'Axie Infinity' full gameplay review

Axie infinity can be described as a number of things, including a "play to earn" game, a game that uses blockchain technology, and a game that utilizes NFT. It can be confusing to comprehend.

We have to take it all apart slowly because there are so many aspects.

Let's get to the game itself: Pokemon-style battles with card-based mechanics.

You can start to understand Axie infinity by playing the game. It will help you understand its value as an actual game. This will allow you to begin to understand the Axie economy, or as the community calls it "Axienomics", and how blockchain games work.

Yield Guild Games is a Filipino co-owned company that has been helping me play for two weeks. Their goal is to get more people to Axie and other blockchain games by lending teams to the monster Axies to players under a profit-sharing arrangement.

Let's move on to the review.

What exactly is Axie Infinity?

There are two modes to the core game. The adventure mode pits the player against computer controlled enemies. Each level is completed by the player, just like Candy Crush.

Every win gives the player experience points. To gain enough experience points to advance to a harder level, players must replay previous levels. This is a simple setup with the design DNA for a mobile game.

The Adventure mode map

The player gets only a limited number of energy points each day, which is common in mobile games. The current version of the game gives the player 20 energy points that can be used on the Adventure or player-versus-player modes (PVP). This pits real people against each other and we'll get to it later.

Each match costs 1 Energy Point.

You can still play even if you have run out of energy. You can't earn any experience points in Adventure mode if you do. The SLP, which refers to Smooth Love Potion, is still available. It can be used to convert into fiat money.

Players aim to accumulate enough experience points to be able to attain the 50 SLPs (the Adventure Mode SLP earnings cap) within the shortest time. While higher levels provide more SLPs, there is a limit to how much you can earn.

Once this point has been reached, players have the option to stop leveling up their Axie and instead use their energy points for PVP mode, where they could potentially earn more SLPs.

Basics of PVP and Axie

Each of the three Axies has four skills, each represented by cards. It's a mix of card games such as Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon trading cards. __S.30__

Here's an example Axie with its four card skills.

Players are dealt randomly the Axies cards in each round. The cards a player has been dealt will determine how they play. They also have to decide what cards the opposing team will play.

To clarify, energy points are not the same as the energy system that can be used for starting a match.

Matches are won by reducing the hit points of the enemy Axies to zero.

Each card includes an attack and defense rating as well as a list of possible status effects like poison, stun and fear.

An attack rating is a number that indicates how many hit points a card can take from an enemy. A defense rating shows how many hit points it adds for a specific round.

These are just a few of the considerations players should consider when planning their attacks or defense. Sometimes it is better to use your most powerful attacks. Other times it's more effective to stun or poison them. In other cases, it's better not to attack at all. You can gain more energy the next round to make a stronger attack against a strong defensive enemy.

It's often a mind game. Keep your opponent guessing about your next moves. You can win or lose the match depending on your skill at jukes, bluffing, and managing which cards you keep for another round.

It's very entertaining and you must be locked in to count the enemy's cards and energy points.

The PVP Experience

It takes real skill to get through the Axie PVP ranks, just like any other competitive PVP game.

You'll improve your game faster if you focus on winning matches and not just playing in online multiplayer battle arenas like Dota 2 and Apex Legends.

The pre-match banner can be personalized with a message by players

It's also a good idea to have some experience in turn-based JRPGs such as Final Fantasy. This game is about calculating damage and not using too many cards.

In boxing terminology, swinging like a wild boxer can often result in counterpunches by the enemy. It's better to use pokes, jabs, and occasionally a power punch to reduce the damage. Then you can go for a real haymaker that you are more or less certain will hit.

You may choose to "pass" the round to save energy points and to deal a huge blow in the next round. However, you're totally defenseless and could be hit by an enemy with a devastating blow.

This scenario is where you want to see the enemy use his defensive cards. That would mean they have wasted energy and cards for an attack that never happened. It is incredibly satisfying to make the right prediction. That's what keeps me playing for quite some time.

Knowing how your opponent plays is an important part of knowing when you should throw your best shots. Sometimes it's a game where the victor emerges with only the smallest sliver health.

The exciting 'last stand' element

In close matches, last stands are crucial. An Axie can enter a last-stand if an attack reduces its hit point to zero, but only a little. The Axie receives one to four turn bars when it is in last stand. This number is dependent on the Axie’s "morale" stat. The Axie is killed when all the turn bars have been used up. Sometimes, it even dies without being attacked.

If an enemy Axie attacks a different Axie than the one that's in "last stand", it counts as one turn and the one-turn bar is removed. Another strong attack could be used by an enemy Axie to end the war. It all depends on the circumstances.

These elements, together with a move-timer that places pressure on players, make PVP mode extremely exciting. It's amazing fun to learn which skills, attacks or defensive maneuvers you should use, especially if your first card game isn't.

It's impossible to compare it with other card games such as Magic or Hearthstone, since I haven't yet played them. However, I believe I can confirm that Axie’s card system doesn't seem to be new. For putting in the Pokemon flavor, it feels new.

