[Game Review] Hearthstone

Rating: 🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍏

✅ From a developer’s perspective, the monetization model works really well — players are more willing to spend: the Standard mode’s card packs + Tavern Pass create a strong incentive to pay for key cards

✅ Building on the above, sunk cost keeps players coming back — they’re emotionally (and financially) invested in their cards. This attachment is obvious even from the strong reactions when the China server shut down (e.g., my friend Chen stopped playing altogether because he lost his old collection)

✅ Virtually no serious competition in the digital CCG space — other games like Shadowverse or MTG Arena have niche audiences; Hearthstone also benefits from Blizzard’s strong visual branding and worldbuilding

✅ Randomness is where Hearthstone shines — Standard mode decks like "Fool Mage" are fan favorites, and Tavern Brawl's random attack orders add strategic unpredictability. This randomness ensures that each match unfolds differently, making it less sweaty and mechanically punishing than games like Overwatch. Strategic adaptation often outweighs deck strength, which helps soften frustration from losing due to bad decks

✅ The newly added Duos Mode in Battlegrounds is super fun! The Hearthstone team isn’t afraid to explore new modes (e.g., Mercenaries, Tavern Brawl). They’re genuinely creative and curious!

✅ VFX and controls are smooth and satisfying — there's a real dopamine hit when you earn gold or pull off a big turn. Makes players feel accomplished

❌ The gap between Standard, Battlegrounds, and other modes is too wide — they feel like disconnected subsets. Standard players usually dabble in Battlegrounds, but BG players rarely play Standard. The high cost and barrier to entry in Standard make BG more appealing (also, BG is more fun in my opinion), but this could hurt revenue from non-paying BG players

❌ Compared to other Blizzard titles, Hearthstone servers tend to act up more — the classic "locked out at the door" issue

❌ Some of the newer Standard cards are way overtuned? Though honestly, if everyone's broken and old cards are getting reworked, maybe it all balances out?