Legends of Norrath: Oathbound

There was a time when playing cards was a simple affair. The cards had a face value and you employed a certain amount of tactics but there was merely the fold and no underlying methodology to the course of events.

Then people like Wizards of the Coast came along and reinvented the card game and made it more like chess, except that – in some cases – you can make multiple moves during your turn. Sony Online is joining the growing group of card gaming enthusiasts with Legends of Norrath: Oathbound, a card game that is not as simple as it seems, has multiple layers of play and strategy and will have you second-guessing each and every turn, while praying for the luck of the draw.

Based on the worlds of EverQuest, Legends of Norrath is bright, colorful and treated with an audio track that includes grunts and groans, as well as a robust musical score. Make no mistake about this, LoN: Oathbound is one serious card game that is both clever and deep and will likely enthrall players for hours on end. Why? Because if you are addicted to the EverQuest games, the original and EverQuest II, the lore of those MMOs makes an appearance here. Here is a single-player campaign that will have you playing against some of the more notorious bosses from the games and then there is the online lobby that will connect you to others who like to play or trade cards.

You get a deck of cyber cards (there is a basic deck that has 350 cards in it, from which you craft your game deck) and then there will be booster packs of 15 cards that can be purchased for $2.99 each through Sony’s online store.

There is a tutorial to play through and it is not overly easy for the beginner trying to move through the game. You will find a challenge at the end. The game forces you to think on several levels.

Though a card game, there is a back story. Players begin as former prisoners on the Plane of Justice, offered a second chance from the Seventh Hammer. Swearing an oath to fight for Order against the Lords of Chaos, you receive powers, albeit attached to duties.

With the tutorial to guide you, the conditions of victory are simple – defeat your opponent’s avatar or complete four quests. When you complete a quest, you receive more power and a gem on the quest meter lights up to indicate you have completed one assignment.

But there is more to the game than simply playing cards. Each card has a light or shadow faction standing. If you play a card that carries your standing with one of factions to 10, you gain a trait that is emblematic of that side. The benefit of achieving either light or shadow faction standing is that by doing so you unlock bonuses to cards in play. However, if you have achieved standing faction with one side, playing a card from the other side will damage your avatar by two (and at the start your avatar has 11 hit points).

Action takes place on a playmat – the board upon which you will place your cards. The beginning decks have 44 cards in them. Cards are drawn and displayed at the bottom of the screen. In the center of the screen, at the bottom, your avatar is shown. Beside the avatar are a series of numbers, indicting the attack rating, the defense rating, and damage bonus. Avatars, and other cards, come in four archetypes – fighter, mage, priest and scout. Archetype is important because the quests may require a certain archetype to play it.  

When a game begins, the player who goes first is determined randomly and each player’s avatar is the first put into play. Then each player’s level 2 quest is played and the deck is shuffled with six cards dealt to the players. All the cards in the deck are cyber cards, so you don’t actually hold them in your hand the computer AI knows who has what (which prohibits stacking a deck). Power determines which cards can be played during a turn. You can only play the cards that have a value at or below your power total.

When you draw a hand, you have the cards displayed along the bottom of the windowed game screen, much in the same manner as a taskbar. Clicking on the ‘taskbar’ icon of the card reveals the card with the image and stats. Your avatar screen has two displays in vertical bars beside the picture; one is the health bar and the second is the power bar.

Now, as stated, depending on your power, you can play one or more cards. If you have three powers and have three cards that cost one power each, you can put all three into play. Cards that can be played are highlighted on the taskbar. They may not be the best cards one could use, but by highlighting them, the game ensures that even someone who is not that familiar with the game, initially, can play.

The playmat, next to the avatar has an items area and an abilities area. If you draw a weapon, or armor, you can put it into the items area as sort of a buff. The abilities area has three slots. Abilities such as Battle Cry (this is from the tutorial, which provides the easiest way to explain the game) can be put into that area and would add +1 defense. Now if you play an item card that has the same stats as one in play, you will destroy/replace the card in play. This can be a tactical move as well. If you are hoping for a certain card to help bolster your chances of winning, but your hand is full, you can play a card that has the same abilities as one in play, destroy that active card (but you do take one damage to your avatar), and draw a new card that may or may not help you.

In addition to the character cards, items and abilities cards, there are also tactics cards. Played during combat, these are a surprise element (hidden on your taskbar where your opponent can’t see them). Combat can be managed in two ways. You can attack a quest that has opposing units on it. If you do that, you attack those units. If you attack a quest card that has no opposing units attached, you attack the other player’s avatar.

When a game begins, quest cards are placed on the right and left sides of the playmat. There are four zones, two across the top and two across the bottom. There is also a window that shows the way the game is being played, so it is easy to review moves. Quests are important to the play. You must complete them and by doing so, you are rewarded with bonuses, like perhaps an addition to your defense rating, or the ability to raid again within the same turn. Some quest cards are tied to abilities. If you have an ability that is level 2 and you have a level 2 ability, you can click on the quest (if it is unguarded), then click on the ability. If the level of the ability card matches the level of the quest card, you complete the quest.

The game has a decent online community, and there always seemed to be a game to jump into when venturing online. The audio combines some of the EQ soundtracks, as well as grunts and “aaah!” from struck cards, but generally neither the audio nor the graphics are anything to get overly excited about.

Where this game scores is in the cerebral challenge department. You can’t just click your way through and expect success. You have to think about your moves, plan ahead and hope for the best. Legends of Norrath: Oathbound is not the easiest on a player new to the world of card games, but it should provide challenge as you move up in both familiarity and knowledge.

Gameplay: 7.8
It may sometimes feel like your opponent is getting more turns than you, but that is attributable to the way the cards are played. If you exert your power points too quickly, you may find yourself reeling as the game progresses.  

Graphics: 7.0
Serviceable but nothing to get too excited about.

Sound: 7.0
The music is a combination of new and existing EQ songs, mostly those from EQ II. It serves its purpose but doesn’t go too far.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard

Concept: 8.0
Nice melding of the EQ franchise and license into a card game. The game, though, may be a little too tough for first time players.

Multiplayer: 7.8
A good experience can be found here. You will find those who will prey upon the new, but generally speaking, each foray into this element was pleasant enough, even though several lessons were administered.

Overall: 7.8
The game has a steep learning curve, but there is immense satisfaction in winning. The game is full of lore from the EQ franchises, and some familiar characters pop up. A good game that will frustrate, challenge and reward.