We'll be discussing the blockchain elements in another article. They are what make this game stand out in the wider gaming landscape.

It is easy to play the card game, which is a great thing for any game trying to increase its player base. PVP games are very dependent on the size of their population. Too many players will make it difficult to find a match. Axie is a different story.

What did this story make of you?

INSPIRED

HAPPY

AMUSED

NEUTRAL

ANNOYED

SAD

ANGRY

AFRAIDSEE THE RESULT

Matchmaking in a flash

Matches are quick and easy to start - less waiting means more fun. No matter what platform you are on, there is no way a gamer would wish for a longer loading time or a longer waiting period in multiplayer lobby.

It's a good idea to look at the skills of your enemy Axie before you start a game.

Matches are quick and you can play just a few rounds. Once you're done, swipe up for cards to make it easy to follow the logic. One of the reasons I have never played Magic: The Gathering was that it seemed intimidating, with all the text on each card. This could make it seem very complicated to casual observers.

Adventure mode is a great place to begin learning if you haven't played any turn-based games before. This tutorial is not a complete guide, but it can be used by anyone with a computer and not the least tech-averse.

It's not difficult to learn. However, if you aren't familiar with these types of games, it can be challenging to move up the ranks. As in any competitive game, experienced players will destroy newbies.

As I said, reading skilled enemies can be a challenge. It's also a learning experience to see how they use their cards and how they make you use the wrong cards.

Although I can see how this could be true for many popular card games, I have never actually played them. Poker counts, I guess. It's something I've done, and it's very similar because of all the misdirection and bluffing you do.

Server improvements and polishing needed

Sometimes, there has been a server slowdown that caused me to lose a few matches. Sometimes it will be impossible to swipe cards for play or reset your card selections when the server slows down. These matches can be very frustrating, especially if you are trying to win SLP.

Sometimes, it takes a while for the game to update the SLP that you have won. Sometimes, the time it takes to earn experience points or start SLP-earning PVP is inconsistent.

Because time and money are involved, the game cannot be inconsistent in reviving the energy.

These are the parts of the game that require polishing.

Another thing that bugs is the inconsistency of the design.

You can use this move to destroy enemy energy. If executed correctly, it sends a message to enemy energy that they can be destroyed. The message is still there even if the enemy has no energy.

Although this would be fine, there is an inconsistency with another skill which allows you to steal energy. The game will display a message if you steal energy from an enemy. If the enemy doesn't have energy to steal, the message will not be displayed - this is different from the message for the destroy energy move.

Perhaps it is a design decision? It's something I haven't given enough thought to, and I would love to hear what the developers think. I'd also like to hear from them about the aesthetics of Axies and the overall game.

All I know for sure is that money is involved and it is important for games to build trust in all aspects. This means that the game must be as polished as any triple-A video game.

Is it really that difficult to "get gud"?

After death, axes become greener souls

I had just as much fun playing Axie as I did the other competitive games that I mentioned.

What is Axie's learning curve?

In its current state, Axie is much easier than the games I have chosen. You'll often hear multiplayer players complaining about not being winning enough.

They are often met with the phrase "Git Gud" at one time or another. This basically means that you don't need to complain about the game. All you have to do is get better at it.

Let's go back to the games that I tried to get gud at.

Apexis my first competitive multiplayer shooter that I have played with a controller. Arena of Valor was also my first MOBA. Apex has been my first MOBA. I have put in about 500 hours. I believe I started to see some success around the 200 hour mark.

I have played Arena of Valor between 80 and 90 hours. I began to play with some success around the 30th hour.

As you can see, Apex is a steeper learning curve.

It took me 16-18 hours to start to see success with Axie Infinity. I have won about half of my matches since then. My personal experience is that Arena of Valor is nearly twice as difficult to learn as Apex, while core card battles in Axie are more challenging than Apex. __S.151__

The 3000s is the matchmaking rating of top players. After a season is over, the score resets. This takes about four weeks.

The Axies you use also play an important role. I have been given a team of Axies that is roughly twice as valuable as the core 3-Axie floor-level team currently costing around P30,000.

My team was selected and loaned to me by an expert player. I didn't have the task of creating my own Axie team, where collaborations are crucial to success. It is not the same as building a deck of cards in traditional games. Building teams requires a different learning curve.

What is the purpose of mapping out the learning curves? The length of the learning curve may correspond to how many hours you want to spend on the game before your interest levels down. It seems that the more time you spend playing the game, the harder it will be to get back into the habit.

Let me make it clear again that I only have a personal opinion on the length of player interest. There would be complex math involved to determine the true figure of sustained interest in Axie by all types of players (breeders and battlers, deck builders, etc.).

Axie is so different from traditional games because it attempts to bring in money from the traditional economy and into a digital world - in the end, creating this seemingly amorphous, hard-to-immediately-decipher mix of the two.

It is very similar to a video game in that the length of your stay in Axie's digital universe is dependent on how it keeps you challenged and entertained, as well as how the developer manages the players.