Coming later this year a new game from indie developing studio Naked Sky is merging trading card game dynamics with some streamlining to create an accessible but fun and compelling mobile game. The game is called Backyard Battles and theme wise it is what every kid did when they would play outside with friends. Make forts that to them are castles and have weapons that we see as sticks and cardboard but to them are wands and swords.
Strategy in Backyard Battles comes in the form of creating your own squad of child warriors ranging from soldiers (both modern and ancient), wizards, superheros, etc. and equip them with their imaginary weapons. Games are turn-based and asynchronous where you need to attack your opponent but also worry about your fort being destroyed. The card collecting and strategy involved in that is being likened to Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh but Naked Sky says that it will be more approachable.
Part of Naked Sky’s initiative to make Backyard Battles less of a CCG is actually removing the cards….yes a card game without cards. Replacing the cards are essentially the “real” items that represent weapons your squad can use. For instance a water soaker which then with the power of childhood imagination becomes a laser rifle. So the basic card game ideas are there but in a different form that differs from traditional CCG gameplay. So far there are 20 childhood heroes in Backyard Battles ranging from robots (kids in cardboard boxes), pirates, knights, snipers, fairies, dragons, firemen, etc. which all have unique abilities and forts can be built differently to reflect your heroes. Again, no firm release date on Android yet but Backyard Battles should be out this year and I personally can’t wait.
