Accuracy in Review: Kards

 

A match between a two players, one using the Japanese and another the British

One of my favourite settings in wargaming is World War 2, and another of my favourite generes in card-based combat. As such, I decided to try out this card-based video game called Kards. You can play it on mobile or steam.

In Kards, you build a deck using two nations -- a major nation (USA, UK, Japan, Germany or USSR) and a ally (the same five but Italy, Poland, Finland and France can only be played as an ally).

In this post I will be talking about the accuracy of the portrayal of World War 2, rather than the gameplay itself. For the gameplay, refer to the video review at the bottom of the post.

What the game gets accurate:
The encyclopedia
The game gets right by having an online encyclopedia in the deckbuilding part. The encyclopdeia explains the inspiration of each unit card. For instance, it describes the actions of Jade Division (1st Infantry Division of the Japanese army) during the liberation of Philippines.

In addition, the game also shows accurate pictures of the units in the encyclopedia.

The art of the cards
The art work tries to be time-accurate with the propaganda art of the time. Most of the art were freshly created so you can have glance at the war with a fresh look.

The campaigns
The game also lets you participate in single-player campaign missions based on the actions in North Africa, the Pacific Islands and the Eastern Front. During the campaigns, your card draws are limited and sometime time-based to reflect the scarcity and urgency of military battles.

What the game gets wrong:
The stereotypes/archetypes
As with any game, remember that Kards is a game first, rather than a textbook. As such, the game heavily plays into sterotypes of each faction. For instance, you are encouraged to be suicidal with your unit cards as the Japanese as many of the cards have post-destruction effects. This runs contrary to the Japansese defensive doctrine during the war, which was recognised as being much better than their offensives (especially in the late-war).

Overall
What I think is that this free game is worth trying out. While playing into sterotypes, ultimately the game does provide some educational value, especially in the area of military history.

I attached a gameplay review here: