Magic: Manastrike - Interview with Kay Kim

Manastrike will be out this January and is an all-new Magic: the Gathering experienced aimed at both old and new fans of the titular card game, but also the competitive MOBA game crowd.  While being an inherently pvp-oriented and competitive game, Manastrike proves to be easy to get into and have fun, while giving you that familiar nostalgia for card-slinging at the kitchen table.

You take control of your favorite Planeswalker, build a "deck" of units, represented by cards, and storm your opponents' base.  There are multiple ways to gain more cards, such as winning packs after matches, buying cards and packs from stores, and winning rank rewards from the leaderboards.

The game looks and feels fantastic, and reminds me of my days playing Star Wars: Force Arena.

The game is currently in soft-launch in Canada, but we got a chance to get some hands-on time, followed by an opportunity to speak with Kay Kim, the lead product manager for Netmarble Games, about his work on the game, and how his experiences have influenced the title.

GamePress

Hey Kay, if you could just introduce yourself a little bit for our community, so they have a better understanding.

Kay Kim

My name is Kay Kim, I'm the lead producer for Manastrike. I've been working at Netmarble for about four years, so I've been working with our development team for this product for about a little bit less than a year or a year and a half.

GamePress

Oh, wow. So it's been in development for a little while then, huh?

Kay

Quite a lot, yes.  So, I'm a huge fan of a real time PvP multiplayer games.  So there you go!

GamePress

Oh yeah, definitely that's kind of been a lot more appealing for mobile gamers the real time experience lately, especially with MOBAs. What can you tell us about Manastrike that kind of makes it stand out among others of its kind?

Kay

First of all, Manastrike is the first game to have the Planeswalkers as controllable characters across all the Magic: the Gathering games on mobile, so the Magic fans can actually play controlling the Planeswalkers on the battlefield. The next one will be obviously using the magic IP for a real time PvP multiplayer game. And we have 3D high quality graphics implemented into the game. Also, we have creating or forming decks and strategies involved in the game.  

So basically, you're gonna use your Planeswalkers. In addition, you'll have multiple units helping your Planeswalkers to defeat your opponent. Also, this game, it only lasts about three minutes per round, so it's quick and easy to play. Also, this game would have elements based on five unique colors of Planeswalkers, which is blue, red, black, green, and white.   Those are the basic key features of Manastrike that stand out from other real time PvP games out there.

GamePress

Yeah, I definitely noticed that the ability to play as the planeswalkers felt a lot more engaging rather than... you know, just the implication that you are one. Being able to pick your favorite ones from the franchise definitely seemed a lot more appealing in that regard.  I noticed that the game itself kind of seemed a little similar to Star Wars: Force Arena, and I noticed that you had some time on that game. How did that influence your work on Manastrike in general?

Kay

We're working with the same development team who worked on Star Wars: Force Arena. Also, I was a producer for Force Arena as well, back in the day. So the development team has learned quite a lot of stuff from Force Arena.  We had a lot of comments about difficult to control heroes or characters that were in Force Arena.  

So we wanted to look back into all those comments, and then tried to make improvements in Manastrrike. So one of the things that we did is remove the manually controlled character, or Planeswalkers... So in Manastrike, you'll be able to deploy your Planes walker, however you won't be able to control those characters like you did in Force Arena.

We wanted to make the overarching game content much simpler than Force Arena. So we wanted to make the game simpler, much more easy to control, and then much more quick-paced.

GamePress

Yeah, I noticed that it definitely felt a lot more fast paced, but it was also very accessible while being so fast paced. I did read an article in The Gamer that stated that, you know, it seemed to be more appealing to a more casual audience. But considering that, what are some things you would hope would appeal to veteran fans and players of the card games in general?

Kay

I think overall, the character you actually see in the cards for the Magic fans, you can actually see in 3D modeling, in the battlefield, and have the ability to control them and place them in the battlefield.  So basically, micromanagement of the characters you usually see on a card as a 3D model in the battlefield.  And also with the Planeswalker, I want to go back on that portion where you can control the Planeswalker, and use of their unique skills in particular.

GamePress

Right right, that was definitely something I found as like a kind of a parallel to the Force Arena thing that we talked about but it did definitely seem a lot easier to actually, you know, manage the hero instead of trying to attack the opponent while deploying units, and it made it more strategy-oriented rather than focused on quick play.

Kay

We wanted to also implement the various color traits for Planeswalkers, and then based on the color traits, users would have freedom to, you know, work around with the deck using cards. Which is very familiar for Magic fans, where they've always used the cards to create their decks.  I think that those parts would be very appealing to those fans, and be easily adaptable.

GamePress

Oh for sure. In my brief time with the game I found myself kind of going towards the Planeswalkers I liked the most, and the deck strategies that I identified with and it still gave me the feeling that I was in control of that.  

