Hello gamers and welcome to my 1st post. After logging 440 hours playing this game, I think it's time I gave it a positive review!
So what exactly is Minion Masters?
Minion Masters is a free-to-play, casual stripped-down sort of MOBA (think Dota 2 or League of Legends PVP) .... except you don't need to click several hundred times a minute .... and there are cards.
The aim of the game is to destroy the opponent's tower by attacking it with your minions. You do that by creating a deck of 10 minion cards and casting them when you have enough mana (which continually refills) by dragging the card onto the screen anywhere in your half of the battle arena. Only 4 of your cards are available to use at any one time and you keep cycling through your deck as you cast more cards.
As well as selecting a deck of cards you also need to pick a master before each battle (there are currently 11 to choose from), each with their own special abilities to consider. Each master gains access to more powerful special abilities during a battle by gaining experience points (XP). You gain XP by controlling the 2 bridges in the middle of the arena for as long as possible.
Here is one of my favourite masters: behold the mighty King Puff!
His special abilities allow him to swap around the minions on each bridge, buff his minions and also create an invulnerability shield.
Minion Masters is designed to be a casual game so the duration of each battle is usually only between 1 to 10 minutes long, depending on how evenly matched the players are. Whoever manages to fully level up their master during a battle (by controlling the 2 bridges) gains a super ability called Mana Frenzy, allowing them to cast cards at a much faster rate. Mana Frenzy is a game deciding ability, so controlling the bridges as just as important as trying to smash down the opponent's tower.
Here is a pic of me winning a battle in 2 minutes 46 seconds
Is this just another brain-dead mobile game?
Not in my opinion. While it is easy to pick up and play there is more depth beneath the surface. Each master and each card has a bunch of stats and abilities you need to consider and there are currently over 200 cards to select.
Here is the deck building screen:
Mal-Shar is an invisible assassin that can't be targeted except when it attacks
So you need to think about card deck synergy, mana costs and how well your deck works with your master. During the battle itself, the timing and placement of your minions is critical. You also need to make split second decisions about when to attack or defend, when to push hard for the win and when to not over-extend.
To amp up the complexity and decision making even more, not only can you play 1v1 battles but also 2v2 battles. There are separate queues for 2v2 battles with random players and 2v2 "premade" battles with a friend. This is my favourite mode as you need to keep an eye on your friend's master abilities, their available cards/mana and their play style.
In this 2v2 random game, my cards are on the left and my team mate's cards are on the right (we won in 3 minutes 36 seconds!)
About the free-to-play.....
I am generally not a fan of the free-to-play monetization model but this is one of the fairest free-to-play games that I have played. Rewards are given out at regular intervals and everything is unlockable by playing if you are prepared to grind. The developers BetaDwarf have a habit of giving out their latest DLC for free for a limited time upon release and subscribing to their newsletter also gives you a monthly reward.
In fact BetaDwarf recently declared that the game was becoming financially unsustainable so they are making some slight adjustments going forwards, which is fair enough. If you are interested in Minion Masters I think the number one DLC you should purchase is the All Masters Upgrade - this unlocks all present (and future!) masters immediately, saving you many hours of grinding. You can support the developers and increase your enjoyment of the game at the same time.
Who would enjoy this game?
If you are looking for a cheerful, casual, fast-paced PVP game and have 30 minutes a day to kill, Minion Masters could be worth a shot. Playing with a friend in a 2v2 "premade" battle while you voice chat increases the fun even more. Going on a winning streak (my record was about 20 consecutive wins!), beating player after player in 2-3 minute matches is extremely addictive and makes the time fly by without you realizing it!
Pros:
- Quick casual game, even more fun with a friend
- Easy to learn, not so easy to master
- Free to play, everything is unlockable just by playing the game
- various modes: 1v1, 2v2, solo campaigns
Cons:
- Only fun in short bursts or it becomes grindy
- A possible memory leak or lack of optimization makes the game laggy after 2+ hours of playing. Just exit and restart the game. I don't recommend you play the game with max graphic settings - make sure you turn off SSAO.
Note: The latest DLC is currently free this weekend, so make sure you go grab it!
Note 2: all images are screenshots I have taken while playing the game.