Magic in the air…
Mercurial, at first glance, gives a sense of splendor with a game structure and mechanics that seem similar, working up from the lowest row of cards to the highest but, in fact, it is far beyond that. Its mix of incredible cards and colourful dice allow you the sensation of casting powerful magic, and the restorative or disruptive rewards it reaps.
Simple but effective gameplay loop keeping you on your toes….
In Mercurial you use a combination of dice and cards to claim spell cards that give you the points to gain hero cards, this may sound like a lot but once you get into the flow it’s actually quite simple. At the start of every round each player rolls their dice to see the sides it lands on and from there, they can use their dice to claim the spell cards. Of course, you will not get the right side of the dice for every single one and therefore you will need to change them, this is where the alteration cards come into play. These will be used to change your dice for more favourable results.
Once you have assigned enough dice to your spell cards you will be able to cast and use them to claim heroic cards based on what you produce, the harder the heroic card is to get the better its rewards will be, allowing for a better chance to win the game. You keep playing the game until someone completes their fourth heroic action and from there you will score your cards to see the results.
Magic in the air…
Mercurial, at first glance, gives a sense of splendor with a game structure and mechanics that seem similar, working up from the lowest row of cards to the highest but, in fact, it is far beyond that. Its mix of incredible cards and colourful dice allow you the sensation of casting powerful magic, and the restorative or disruptive rewards it reaps.
Simple but effective gameplay loop keeping you on your toes….
In Mercurial you use a combination of dice and cards to claim spell cards that give you the points to gain hero cards, this may sound like a lot but once you get into the flow it’s actually quite simple. At the start of every round each player rolls their dice to see the sides it lands on and from there, they can use their dice to claim the spell cards. Of course, you will not get the right side of the dice for every single one and therefore you will need to change them, this is where the alteration cards come into play. These will be used to change your dice for more favourable results.
Once you have assigned enough dice to your spell cards you will be able to cast and use them to claim heroic cards based on what you produce, the harder the heroic card is to get the better its rewards will be, allowing for a better chance to win the game. You keep playing the game until someone completes their fourth heroic action and from there you will score your cards to see the results.
This gameplay loop is incredibly fun and engaging with its minor details, creative cards and easy to learn but hard to master mechanics. Players are encouraged to approach the game in a multitude of ways and depending on the player count they are also encouraged to be more adaptive in how they play, as they are encouraged to be ready to change which spell cards they claim as other players take their desired ones first.
Thankfully, the game has enough variety to keep it engaging but not too much as to remove a player’s progression in the game, and this is exactly what we want from a game, you want to be kept in the game but have enough reason to come back time after time.
A beautiful world ready to protect or destroy…
What also stands out about this beautiful game is the artwork and how creative it is, with a theme of magic based upon elements it knows how to use this theme and make each card and dice shine. Full of intriguing characters spells that show clearly their power and heroic cards that encourage storytelling for everyone, not to mention the alteration cards that help visibly show what they do for the most part.
After more than 10 games with this masterpiece the only problem I will say is the alteration cards as at first they are quite confusing and even after multiple games they force me to reference the reference sheet. The symbols on this card work in stark contrast to both the spell and heroic cards which both have few symbols explaining their function with ease.
Thankfully the reference sheets are easy and streamlined to use with one for each player meaning your secret schemes can be played with ease and you can very quickly plan your next moves.
Mercurial also has a great solo mode which keeps the core mechanics of the game but allows a fun engaging way for you to play and prepare yourself for a larger game with more people. Essentially the game acts exactly the same with one minor difference you move each row of cards one over so that you have one less card to play with, like a ticking clock to see how much you can do in the time you have.
Overall
Mercurial is a great game that allows for fun and simple games with fun creative artwork, you will find yourself interested in the creative world this game is set in wanting to play more and more after each game. Have fun challenging your friends to see who is the best wizard and claim the heroic prize for your own.
Zatu Review Summary
Zatu Score
85%
