Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond becomes one of the lowest rated games ever due to pay-to-win

Initially, Shadowverse was a lesser-known card game with a dedicated fanbase who truly appreciated it. The release of Worlds Beyond aimed to modernize the gameplay dynamics and provide Cygames an opportunity to establish a fresh strategy (meta). However, the debut failed to live up to expectations due to issues related to monetization.

Of course, being a free-to-play game like Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond, it needs to generate revenue through microtransactions to keep operating. This involves creating a system that motivates players to invest money, either on aesthetic items or even the cards themselves.

To long-term enthusiasts, Cygames pushed boundaries too much with Worlds Beyond. These fans, who were devoted to the original game, found the high expense of building a competitive deck in the sequel to be a major deterrent early on, leading many to abandon it.

This game has multiple aspects to its pricing system, and it can be challenging to grasp why some players are upset. It’s not only because prices have increased, though that’s a factor; there might be other underlying reasons contributing to their frustration.

Why is Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond getting negative reviews?

The main reason for these reviews is that the opportunity for free-to-play players to obtain a good quality deck has significantly decreased compared to the initial version.

In the initial version of Shadowverse, players received 100 units of the game’s non-premium currency (Rupies) and could open a pack. However, in Worlds Beyond, opening a pack requires 500 Rupies. While there are some alternative methods to earn these Rupies, it essentially takes five times as much effort to obtain free packs compared to the original game.

Challenges can be completed in Shadowverse to earn Rupies, but it’s a one time deal. Once you complete these challenges, getting free-to-play currency gets a lot harder

In my experience, crafting cards can be quite challenging, but thankfully, there’s a handy function called “Liquefy” that allows me to discard unwanted cards and receive vials in return. These vials serve as a versatile material for crafting any card I desire. This feature was present in the original game, but it has been significantly improved for Worlds Beyond.

In the game, players need to obtain three identical cards before they can transform or ‘Liquify’ them. This action eliminates the card from your collection, but rewards you with vials that can be used to create other cards. Interestingly, Worlds Beyond enforces a rule where even if a card seems unnecessary to you, you still need to collect three copies of it before it can be utilized for crafting purposes. This was not a requirement in the initial Shadowverse.

As a gamer, I’ve noticed that sometimes the number of vials I get for Liquifying cards has taken a significant dip, making the gameplay experience less balanced and more challenging.

This table shows the amount of liquidated earnings you received in the original Shadowverse. The Normal and Premium columns indicate the number of vials obtained by liquifying, while the Cost column displays the number of vials required to craft cards of that rarity.

Card Type	Normal Card	Premium Card	Crafting Cost
Bronze	10 Vials	30 Vials	50 Vials
Silver	50 Vials	120 Vials	200 Vials
Gold	250 Vials	600 Vials	800 Vials
Legendary	1000 Vials	2500 Vials	3500 Vials

To clarify, Premium cards differ from Normal ones as they are special, non-craftable foil versions. These cards are scarce, but if you don’t mind parting with them, they offer a large number of vials as compensation.

With that in mind, here’s how crafting breaks down in Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond:

Card Type	Normal Card	Premium Card	Crafting Cost
Bronze	10 Vials	30 Vials	50 Vials
Silver	20 Vials	50 Vials	90 Vials
Gold	200 Vials	450 Vials	750 Vials
Legendary	1200 Vials	2500 Vials	3500 Vials

The most popular category is the Silver cards. Now, it’s simpler to create them, but they provide 40% less vials compared to what they used to. On the other hand, Legendary cards offer more currency upon dismantling than earlier, but remember that you must obtain three identical copies of the card before you can start dismantling them for liquidation.

Participants have mentioned that the advancement through the Battle Pass seems to be moving at a slower pace compared to previous seasons, necessitating more effort or time spent playing to acquire the rewards.

As an enthusiast, I must say, in this captivating game of Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond, it’s not just about the thrill of the cards, but also the cost to unlock those packs of 10 cards. These packs come at a price of 1000 Crystals, which is their premium currency. If you’re aiming for the ultimate gaming experience and don’t mind splurging a bit, you can invest $80 to amass a whopping 5000 Crystals – talk about value for money!

As a dedicated enthusiast, I can’t help but share the exciting details about this game feature! You stand a chance to secure a Legendary item after 50 pulls, and there’s a Lucky Chest system in place that activates at the 250 pull mark, offering you more control over the specific Legendary you desire. However, triggering this feature will set you back by a substantial $400.

To put it simply, constructing a ‘meta’ deck that includes several Legendary cards might demand as much as $1000 for players. On the other hand, less expensive decks could potentially cost around $500, but this can vary significantly based on luck (RNG) and the specific free rolls you receive from events.

At the game’s launch, Worlds Beyond includes 37 unique Legendary cards. If certain decks necessitate having three identical copies of a single Legendary card, your odds of obtaining the specific one you need without significant investment are rather thin.

Each pack gives you 8 cards, with a guaranteed Legendary every 10 packs

And if you want more than one meta mainstay deck? You’re looking at a huge financial investment.

For example, the most effective Runecraft Spellboost deck, as per shadowverse.gg, incorporates 9 Legendary cards. Constructing this deck is referred to as a “challenge” due to its toughness in acquiring all these rare cards. Players who wish to amass sufficient vials to craft these Legendaries may end up spending thousands of dollars if they don’t have good fortune.

Players have revolted, sending negative reviews Shadowverse’s way in droves. It currently has over 10,000 Steam reviews with just 23% of them being positive, landing it the achievement of being the eighth worst reviewed game of all time at the time of writing.

2025-06-21 20:19

Why is Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond getting negative reviews?

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