Overview
This game is no longer supported and NFT support / development has ceased. Leaving the article up. Do not play.
Castle Crush is a free-to-play iOS/Android game with over 75 million-lifetime downloads. Players duel in 1v1 real-time battles using a deck of cards to crush their opponent’s Castle. It is a unique multiplayer strategy game where players use decks of powerful spells and legendary monsters to engage in epic duels. In June, Wildlife (developers) updated the existing mobile game to activate optional NFTs powered by Avalanche. The game now incorporated NFT mechanics into it; it consists of Ascended versions of the current 68 game cards. The Ascended cards are part of a new tier in the game – the Mythical tier – beyond the four existing ones (common, rare, epic, and legendary). The NFTs will be incorporated sometime in mid-August into the main game.
Castle Crush and Avalanche Partnership
Castle Crush will utilize the subnet features of the platform, which let developers of decentralized apps customize their implementation, just like other games built on Avalanche. This implies that developers can choose the coin they want to use for gas payments and make other adjustments that may differ from the strategy utilized by the larger Avalanche network.
Gameplay
Players must defend their base and destroy their opponents to win the game. The gameplay has many similarities to the popular mobile game Clash Royale. Players utilize cards in real-time (rather than turn-based) play to do this while responding to the tactics of their opponents. Players are required to select a deck of 14 cards before the combat starts. There are two types of cards: Minion cards and Spell cards.
When Minions are deployed on the battlefield, they advance in the direction of the enemy’s Castle and will attack the first enemy Minion or Castle that gets into range. Instantaneously taking effect, spell cards can drastically change the nature of the conflict by, among other things, directly assaulting the opposing Castle or vaporizing an enemy Minion. The battle takes place on three lanes that connect the Castles. Cards are deployed in one of the lanes and take effect immediately.
Every 7 seconds, players receive a new card. Players can hold up to 6 cards. If a player already holds six cards during the next card draw, the drawn card will be burned!
Players never run out of cards to draw because after every card in a deck is drawn, it is reshuffled. Mana Crystals, or simply “Mana,” are a resource used by both Minion and Spell cards. Mana regenerates continuously at a rate of 0.5 per second. The maximum Mana supply is only two when the conflict begins. The maximum Mana additionally rises by one each time a card is drawn (every 7 seconds), up to 12 Mana.
There are distinct early, mid, and late-game periods. Only low-cost Mana cards are playable at the beginning of the battle; as it goes on, stronger cards are activated. As a result, players must balance their decks so that they contain cards in all Mana ranges. After 45 seconds of continuous fighting, mana regeneration doubles to one Mana per second. Players now receive not one, but two cards every seven seconds during card draws, which have also been doubled.
Castles do not have defensive capabilities. If a Minion reaches the end of a lane, they will start attacking the Castle. The opponent will either have to neutralize Minions that reach their Castle with a Spell or protect the Castle with a Minion card (Minions block Castle damage). Castle HP is shared between all three lanes – this means players can decide to ignore one or even two lanes and rush their opponent in the remaining lane(s). Once castle HP reaches 0, the match is over.
The NFT and Play-to-Earn Mechanics
Castle Crush NFT can be played using the Avalanche network. There are 68 unique cards in the game and players must assemble a deck of 14 cards, including minions and spells, before entering battle. There are four levels of card rarity: Common, Rare, Epic, and Legendary. With the exception of legendary cards, which can only be placed once in a deck, any card can be placed up to two times. Up to five favorite decks can be saved by players, but only one can be used during a battle.
Ascending cards will unlock a feature of a card to new levels. Ascended Cards will be stored in the blockchain as NFTs. Regular Ascended Cards and special Ascended Cards known as Founder Cards, both of which feature higher stats and distinctive in-game skins and animations, will be available as NFTs. Founder Cards will come with extra incentives and advantages.
By using NFT cards to win matches, players can earn AP (Ascension Points). For the first win alone, a card will provide a certain amount of AP each day (using a deck with that NFT). The AP generation will grow according to the card’s tier, the player’s league, and clan ranking. According to their Twitter page starting August 15, players can use these Ascended Cards (NFT cards) to earn Ascension Crystals (ASC). Below is a description of these variables’ multiplier effects.
| Tier | Base Ascended | Ascended + 1 | Ascended + 2 | Ascended + 3 | Ascended + 4 |
| Common | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 16 |
| Rare | 2 | 4 | 8 | 16 | 32 |
| Epic | 4 | 8 | 16 | 32 | 64 |
| Legendary | 8 | 16 | 32 | 64 | 128 |
| Founder | 24 | 48 | 96 | 192 | 384 |
Castle Crush’s currency is called Ascension Crystals ($ACS). Players can earn an additional $ACS by selling NFTs at the end of the process as well as via daily, seasonal, and other in-game events (such as tournaments). Players use them to enhance and mint (acquire) cards as well as to take part in in-game activities.
Managing Your Deck
There are two primary ways to get Cards. The first option involves using the in-game store, where players can buy particular Cards with real-world money (Gold) or by buying Chests with real-world money. The second strategy is playing games. Players will receive a Chest as compensation for victories in battle. Up to 4 Chests can be held by a player. One Chest may only be accessed at once. Chests must be opened over a period of time; for example, Silver Chests unlock after 3 hours. In addition, players can instantly access chests by using gems, a hard currency that is typically bought with a credit card.
You can also get cards from droppable chests throughout the game, though getting a card that way is very hard.
To Wrap It Up
Castle Crush may be one of the many mobile games that are seeing the Web3 potential. Although it is still early to say something about the game, Wildlife’s partnership with Avalanche is a big step toward mobile games and Web3 partnership. Castle Crush’s intuitive gameplay can help people understand how play-to-earn games work. It also appeals to a wide audience of gamers (casual and more hardcore) with their announcements of esports events. There are a lot of good competitive mobile games out there, and sometimes it’s just waiting for a collaboration like this.
What do you think? Does castle crush have what it takes to bring in gamers into web3? Comment below and let’s discuss.