[Author: Zhenya]

To those who followed the litany of Kickstarted games during 2013, Hex: Shards of Fate was certainly among the most surprising, receiving well over $2 million in pledges. The Trading Card Game meets MMO game promised a Magic: The Gathering like gameplay experience with some “PvE” encounters, dungeons, raids and even light progression. On paper, it’s a slam dunk. With Magic: The Gathering Online having a famously troubled client, and no major contender for a TCG with PvE, Hex certainly does fill a niche.

The game has just moved into closed beta, about a year after the Kickstarter campaign. Although it is a bit (ok, considerably) behind the original schedule for beta and release, the game itself has been shaping up in alpha over the last six months or so. Starting last October, backers were trickled into the first testing phase and were met by a buggy game that often failed to complete games, and a first card set that was frankly far from complete.

But to Crypotozoic Entertainment’s credit, the Alpha did serve its purpose and we’ve arrived at beta with a complete first set and feature set that is a bit light, but gets the basics right. The first set does an impressive job of hitting the beats you would expect by a Magic-inspired TCG. Aggro decks, Ramp decks, tempo decks, control decks. Don’t know what those terms mean? Don’t worry, it’s all there for you to learn – and that is really the point. Even at this early stage it is clear that the designers at CZE are savvy enough to have created a robust, deep first set that inspires confidence in future releases.

At the same time, they’ve included some very interesting new mechanics that are only possible due to the digital nature of the game. Again, Magic Online is limited by the fact that the base game is rooted in real, physical cards. Hex, on the other hand, has available to it a huge design space that is only possible due to the digital format. An example: The Ancestors’ Chosen – a card that shuffles into your deck two 1 cost, 2/2 fliers (Ancestral Specters) that allow you to draw a card when they come into play. The ability of the game to manage your deck and the insertion of new cards into it on the fly means deck manipulation is a major design space that Hex is taking advantage of.

As of right now, the ways to play are still somewhat limited. A major draw for many players is the ability to play in 8-man tournaments. Sealed Deck, Draft, and Constructed tournaments have already been implemented. At the time of writing the tournament servers are down, but they should be back up in short order. The game also has casual games that you can find via the so called “Proving Grounds,” where players can challenge opponents in a one-off game. You can also rely on matchmaking, although as of yet it will simply match you with a random person in the queue.

Hex is also shaping up to be a collector’s dream. Aside from the normal appeal to collectors that TCGs have, Hex has once again has taken advantage of the digital space by having the ability to unlock alternate art and track a card’s specific history. Although this feature has not yet been implemented, it promises to be one of the most appealing to those who love to collect. Given the extreme stress such a system would have on a database, I am admittedly a little worried about how soon this will be implemented, particularly given the technical issues of the alpha and early beta test. However, patience has proven to be a virtue so far and I am willing to wait for this particularly unique feature.

[Cyber’s note: Zhenya was unable to record some game play videos, so I recorded a couple of practice games between the two of us, such as the one below. You can find the other gameplay video on our YouTube channel.]

Players have received most of their Kickstarter rewards now, and everything that happens from here on out is official. No more wipes. Accordingly, the store is also open for business. You can buy platinum at a rate of $1 = 100 Platinum, which can then be used to buy booster packs or starter decks (beyond your first, which is free). When the Open Beta hits, new players will be entering into a very much live environment.

And frankly, they should be looking forward to it. Hex has been going through some growing pains as Cryptozoic transitions from brick and mortar products to also supporting a game in the digital realm. Technical hiccups aside, the game itself is shaping up well. For anyone interested in a digital TCG, Hex is the obvious choice. With its low barrier to entry, PvE content in the pipeline for people who like puzzles and figuring out “encounters”, and solid TCG fundamentals, I can’t help but recommend it. Sign up for the beta at www.hextcg.com to get into the open beta early!