Monday 31 March 2008

Kongai

Poker fans beware!

Recently, I was invited to beta test Kongai on the website of www.kongregate.com
I have to admit, first impressions were good. What began bugging me early on was how the game was sort of laggy although it didn't have much animation. If you have a really good computer, you shouldn't run into this problem, but Kongai should be able to appeal to all kinds of computers. Secondly, the gameplay had a lot of Magic: The Gathering references (which isn't that big of a deal, besides the fact that Kongai isn't that 'original' in that sense). Thirdly, you needed to be a certain level on your Kongregate account. No offense, but are you trying to drive off potential customers? I suggest lowering that cap from around level 17 to like level 10 at least.

What I did like were the many options in the game: to regain mana, switch out and intercept cards that were switching out, and other cool things like multiple attacks and starter cards. What I did not like about the gameplay was the fact that you needed mana to attack and you couldn't regenerate lost health, but that's about it. Another awesome thing was the fairness: Players who unlocked more cards can only choose 5 of them, making it fair for noobs to test out their skill.

Pros: Many gameplay options, challenging, starter cards, fairness of matches, online multiplayer matches
Cons: Lags on average computer, lack of health regeneration, under level 20's not allowed (I got lucky I guess?), need mana for all attacks

Overview: Kongai out performs many card games, but fails to get past Magic: The Gathering and poker games. However, it is a very interesting experience that will leave its players with very different thoughts and opinions. 80%; dropped down a bit because of the level 20 rule.

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