In the past few years, I’ve begun to play games right before bed as a way to unwind and relax. Never before have I more enjoyed my pre-bedtime gaming than with Voice of Cards!

The novelty of turning a basic turn-based JRPG into a voiced over board game with beautiful card artwork really works for me! As many people have suggested, the difficulty is kinda nonexistent for those even somewhat experience with JRPGs (I’m a Final Fantasy fan but let’s just say getting Omega weapons in FFX sounds a bit TOO challenging to me). Around the two-thirds mark of the game, a desire for something more challenging or complex arises regarding the playstyle. I almost wished I could be more creative with my setup, item usage, party skills, etc. But it was never really necessary.

Still, the story is told almost like a fantasy bedtime story and with enough mystery, intrigue, and good writing to make the short campaign worth it.

In the end, I’m so satisfied with this game and was so happy I got to experience it! If this game gets a sequel or DLC campaign, I already have told myself that I plan to trek through the campaign one more time to “brush up” on the story. Although I won’t really need the reminder: I just will want to experience the delight of the game once again.

All in all, this was a five-star game FOR ME, but I do see its flaws and rated it four stars to reflect these issues to anyone coming by this review. I’m totally up to discussing this game with anyone who is playing, has finished, or even is intrigued by the premise!

— SPOILERS BELOW —

I completed all four endings and the additional boss in around 23 hours and 30 minutes. I collected all equipment, unlocked the flip side story for every character and monster. I also maxed out all my characters levels. (The level ceiling is Level 30, which is not only low but makes me feel there is more to this game, perhaps.) I saved the best ending for last and boy was it worth it to have that ending and the beautiful epilogue that I imagine is reserved for those who have completed all four endings!

Finished the game on PS4 after 14.30 hours.

I bought this game because I really liked the card aesthetic and knew the game was from Yoko Taro, so I was expecting a memorable - or at least surprising - story.

All of the game is represented with cards – characters, monsters, maps, menus – everything. It creates an original board game illusion, since as a player you move around a figurine from field to field and some attacks require you to roll dice etc.

However, behind the original aesthetic lies a very typical JRPG story and gameplay. In fact, it was disappointing to find out that this isn’t a proper card game at all, but a JRPG with a card game exterior. There’s no real deckbuilding or other functions found in a card game. And so, most fights were super easy, required very little strategy, and the story beats were predictable and superficial. Even though the game was quite short for a jrpg, I can’t say I wasn’t happy when it finished. I would say this is a game that’s all style and little substance.

Overall the experience was OK, but in retrospect I wouldn’t have missed much by skipping this game. I can only recommend it to younger players or those that would like an old-style, but easy JRPG.

Also, the voice actor for the narrator was so...anticlimactic. I wish they had chosen someone with more energy and intonation. Really a big mistake in my opinion.

When the demo for this came out, I was so excited to play the full version. There was something so incredibly satisfying about the sound of the piece moving across the map of cards, triggering random encounters. True, the battles were easy and less about resource management or strategy and more about "Taking turns to whack enemies and kill them in one hit". There was never any sense of challenge, but that was okay: the charming guidance of the narrator carried the compelling story beautifully. I hadn't liked their voice at first, but it grew on me pretty quickly, and I really enjoyed the world they seemed to be unfolding, one card at a time.

When I bought the full version, my expectations came crashing down pretty quickly. The heroes of The Ivory Order that I had played in the demo were replaced by someone who was defined as a "Would-Be Hero". They were motivated solely by money, were arrogant and selfish, and were very unheroic in almost every measurable way, and I could not stand playing them. The wordless animal companion Mar was a much more interesting and likeable character, and when we encountered the third potential member of the party (the witch Melanie), I tried not to recruit her.

And this is where the game revealed how heavy-handed the railroading was. It frequently presented me with choices, but even when I would choose the opposite it would ham-fistedly force me back into a scenario where I had to pick the other option. It is so frustrating to be given the illusion of control, the pretense that I have any influence over the story, or that my choices matter when the game reminds me obviously that I do not.

I hoped the characterisation would get better as the story unrolled, but by the time I stopped at the end of the fourth of seven chapters, there had been no noteworthy character growth at all from our Would-Be Hero. And the new party members that came along proved to be maddening for me as well - a scantily clad elf from the Woodlands who is hopelessly gullible, and an even scantier clad nutritionist who is the epitome of no brains and all brawn. I really hoped that these characters would develop over the course of the game, but after playing through the first 57% and seeing nothing to indicate any redeemable qualities, I just had trouble enjoying any of it.

Regretably the effortless combat continued to be a major drawback. I didn't have much patience as most battles turned out to be "One hit the first enemy using it's elemental weakness, then just do the basic attack with the other party members to finish off the others. Heal that 1hp you lost if you get the chance, because you may as well." I almost never felt in danger, and the excess of easy battles as I fully explored each region lead me to have so much money I ended up buying every item in the game that was available to me.

Visiting the game parlor early was an enjoyable reprieve from the tiresome combat and the frustrating story, but the pace of it was so slow I ended up making a move and then picking up my phone to scroll mindlessly for literal minutes while I waited for the NPC's to finish their turns. I didn't really care what they were doing - it didn't change my strategy of "get pairs of the highest numbers and win", which my opponents seemed to support as they threw away sets with high values for no discernable reason, handing me first-place.

But the final straw, the one that broke this camel's back, was a homophobic comment. In the game two men have a brawl, and after the winner is decided they shake hands and lock eyes for a moment. And the narrator makes some comment about how he hoped it was just friendship and nothing more, and that was it. After a long and exhausting day at work, I was just not in the mood to be subjected to this kind of bullshit. I finished the chapter with a few more tedious conversations and no battles of any kind (just used the right stick to skip straight to my destination), and that was it, time to uninstall.

This game had two saving graces. One was the table-top design which made me feel like I had the pleasure of playing D&D, although a solo experience with a character I had almost no influence over. It was still cool to receive a story from a Game Master, and see the battle board be laid on the table as dice were rolled. Secondly I must acknowledge the excellent score and soundscape. Every sound effect was perfectly crafted, and the music was enchanting and wonderful and always matched the tone.

Overall there were very few moments of this game that I enjoyed, and I found most of it tedious. I could not bring myself to play on for another few hours to see if the character growth really was worth the excrutiatingly humble origins, and I am doing a kindness to myself by not subjecting myself to any more of this painful grind. I cannot recommend this.