Currently, I’ve been playing Hearthstone for over five years. I left it, I took it back, I liked it, I hated it… I lived all the dichotomies of perception that have existed and will exist, even if I believe it is natural . Many years have passed and the work of Snow storm like me, we have changed and grown, we have found new horizons and we have sought more goals. Our relationship was a proportional concatenation of participles which, today, is found thanks to a common point: The Legendary Party.
And it is that, as tradition dictates, Hearthstone has renewed its proposal with an unprecedented expansionwhich brings a new keyword, a new theme and new types of minions and spells… As for Murder at Nathria Castle. and as with Divided in Alterac Valley. and as with United in Stormwind… And as in all its expansions. ‘Cause if anything became clear to me with The Legendary Partyin its undeniable quality and work, is that Hearthstone remains Hearthstone. For better and for worse.
For real
Hearthstone has been the king of the collectible card genre for a decade now., continues to be so and it is not necessary to be an oracle to anticipate that it will continue to be so for an indefinite time. The care that exists behind his proposal is noted with every little iota of it, and has accumulated to such an extent of quality, depth and variety that it is inconceivable even to imagine that any work could match it in a close time, and Ehe Legendary Festival only reinforced such a notion.
The creativity with which the new copies have arrived to refresh the title’s metagame is, as always, commendable. The last keywordwhich emphasizes calculation and restraint in decision-making because of the way it makes us manage resources; types of minions and spells, which are grander than ever and amplify a whole experience in itself; he Main themewhich transports the delivery mechanic to a new port where the opportunities are endless again… That is, Hearthstone his Hearthstone.
As a result, I venture to doubt there has ever been a more opportune time in video game history to join its expanded ranks.. Far from yesterday’s nostalgia and any comparison beyond the proposal itself, the experience of Snow storm at design time it becomes more and more latent, not only because of its accessibility but also because of the nice trend the studio has taken to reduce the randomness of its events and increase the strategy needed to forestall its confrontations.
Worse
After each occasion where I had the pleasant task of analyzing a new expansion of Foyer, I tend to harbor a sense of ambiguity. A part of me, the fraction that usually reads in each of these writings, feels satisfied, comfortable and happy after investing the hours necessary to feel authoritative enough to write an article, especially because I generally manage to the same conclusion:what a nice extension“. And this is precisely the origin of my dilemma.
Because the other part of me, the one I usually hide under the desire for objectivity, she feels frustrated. No matter how beautiful and precise the new mechanics are, no matter how much I like the new archetypes, no matter how awesome I think the art design is –aspects that I maintain and defend despite all subjectivity-, the truth is that Hearthstone is still Hearthstone. Same formulas, same bases, same sensations, same benefits, same problems… but it’s not the same Ronald.
As a result, and based on what was defined in the previous section, the suitability for new visitors to the Tavern is not replicated among those who were once regulars, as Probably the reason they left remains. Foyer remained unscathed and indomitable for so long that, in a way, it causes fatigue to those of us who have invested so many hours in its enclosure. And while I feel bad for saying it, because it’s one of my favorite multiplayer games of all time and one of the two I’ve spent the most hours of my life on, the truth is that I don’t appreciate it properly. But I wanna do it.
I’ll be back, Hearthstone
Like a few years ago, I feel obligated to take time off on Hearthstone. It pains me extremely to be able to identify how good it is The Legendary Party and, at the same time, being unable to feel it. And it is that, I insist, this expansion, like the previous ones, as the title has been since its origins, He is very good in all analyzable aspectsand no doubt repeats the establishment of Hearthstone as the best product the genre has had in its entire history.
However, for me and for those who feel the same exhaustion as I do, I think the alternative is clear. The constant exposure at the highest level made me indifferent and, as on other occasions, only a temporary separation will give me the opportunity to renew this same illusion and desire of yesteryear. Will it happen? Maybe not, as not all stories are meant to last forever, but I like to think I’ll post this article as a turning point in my relationship with the work. I don’t want to hide my feelings from her anymore. Hearthstone deserves better.