E3 is a spectacle, there is no denying that, large booths with flashy lights and screens, all vying for your attention, it is something else to be sure. So getting a booking with a studio that has no booth is always so wonderful, because these folks are here just to talk about their game and with it, making the game there star and for this previous E3, Trials of Fire was the game that I caught up with for that purpose.

Whatboy Games is not a studio you will have heard of, yet, but their pedigree is one you should know by now, founded by two blokes, formally of Rocksteady, creators of the Arkham game series, Dax and Adam are taking all their AAA knowhow and crafting something special. For those that know me, they know card games are not my thing and rogue-likes are even less so, but the concept of those two combining, whilst being presented out of a book, was just too much to pass up, so I had to check it out and I am glad I did.  The game is currently available in early access on Steam, so anyone can check it out for themselves, but getting a guided tour by the developers, that is something I could not pass up.

The game takes some inspiration from the old choose your own adventure books and dungeons and dragons, mixing them up to create something wholly unique. The combat mechanic is based around the adventuring party, which consists of three characters, you can have folks join your adventure as you play, but the main party will always be three people only. There are of courses classes to use, such as an elementalist and each has their own special skills and attacks to use, there are also bad guys, who also have classes to understand, so you can send the right character into battle against the enemy.

As the game is a card game, each of your characters has a deck that when the turn begins, calls upon their cards to play. At the top of the cards, not all of them, but some of them is cost counter, which is willpower, the more powerful the card, the more willpower it requires to play it. In order to generate willpower, you actually need to throw away cards and for each one you get rid of, you will gain one willpower, thankfully the willpower pool is shared, so disposing of cards from one deck, will let you play a card from another. As the movement card also costs willpower, you need to ensure that you have the right amount available, as if you move and then find yourself without a card to throw away, you will be stuck waiting for the next turn.

A lot of games these days are using the hex map to playthings out on, which Trials of Fire is no different, as it adds more strategy to the game, given that you have multiple directions to balance, both your attacks and defence. There is thankfully, no limit to the number of cards you can play in a turn, if you have the willpower, you can play the cards left, but there are some even cooler parts to the game. If one of your characters stands next to another member of the party and attacks an enemy, they will also attack, letting you deal out more damage to them. At the end of a battle, which happens when all the baddies are defeated, you will earn xp, which levels you up and lets you get more cards. Some of the cards are basic, whilst some are quite strong, like explosive arrows, with the cards you collect going to your deck. The deck lets you hold 9 cards, with you getting a small number of them, drawn at random, at the start of each round, however there is something to note. The equipment that you can find and wear, will sometimes grant you a special card, which will increase your total draw amount, so you don’t need to replace a card with another one, you just have more to choose from.

The game is rogue-like in its nature and while there is as story to be told, the map and battles will change up with each playthrough. One element that won’t change is party management, you will need to ensure that your party is rested and fed at all times, as if they are tired and enter a battle, they might start as fatigued, which lowers the amount of willpower they have available to draw upon. The longer they go without rest, the more that their statues will decrease, causing more problems, which could lead to your death and failing. It really is an interesting system, as there is no reason not to rest up when you can, sometimes you can do it at camps that you discover whilst roaming the world and those camps, which could net you some special gear, might be empty or full of other people.

Trials of Fire is a game that takes the basic approach of a card battle game, but is adding enough new twists to the formula, that help elevate it above the rest. Whilst the team are still working hard on new things for it, something that Early Access allows them to do, the core of the game is not likely to see any massive shifts before it goes to full release early next year, for now though, anyone who wants an interesting game, with some superb mechanics, well this is something to look forward to.