Uncharted: Fight for Fortune is unlike any Uncharted game that came before it. This is a card game spin-off exclusively for Vita (much to many fans' disappointment). It is a small downloadable game that's very cheap in price but don't let that stop you as Fight for Fortune is quite fun, even if it is a bit luck-based at times. There is no story here, you are pitted against 17 characters, all based off from Drake's Fortune and Golden Abyss. There are two DLC packs where there are more cards based off Uncharted 2 and Uncharted 3. In order to unlock everything, you will need to defeat each character five times; this ends up being tedious and repetitive. The card game itself is easy to learn but has some strategic depth to it such that each session is fresh and fun. It can get complicated and there was times where you will need to plan several moves in advance.
There are four main phases of the game; the first phase involves you placing a character card onto the game mat. Characters fall into one of three categories: Heroes, Villains and Mercenaries. There are no major differences between the three categories although you will notice the special of effects of Heroes are usually banking extra fortune cards and Villains can damage characters when put into play. Each character card will require a certain amount of points within their respective faction, and you earn one point in each faction per turn. You will have to decide whether to spend all your points to put out a powerful character or put out a low cost character first to defend for a while. The next phase involves the player selection one of three face down cards, once chosen, you have the option to either "bank" it straight away to earn 5 fortune points or place it onto a character in the hopes of banking the full amount (ranging from 9 to 40+ points) once that character defeats an enemy.
The third phase is where you get to use your fortune points to place resource cards. These are support cards which can boost a character's attack or defense, or even damage the opponent's life directly. The last phase is the attack phase, all character cards will attack int he order of left to right. The exception is if you placed your character card in that same turn in which they will have to wait until the next turn before it can attack. Each character has a life point and an attack point. Once a character's life point reaches zero, they are discarded from the game mat back to your "deck" (i.e. the first phase). The aim of the game is usually to reduce your opponent's life to zero.
If you play Fortune Hunter mode, which is the main single player mode of the game, it spices things up by having different victory conditions such as surviving for a certain number of turns or banking a certain amount of fortune points. Every time you win against a character and then challenge them again, the difficulty raises up a notch. One of the annoying things about the game is that you cannot customize your playing cards in Fortune Hunter mode. As certain characters put you in a handicap at the start of the match, it can be very luck based in how the opponent reacts and places their cards. You can try restarting the match in the hopes of a better set of cards (your deck doesn't change for the rest of that match) but it is quite frustrating when it boils down to luck and not skill in the higher difficulties. The fact that the developers make some of the matches so unfair (such as the enemy already having three ready to attack cards on the first round) is a really douche move and will definitely leave a sour taste to an otherwise fine game.
The other notable gameplay element is that if you have played Uncharted: Golden Abyss, and earned certain Trophies, they will provide a boost to your fortune cards. This makes the game a lot easier at times. Lastly there is multiplayer but unfortunately it is not live. It is asynchronous multiplayer in which you make a turn and wait for the player to make their turn, which can be anywhere from a few seconds to a few days. Matches must be finished within three days and as of this date, it is extremely hard to find a game, especially one where the opponent doesn't quit just as you're about to win. A difference here compared to the single player is that you can customize your deck to a degree as you're allowed to exclude certain cards from being selected into your deck.
Being a card game, the graphics and music are not anything special to write home about. It is good enough for what it is and frankly, you don't expect too much from something this small and cheap. Longevity is achieved by the collection of all cards, avatars, card backs and game backgrounds. The game can only be played using the touchscreen, Fight for Fortune has no physical button mapping. The load times are just a tad longer than you would like. Overall, Uncharted: Fight for Fortune is a very different experience. It is not a bad thing and at times, the game can be addictive. That is until you hit a difficulty spike in which you can only overcome through sheer luck. If you're interested in card games, then definitely give Fight for Fortune a try but be prepared to rage.
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