- “contrast“: Review of the micro card game
- This is how the magical duel plays out on the timeline
- Information, evaluation and conclusion
Time travel and magicians – that sounds like nice ingredients for a small card game. And then this: There are just 25 cards in the box. And the instructions explain that six of them are their own expansion. And one serves as an overview. Strictly speaking, you play “opposite” with only 18 cards. Which works wonderfully, as our test rounds have shown.
How does “contrast” play?
We tried out the card game extensively in the two-player variant, which also offers a fantasy background story. Each player is a sorcerer’s apprentice who travels through time using magic relics to collect magic crystals. The game depicts this as follows: The two players sit opposite each other with the timeline made up of relic cards between them. As a substitute for tokens, they use magic wand cards, which they move along the timeline as the game progresses.
Contrast: Watch the card game on Amazon
There are three relic cards in hand – and everyone tries to collect a “trio” (three times the same number, three times the same color or three times the same symbol). To do this, you play cards, travel through time with them and pick up the card at the appropriate “point in time”. Number cards correspond to steps on the timeline into the future, symbols or colors represent jumps into the past. Magic crystals (white wooden chips) beckon as a reward. Whoever collects five of them wins the game.
In addition to collecting cards, there is another way to get the coveted crystals: drag them to the position on the timeline where the opponent is currently located. Then there is a duel – the hand cards are revealed, the numbers are added up and whoever has the higher value can steal a magic crystal from the loser as the duel winner.
information and conclusion
According to the manufacturer, “Contrast” is a “microgame” that is supposed to offer “a surprising amount of game depth in just 25 cards”. After our rounds of testing, we can fully subscribe to this description. The game combines well-known mechanisms in an appealing way, which is why it is quick to explain and quick to play. Still, it’s nifty because you’re always faced with deciding which card to collect and which to draw. Above all, because the opponent can always snatch away the desired cards. And it is through the duels that interaction comes into play. It’s great that Frosted Games has fitted a solo expansion (plus another variant with increased difficulty) into the box. This can also be played well, but we still recommend “Contrast” as a two-player game.
We only give the game deductions in the B grade. The title “Contrast” is a bit boring (although the original title “Antinomy” doesn’t uproot any trees), it could have been a little bit more catchy. And while the cards are neatly designed, the cover is way too underpowered. As such, “opposite” is a classic case of “ugly duckling.” And of course you shouldn’t expect too much from the fantasy magic setting. As is so often the case with games, the theme is completely artificial. You never feel like a time-travelling magician, but rather like a card collector moving from position to position.
However, these small flaws are not particularly significant, the bottom line is that “Gegensatz” is a successful card game (not only, but above all) for two players. The claim doesn’t last for an entire evening, but it’s always good for one or the other revenge.
- Information about “contrast“ at a glance:
- Number of players: 1 to 2 players
- Age recommendation: from 10
- Duration: 20 to 30 minutes
- Publisher: Frosted Games
- Author: John Baluci
- Per:
- Quickly explained and quickly played
- Resourceful gameplay
- more demanding than it first appears
- with expansion for solo players
- Cons:
- Inconspicuous design
- Patch Theme (Time Traveling Sorcerer’s Apprentices)
- Editor’s rating: 8 out of 10 points
Conclusion: Magic duels on the timeline – “Contrast” doesn’t deliver what this story promises, but scores with an original combination of mechanisms and a catchy way of playing. An insider tip for everyone who is in the arduous search for good card games for two people.
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transparency notice: To test the game, the publisher provided us with a review copy without further conditions.
