Zero Division review

Deckbuilding for three different characters is enjoyable, but some balancing issues and bugs stain the experience.

Robot Cat Limited’s isn’t the first card builder with roguelike qualities. However, with its cyberpunk aesthetic, multi-deck management, and metagame progression that allows you to carry cards into your next run, it does have a few noteworthy features. Like most indie CCGs, there are some conspicuous balancing issues and at least a few glitches, at present. But there’s also potential as you guide a trio of operators across series of nodes in the game’s campaign.

Division’s optional tutorial explains the fundamentals, but you’ll have to learn most of the game’s nuances through attentive play. Your team is comprised of three operators: Guardian, Assault, and Specialist. Unsurprisingly, each is named after the role they play on your team, although flexibility is found in deckbuilding. Over time, you’ll unlock two additional variations for each archetype. These alternates bring their own unique abilities into battle, injecting a bit of variety into the game.

During combat, each operator has their own mini-hand of cards, shown beneath their character portrait. Each teammate can play as many cards as their individual AP pool allows, dispensing damage from offensive abilities, augmenting their armor, and activating offensive and defensive perks. Although some are operator specific, such as your Specialist’s capacity for generating holographic clones, other cards can be applied to any or even all of your allies.

Additionally, your operators have a direct attack which they can usually use at least once per turn. Rally cards can increase the number of these assaults, sporadically permitting your Assaulter to strike twice, although she’ll forfeit AP in the next turn. Additionally, there are the operator special abilities, which allow you to use a unique skill, without drawing from your AP pool.

Expectedly, success revolves around team synergy and doing your best when you’re dealt a few bad hands. For the former, you’ll want to scrutinize your hands and play methodically. One example is playing any cards that boost the attack power of all your allies, providing a bonus for each subsequent strike. Victory doesn’t just emerge from playing the best cards but playing in the right cards in a specific, strategic order.

Early on, it’s possible to face normal foes who’ll debuff the potency of your attacks. Dealing with these situations will undoubtedly test your patience. Likewise, bosses have some capabilities that can trigger frustration, such as the menace who spawned additional clones whenever it was attacked. The upside is that if an operator’s supply of health is drained, they’ll sit out the round, but they will be brought back for the next encounter – albeit with a portion of their starting health.

Another benefit is that there is some flexibility baked into Division. One example: you’ll encounter a card that let you swap a foes attack and armor ratings, letting you temporarily nullify the impact of a heavy hitter. As previously mentioned, your operators can serve different roles, so it’s possible to convert your Guardian into a heavy hitting tank as you acquire additional cards. Across the game’s battles, you’ll earn a resource called Mnemosynth, which can be used to keep cards for future runs. This can help to solidify a tactic, and there’s just enough card variation for this. But undoubtedly, Division needs more variety.

And while Division could also use more balancing, the game’s campaign structure is mostly commendable. Here, your team will move across maps, with different icons signaling fights against bosses and subordinates, shops, and events with branching decisions. Interestingly, there’s a supply resource that dwindles every time your team moves. Complete the map when it’s fully exhausted and you’ll gain a nice reward for your vigilance.  But enjoyment was hampered by bugs that did things like repossess unlocked items and some that caused the occasional crash. One final caveat: at least some of Zero Division’s artwork was crafted with artificial intelligence. The developers haven’t disclosed a specific percentage yet but there’s a generic quality to the characters and cards.

Given the number of first-rate CCGs on Steam, Zero Division can’t be recommended in its present state. Bugs can be irritating, but forfeiting progress is poised to infuriate players. As such, fans of CCGs might want to track the game’s progress. If these annoyances can be eliminated, managing a trio of decks and cultivating some team-based advantages could be agreeable.