GamePress

We have the five main Planeswalkers in game like Jace, Lilliana, and the other main five (Chandra, Nissa, Ajani).  What are some other Planeswalkers you guys may have planned or are there any in game that you could actually talk about for the community at all?

Kay

We have like Sorin, Dovin, we have Garruk, Nahiri, Calix, Kiora... So definitely more Planeswalkers coming out on top of those five main walkers. And then we have a big cadence discussed with Magic. So we're going to try to follow their set release schedule with our update. And then so whatever they release, we're going to try to try to implement those into our game as new characters and cards.

GamePress

That's awesome! I was actually really curious about how there's a lot of sets released during the year and I was wondering, with all the sets and the new cards and so many Planeswalkers all the time, I was really curious about how you guys intended to release content and if you had intended it to run concurrent, or be related.

Kay

Definitely related to Magic: the Gathering set releases.

GamePress

I think that that will be something that can help appeal to newer players and older players because we see our favorite Planeswalkers and our favorite cards, and then seeing them released alongside sets in a different environment.

As a longtime Magic player, that definitely seemed like a really cool aspect; seeing it in a different format. You mentioned your relationship with Wizards of the Coast, earlier. So what kind of communication did they have with you on that and the direction that this communication manifests with the game and players in mind

Kay

Magic has been involved in development a lot, especially in the game balance and how we set up all the you know, the IP experience into the game. So we wanted to bring the IP to life on a mobile platform. So that was the main goal between us and Magic. But in terms of the communications, we have like weekly sprints; weekly cadence of weekly discussions with magic, mainly talking about how to improve the games balance for all the players out there. And then how Magic the Gathering players would be very easily noticing all the familiarities of the cards and Planeswalkers.

So basically bringing the full experience of the Magic IP into Manastrike, was the main objective.

GamePress

That's awesome. I mean, I know what a hot-button topic with a lot of players in mobile games especially is the communication that's developed between players and the developers and then the developers and other teams of these IPs. Hearing that Wizards and the Magic: the Gathering crew has been so involved, and that there's been open communication really kinda makes makes people hopeful.  I can definitely see where that would be especially appealing in an environment like this.  It's refreshing to see this strong communication with the players, and the game balance especially, in mind.

Kay

That's the very valuable kind of feedback that we will always listen to and have open ears to. The players always talk about the balance.

GamePress

Oh, absolutely, especially when it comes to mobile games with how many have been released, and game balance is definitely one of the major concerns with players because it gets awfully competitive in these types of environments. So you said you're a Magic the Gathering fan right?

Kay

Yes and no... (laughing)

GamePress 

So you haven't actually played much of the card game itself?

Kay

I've tried a little bit, but I wasn't that into Magic.  Maybe it's a different generation, or I don't know... It's just I'm more like a "gamer", not like a card gamer or tabletop.  But I'm always interested in those games as well!

GamePress

Totally understandable! I mean card games aren't exactly everybody's cup of tea, and with how old Magic is it's it's awfully deep, so it's it's sometimes hard for for new players and hopefully this is a more inclusive element. 

It already seems very easy to pick up and adapt to the  difference between the card game and the MOBA. So I think that the bridging element is pretty strong there. Do we have any  content already planned for like releasing after the game? Not going directly into what it is or when, but you know... is it going to be something regularly updated or primarily just in line with the sets themselves?

Kay

I think it's more related to set release, but at this time our primary focus is launching the game to the public and global, so we're focusing more on that area for now.

GamePress

Absolutely, absolutely.  I know that pre-registration just opened on the 9th of this month.  Is there anything you can tell us at all about a tentative release date or any plans of that?

Kay

It's going to be end of January.

GamePress

Oh? So right around the corner?'

That's great! I noticed that it seemed really fleshed out.  I didn't notice any problems in the build that I was able to have face-time with.  So it looked really far along and really designed well.

Kay

We're pretty excited to pump this out to the global audience.

GamePress

So is there anything else that you could possibly tell us about the game at all? Any special features or anything? Oh, wait, that's right, there was something I really wanted to ask. 

Every Planeswalker has a special ability, like their exclusive niche and you don't actually have to control them. They act on their own, but you have that special ability. What kind of steered you towards like choosing those abilities for each Planeswalker?

Kay

I think those skills went through a lot of discussions internally, and we had to determine which skills are more suitable to a Planeswalker's traits and their character, and we wanted to not be too far away from the IP.

GamePress

Oh for sure!  I've been playing a lot of Lilliana lately, as she seemed really strong just in general.  Her special ability in particular seems very powerful for actually being able to take a base or building.

Kay

Yeah!  She's pretty awesome.  Who's your favorite Planeswalker? [laughing]

GamePress

Honestly?  Tezzeret.  I've read some books about him, and he always seemed more unique.  He wasn't the heroic Planeswalker traveling the multiverse, righting wrongs.  He was more of the anti-hero, and seemed more to me like a conflicting force against Nicol Bolas.  I was more drawn into the character with that whole aspect.  And blue and black is one of my favorite color combinations in the card game, so I've been having a lot of fun with him in game.  But I felt that my favorite in game was more toward Lilliana for a mechanically strong character.

