Art by Sandara, Artist for Flamecraft
This has easily been the most anticipated game for me since first backing it last year. The moment my fiance turned to me filled with excitement about this cute game she had come across on Kickstarter, and showed me the adorable banner art from the page, I knew I had to have it. And now, a year and as much patience as I could muster later, I have it and I can officially say: Flamecraft was worth the wait.
Filled with so much character, the art of Flamecraft brings to life a bustling, busy, world where dragons work alongside people to make daily life magical. Different types of Artisan dragons work alongside shops that provide different goods, helping the shop thrive and filling it with colourful friends to go and visit.
I could rave all day and night about the art, the theme, the just perfect aesthetic of the game. But that can't possibly be enough to make it my best played game of the year, surely.
No its the simple and quick, yet dynamic and evolving gameplay alongside those perfect aesthetics that got the game its gold star.
Flamecraft features location based resource gathering as its core, complimented by upgrading those locations through 2 ways. Every time you visit a shop, you gather up the goods it provides, like potions, breads, meats, gems. Then, if you have a dragon who's type can work at the shop, you get to add them there so that the sop will be better next time. There's a reward for filling the spot, which varies depending on which slot it is, and eventually the type of shop as more will open up in town as the game goes on. There is a HUGE variety of shops to see, with some absolute treats in designs and themes.
Once you've gathered resource you can start scoring points. This is done, primarily, through enchanting shops to boost their resource output further. You spend the goods you've obtained to add an upgrade, and get a reward in Reputation, the points for the game. There's two different Enchantment decks as well, one featuring more advanced, and harder to complete, requirements.
Lastly come the Fancy Dragons, who are extra ways to score. Some have a requirement to fulfill as the game plays, while others sore at the end of the game when everything is finished. Trying to play around your Fancy dragons can be the difference between winning and losing.
I adore this game with all my heart, and hope that it can find its way into your homes.
Until next time,
-Blair
