KARDS - The WWII Card Game

A WWII card battle sounds like a reasonable way to keep your brain occupied on a treadmill, but KARDS asks you to make decisions for other people to react to, so I’d save it for an easy walk or a gentle bike ride. It’s much more about thinking than moving your thumbs quickly, which helps a little.

Gameplay

The card game part works for me because the choices sound connected to the battle you’re trying to win, rather than being a pile of unrelated card effects with a war theme pasted on. You’re commanding forces on the ground, in the air, and at sea, and I like that those different parts of a battlefield give your decisions some shape. I’d be more interested in deciding how to approach a fight than trying to memorize a hundred card details. I’d still have to learn the cards.

There’s a nice difference between a game that keeps your hands busy and one that keeps your head busy, and KARDS sounds like the second kind. Building a plan around the cards you have is the sort of thing that could pull my attention away from the treadmill, especially when I’m trying to guess what another player might do next. Then I’d probably get caught thinking about the match and forget that I was supposed to be moving. That’s useful, up to a point.

Playing other people gives the strategy a reason to matter, but it also means I wouldn’t expect every match to feel relaxed. You can take a moment to consider your cards, and I think that’s a much better fit for exercise than aiming at something while the screen bounces around, but an opponent is still making choices too. I don’t know how much time each match gives you to think, so I wouldn’t promise myself that I could stop whenever I felt like it. It’s a card game, not a pause button.

The WWII setting gives the game a clear identity, and the mix of traditional CCG play with battlefield tactics sounds more interesting to me than just making the cards bigger and louder. I’m not going to pretend I can judge the balance from a store description, though, and that’s the part that would decide whether I stick with it. Free to play makes it easy to try, which is good, but I’d give it a little time before deciding whether its card strategy is worth putting more time or money into.

I’d start with a few matches and see whether I enjoy thinking through the choices or just feel like I’m trying to keep up with another player. There’s no long story sequence or action scene to sit through in the description, which is a plus for working out, and the turn based feel seems like it should leave room for thought. Some of that thought will probably happen while the treadmill keeps going without me.

Category Score: 2 out of 3

Treadmill and Bike Compatibility

The opponent is the part I’d plan around, not the battlefield. KARDS is built around challenging other players, so I’d choose a pace where I can keep my eyes on the screen and make deliberate inputs without wobbling toward the edge of the treadmill. A bike sounds easier for that, but I’d still keep the resistance low enough that I’m not trying to make a tactical decision while climbing a hill.

I don’t have confirmed controller support, so I wouldn’t buy it assuming I can play comfortably with a controller in my hands. I’d set it up with the controls I’m confident work for me before getting on any exercise equipment, because finding out halfway through a match that the controls feel awkward is a very boring kind of surprise. If you need to move a mouse around, that also means you’ll want a stable place for your computer and hands.

There’s no twitch aiming here, which is a real advantage over an action game, and I think the pauses between decisions could suit a slow workout. But your attention still has to move between your exercise and the cards, and online opponents don’t have to match your pace. I wouldn’t start with a hard run and hope the strategy somehow makes me better at multitasking. It probably won’t.

On a treadmill, I’d keep the speed low and avoid treating a match like something I need to win at any cost. On a bike, I’d probably be more comfortable because my hands and upper body can stay steadier, though I’d still want to keep the setup simple. If a match starts taking more focus than the workout, I’d finish the match and call that enough for today. The belt can wait.

Category Score: 1 out of 3

Computer Requirements

The listed minimums look modest, but the store page specifically says Intel integrated graphics aren’t recommended, so I’d check the graphics hardware before assuming an older laptop will be fine. A mid range graphics card from the last several years should be the safer target, and you don’t need a top end gaming computer for this.

Category Score: 2 out of 3

Conclusion and Score

KARDS sounds worth trying if you like card strategy and want a workout that gives you something to think about, but I’d keep the pace easy and the setup steady. For a fast run or a controller only setup, I’d pick something else.

Overall Score: 1.67 out of 3