Magic has always been known for its passionate fan base and expansive global community, and Magic 2015 – Duels of the Planeswalkers is a good continuation of the series that maintains the core gameplay elements while fine-tuning the experience.
This most recent iteration of Magic is currently available on PC, Xbox 360, and iOS and Android devices right now and will be coming to the Xbox One later next year. The game’s developer and publisher Wizards of the Coast is always showing a desire to expand to more platforms and their move to the Xbox One only emphasizes that.
If you’re new to Magic: The Gathering, or even if you’re familiar with the game, the tutorial is still a great place to start if you haven’t played any of the Duels of the Planeswalkers releases. If you have played any the previous installments, the controls remain basically unchanged and you can probably do without the tutorial unless you’re big on getting achievements.
The visuals are a bit sleeker this time around with a grey-scale color palette skin for the user interface that makes the colors that occur while playing your cards pop.
As far as gameplay goes, there really aren’t many changes from the 2014 release other than the presentation. The Single player campaign isn’t anything to write home about, but it’s entertaining and necessary if you want to play online because its the best way to unlock cards.
The biggest change from 2014 is that players now have complete customization of their deck and with the more expansive options players are given, comes much more vigorous approaches. For those who are transferring over from the physical card game, you’ll find the computer’s counters and augmentation aid to create a much more streamlined game.
After a few wins in the campaign, you’ll be rewarded with booster packs and the ability to take full advantage of the new fully customizable decks.
The sleeker interface and the greater control players now have with their deck make Magic 2015 a worthy successor within the series.