I myself had the greatest dislike for the Ghost and the Slayer. The first mentioned, after receiving a certain number of cards of a certain type, sent out a wave of death every turn, and the second immediately got rid of weakened pieces, which was also not very pleasant.

In addition to the main opponents, special opponents are waiting for you on the map, defeating which will always be a real challenge. However, encounters with elemental enemies that can surprise you are often difficult. But if you make your way to their elite younger brothers, you will know that the real test of your abilities begins now. Several characters follow Alzur, and each requires slightly different tactics in the finale. Something different works for the troll king, and a different approach for the mage hunter. Their stronger abilities set them apart from regular opponents.

At the end of each of the maps, a legendary enemy awaits you, which you can easily reach after several unsuccessful passes. The final juice is always much more difficult than its counterparts and requires more tactics. First on the list of targets is the ice dragon, whose wings can really jam your cards, so you need to cut them off. If you find it difficult to fight this monster, then get ready for the fact that future encounters will not be much easier. The bosses in Gwent: Rogue Mage are a tactical challenge that you won’t easily forget. They can be quite painful, but if you manage to overcome them, you will feel inner satisfaction. I myself remembered, for example, a fiery monster whose minions stole my cards, which I was not very happy about.

The package here consists of old acquaintances

And what cards does Gwent: Rogue Mage actually offer? Basically, it’s the same as Gwent in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, but with some new features. In total, at the start you have a choice of four fixed packages. Or rather, just one. The rest are revealed to you only during the passage of the game. At the beginning, you only have a classic formation full of soldiers who support each other in battle. After passing the fifteenth level, you will receive a Nordic set full of berserkers. Level thirty-five gives you a set built around monsters and undead that eat each other in it. The final deck doesn’t appear until level forty-five, but it’s pretty wild compared to the others.

Individual sets are perfectly balanced, so you can complete the campaign with almost any of them. However, it is possible that soon you will find your favorite and leave the rest of the sets intact. I personally saw it in the Hive Mind pack, available from level thirty-five. I really liked his main second-in-command, the vampire Detlaff. In an effort to get as much as possible early on, you allow him to be eaten and killed by his own kind without disappearing, as his ability relies on constantly returning from the graveyard to upgrade.

If you do not take into account magic that can change the shape of the battlefield, and individual players with unique abilities, then the gameplay on the playing field is also almost the same as in classic Gwent. You play cards in two rows (contact, shooting), then use their special abilities or strengthen them in various ways and thus increase the overall value of your army. Whoever has it higher on the last turn wins, and I must say that sometimes thanks to this AI gave me a fair hit.

So is Gwent: Rogue Mage worth watching?

I think that the novelty from CD PROJEKT RED is definitely worth paying attention to. That is, especially if you love card games and have never been completely unfamiliar with Gwent. This is a very successful roguelike game that constantly challenges players in the known universe of witches. For avid fans of the series, the lack of major innovations, a moderate level of stereotyping (soci repeat after a while) and the presence of maps from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt can become a problem. However, when they can overcome this shortcoming, they get a strong name that goes well with the idea of ​​magic.