Since 2017, ex-proHearthstoneplayer andTempo Storm owner Reynadhas been working on a card game of his own. In 2018, this game was officially announced asThe Bazaarand was paired with a crowdfunding campaign, followed by the opening of pre-orders in 2019. But while Reynad has provided routine updates onThe Bazaar’s ongoing development, firm details about gameplay were missing. Now, Reynad’s finally ready to take the next step and talk gameplay.
In a lengthy video running over 70 minutes long, Reynad breaks down how he and the dev team arrived at the current state of the game. But once he reaches it,The Bazaarreveals itself. The unique card game involves each player having a board, as well as a center area dedicated to “adventuring.” The buy/adventuring phase involves the player purchasing new items or passives, or upgrading others from a random series of encounters in the bazaar.
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Here’s where things get interesting. The combat phase ofThe Bazaaris fully automated, not unlike anauto chess game. Each item or ability recharges and activates at a certain rate, triggering their effects throughout the combat phase. After 30 seconds, the combat phase ends and a new buy/adventuring phase begins. There doesn’t appear to be any interactive element during the combat phase, which is a curious decision. Players will have to respond to their opponent’s cards through the bazaar and the bazaar only to start winning combat, accruing score, and hopefully winning.
Reynad repeats throughout the video that this is simply a vertical slice ofThe Bazaar, a development build made to showcase what the game could look like. Any number of things could change between now and release, and some things have already been changed. But forcard game fans, the video will hopefully provide insight into what Reynad and the team are hopingThe Bazaareventually becomes. There are no updates on a planned release date, but progress is clearly being made.
