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CONTRACT SERVANT – DApp Review

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CONTRACT SERVANT was reviewed using Osiris web 3.0 browser

Trading card games are becoming more abundant within the dapp space. Games such as God’s Unchainedand Relentless have proven how the genre can take advantage of blockchain technology. 

There is room for variety, however, and it seems we have a new player that is bringing a more tactical approach to card-based dApps. Will this different approach provide new competition to the TCG titans of dApps, or will it flounder and fizzle out like others before it?

CONTRACT SERVANT is a tactical card-based RPG, where your goal is to reach the top of the tower and prove humanity’s worth to God. You’ll be using your wits and tactical skills to defeat each of the floor’s guardians, while earning new cards along the way. It’s a simple premise and nothing too thought provoking, despite being rooted in deep Jewish mythology. 

As for its gameplay, things aren’t as simple. If you’re used to a more God’s Unchained type of card game, then you’re in for a culture shock. CONTRACT SERVANT is more akin to a tactical RPGs, such as Final Fantasy Tactics or Fire Emblem.

Cards are placed on a 3×5 grid and each card has a specific attack range. Depending on the card-type — whether attacker, magician, healer, or defender — the attack range and position changes. It may seem a lot to take in, but the game does a great job of easing you in with its gameplay. The first few floors are used to teach you the basic mechanics of the game, with each new floor introducing a new gameplay element for you to practice. These levels are easy and offer you a guaranteed win, while playing the game.

As for actual gameplay, CONTRACT SERVANT provides a great balance of variety and challenge, with each level having preset conditions on how you can form your deck and rules on how and when certain classes attack. These conditions force you to switch things up with your deck and encourage you to explore new combinations and other cards.

Speaking of combinations, the game offers something that other TCGs don’t and takes a page from the digital collectible handbook. Aside from unlock or purchasing cards, You can combine two cards to birth a brand new card. Depending on the class, generation, and rarity of your cards, you can come up with new ones to further bolster your deck and arsenal. And since CONTRACT SERVANT uses blockchain technology, you have the added benefit of selling or trading any of your newfound creations.

Despite the appreciated hand-holding nature of the game’s tutorial and deep gameplay, the one drawback is the game’s UI. It can be a bit of a mess to navigate and decipher. That’s not to say it isn’t visually appealing, but rather the information presented isn’t clear and lacks a proper flow that is needed for such an RPG, where navigating menus and analyzing grids is essential.

Another inconsistency along with the game’s UI is its art. CONTRACT SERVANT uses an anime aesthetic for its art style, which is well rendered and stunning to look at, but lacks a consistent art direction. Character art shifts between different anime styles, with some sporting a more standard light-hearted fantasy look and others being more gothic and realistic, similar to Ayami Kojima’s art for the Castlevania series.

This inconsistency suggests two possible scenario’s, one where the art is commissioned from different people and another where art theft is afoot. Either way, the disconnect doesn’t provide a positive image for the dev team and suggests the game being rushed and haphazardly put together.

When it comes to CONTRACT SERVANT’S marketplace, the price range of its cards fall under a wide spectrum, with cards costing anything from a mere 0.04 ETH to the absurd 13 ETH and above territory. It’s a sickness of many dApps out there and CONTRACT SERVANT is unfortunately a part of it.

Overall, CONTRACT SERVANT is a nice breath of fresh air, especially among TCGs in the dApp space. It provides interesting and challenging gameplay, while giving the right amount of hand-holding so players won’t get lost. It’s just a shame the game’s UI may cause players to get lost anyway. 

If you’re looking for a strategy and miss tactical RPGs, then CONTRACT SERVANT is a great dApp to try out. You may need to be weary of certain cards that cost more than an arm and a leg, however.

3.5/5

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