Speaking of strong, I noticed that the game isn't very "premium currency dependent".  You can actually progress by simply grinding and completing daily quests.  So what was something that brought you into more being able to farm out for new Planeswalkers, for example, or other cards, rather than just buying them?

Kay

So we wanted to make the game free to play... entirely. So the full experience would be free to play and you can progress further without paying anything. But we wanted to, like you said we wanted to offer multiple Planeswalkers from the shop. However, players can purchase those Planeswalkers spending soft currency which is gold. You can acquire gold from just playing games and, you know, winning will give you a lot more gold, but you'll still gain both from just playing. 

And we have another currency, which is a hard currency, gems. But gems are solely for those players who want to progress further and then just quickly become powerful in a short amount of time. But like I said, the game is free to play and that was our core goal for the monetization. So yeah, game is the game also has a "Pass" feature, which is very popular across the gaming industry. I'm pretty sure you're familiar with the system as well, but we have implemented that feature here. But we're gonna allow players to acquire a lot of free rewards without actually upgrading the Pass. So the full experience will be free to play. So we don't want players to feel like they're forced to pay or have to pay to progress further.

GamePress

Right. Yeah, I noticed that it wasn't, you know... I didn't feel pressured. I didn't feel like I wasn't strong enough to actually win matches. And I found that there was a lot of free rewards daily. The shop feature in particular was kind of interesting because there's a free item in the shop every day, and then you can have one free refresh of the shop daily too. And the free item often changes and I thought that that was like an awfully unique feature, what kind of things made you kind of gravitate towards offering things like free cards and other things rather than just being a full purchasable shop?

Kay

I think free items should be always, you know... given to players just for their loyalty, and just to keep going in the game, because we don't want any players to, like I said, to feel like they have to pay upfront for everything.

GamePress

No, that's awesome. That's actually something really important for players is to have; that loyalty actually appreciated. A lot of these players put in lots of work and effort, not even just money, but they're emotionally invested.  Especially in an IP as big and as popular as Magic. But it definitely felt like I didn't need to pay and that the game was achievable. 

And you have this non-restrictive progression just by playing and logging in and being current. You can win packs and other cool stuff like that. So I definitely... I had that magic experience of being able to pop packs without having to really... you know, go out on a limb. And yeah, I've I played a lot of mobile games and a lot of them really come down to how much can you spend, and it's refreshing to see players be rewarded for routine or regular play and continued face time with the game rather than just money.  

So, I think that's super important for longevity and sustainability, and all this stuff we've gone over is really great. It's super exciting; I've actually had a lot of fun playing it. I've logged in every day, admittedly, and I've been fighting for the top spots. I think last time I was on I was ranked five but someone was pushing me back.

Kay

Wow that's super impressive [laughing]. What rank are you?

GamePress

Um, let's see. I was ranked on the leaderboards, last I checked... seventh or six.

Kay

Wow, that's pretty high.

GamePress

But and I know that it's it's currently in soft launch, right?  So I'm not the only player?

Kay

Yeah.

GamePress

Oh, so there are a bunch of players on there.  But it didn't feel like I was really barred on progression, and that I could just make a deck and have fun and be rewarded for regular play.

Kay

I'm really glad that you're enjoying the game, and actually playing the game all the way up to rank 7, which requires a lot of effort right there [laughing]

GamePress

Thanks! I mean.. like I said, I was just having some fun, and Liliana seems really strong. So I'm actually worried to see a bunch of people get wise to that. But I think that's all the questions I really had. You guys have been great, and answered really everything I wanted to know and more.  

Is there anything else you could probably tell us that we might not have gone over at all?

Kay

Nope, I think that's everything.

GamePress

Perfect! Perfect!  You guys have been great and this has been an awesome experience.  Honestly I was a little nervous because I've played a lot of Netmarble games in the past, so to meet the people responsible for that has been really enjoyable.

Kay

Thanks for your time.  I really appreciate it. 

As a Magic: the Gathering player since 1996, I found that I wanted to give the game a try simply based on the fact that it's an MtG title.  However, I found that there wasn't anything hindering me from making a competitive deck if I had no knowledge of the cards previously.  Cards in this game don't function exactly like their cardboard counterparts, and the mechanics have translated well into this environment of real-time PvP. 

I'm excited to see what events are planned for the future, as well as the cards we could see make a debut from cardboard to mobile phone.

Magic: Manastrike is set to launch within the next few days.  You can follow the countdown on their official twitter page, as well!

What are you looking forward to in ManaStrike? What guides would you like to see here on GamePress? Be sure to comment below and join the discussion!