I love a good collectable card game, more so than I ever thought I would. I’ve spent hundreds of hours in Hearthstone, dozens in Magic: The Gathering Arena and even more in deck-building rogue-likes which I get aren’t entirely collectible card games but they’re close enough that I’m adding them to the list. What I’m trying to say is, I was actually a little excited for Artifact when it launched back in 2018 and was extremely depressed to realise how bad it was as a game. The gameplay was cluttered and annoying to follow, the monetisation was bizarre to the point where it felt like Valve was almost satirising itself and it just altogether was not a fun package, which is a pity because there’s a lot of potential in Artifact. So now that it’s been confirmed that a massive rework of the game is currently in place, I for one am excited for Valve to take its time and really focus in on what could have been…
Oh, the beta is already here? Well, much like nearly every other massive disappointment in my life, that was faster than I thought.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to see Artifact still chugging on but a rework was only announced two months ago. Is that enough time to save the dumpster fire that was Artifact? I guess that’s the point of the beta, which will last much longer than the game’s first beta. In a blog post, Valve writes that, “The Beta for the original game started too late and was too short.
We’ve decided to approach things a bit differently this time around by gradually inviting people to join us while we are still ‘Under Construction’.
Which makes it sound less like a beta and more like early access. Is that an argument of semantics?
Only players who own the original game will be able to receive sign-up emails to join the beta, which will be going live next week. Valve has warned players to expect a lot of missing information:
There will be bugs, temp art, and data may be reset early in the beta. Some players may wish to wait until the game is further along to start playing, but there is no harm in signing up early.
Some of the features being tested for strictly this time around include, “Gameplay, Balance, Hero Identity, Color Identity, Social Features, Card Unlocks, Ranked Play, Replays, Spectating and the Campaign.” The campaign is the interesting addition to that list as far as I’m concerned, considering the first Artifact didn’t have a hint of a storyline to it.
Godspeed, Artifact. I believe you’ll be able to make something of yourself someday!
Last Updated: May 19, 2020
Hammersteyn
May 19, 2020 at 11:43
Who does this game think it is? Anthem?
Pariah
May 19, 2020 at 11:49
This was actually better than Anthem. Just confusing to the average person and odd monetisation kept it back from being great. I personally really enjoyed the game, but the player base died out too quickly. 🙁
Looking forward to the rework. Anthem really I hold no hope for, despite having some super satisfying combat and gameplay.
Hammersteyn
May 19, 2020 at 12:07
Haven’t played either, not planning to anyways. They just seem to have the failure to launch thing in common as well as starting with an A
Pariah
May 19, 2020 at 12:28
At least Artifact was complete when it launched. Confusing, weird monetisation, lack of new cards, sure. But complete.
Seeker
May 19, 2020 at 20:45
Would rather play Gwent.