Artifact is a trading card game released in November 2018 by Valve Corporation, the makers of the famous Dota series. Accordingly, Artifact is also set in the familiar game world of the modern multiplayer classic Dota 2. The leading developer was the renowned card game expert Richard Garfield. Where might you know Richard Garfield from? The legendary trading card game Magic: The Gathering is his brainchild! Valve Corporation wanted to make sure that an absolute expert with enormous experience in the genre supervised and monitored the new project.
Artifact manages to transplant familiar game elements from Dota 2 into a card game in a creative way without seeming forced or artificial. The playing field is divided into three "lanes", each of which has a tower. If you can manage to destroy two of your opponent's towers, you've won the game! You can also destroy your opponent's "ancient" or bet that their time limit will run out. The different ways to win a game give a lot of room for tactics and strategies.
The game is playable on the Windows PC, macOS or Linux operating systems, mobile versions for Android or iOS have been in the planning stage for some time. As is usual with collectible card games, you can constantly expand your collection of cards. While you can unlock some cards in the game itself, you also have the option of purchasing additional card packs. A deck consists of at least 40 cards in Artifact, which leaves a lot of room for individual design. You can rely on numerous different characters and items, which significantly increases the replay value.
Artifact is aimed at a variety of players. On the one hand, it is interesting for classic fans of trading card games, but on the other hand also for passionate players of Dota 2. While Dota 2 must be classified in the "Multiplayer Online Battle Arena" category, Artifact takes the well-known game world of Dota 2 and transports it into a completely different genre. So for fans of Dota 2, familiar things are presented in a completely new context, which is one of the attractions of Artifact. Artifact is completely focused on its multiplayer mode, there is no classic single-player mode. However, you can first practice against a computer opponent in a tutorial to get familiar with the rules and gameplay elements.
You'll also be graced with familiar sounds, as the soundtrack was composed by Tim Larkin, who was also responsible for the music of Dota 2. The connection between Dota 2 and Artifact is made clear by the fact that author Steve Jaros has written background stories for characters from both games. It was important to the developers to build bridges between Artifact and Dota 2 in different ways. Both games also use the same game engine, "Source 2", which is used frequently by Valve.
Artifact received very good reviews on many reputable gaming websites and was nominated for numerous 2019 G.A.N.G. Awards.
