Brand New Game From Japan: Shikihime Garden

The headline is a quote from the trailer for the recently translated Shikihime Garden, which isn't a brand new game at all. However, since the English language version has just gone live, this is good a time to talk about it as any. It's a free-to-play browser-based (or Book of Faces) game, which may well avoid certain free-to-play sins thanks to the absence of paid-for boosters. You can't pay your way to the top and the game instead rewards skill and 'patience'. The cynic in me is barking about the similarities between the patient man and a grindstone. As for the activities involved, they range from deck building and turn-based combat to gardening.

Wot's that all about then?

In card mode, players will be able to build decks with a variety of Shikihime cards and monster cards to defeat fierce enemies to obtain valuable items as well as to extend the world map. In simulation mode, Shikihime Garden looks like a variant of gardening game which is popular on social networks like Facebook. Players can decorate their garden with various objects to make it a comfortable place for Shikihime to rest, relax and train for upcoming battles. Besides, RPG elements will be applied for every playable cards, i.e. players will need to pay attention to similar attributes like Strength, Defense, Agility, skills when enhancing their cards.

Shikihime are the ladies you see in the trailer. The website informs me that if I "love Shikihime they will be close to [me]..." Jolly good. I'll need them close because it sounds like the game is all about sending them into battle against wild monsters to earn coin for garden upgrades.