Bazooka Tango has launched a 10-day playtest to preview its Shardbound blockchain game in partnership with Immutable games.
Bazooka Tango is an indie game studio led by the former creators of Vainglory, Bo Daly, and Stephan Sherman. They’re inviting gamers into the next evolution of digital battle card games with the Ascent to the Shards playtest, a 10-day exclusive preview for the upcoming Shardbound Web3 collectible game.
The playtest, which runs from February 21 through March 1, will be available on a limited, first-come, first-served basis for 2,000 players who sign up at www.shardbound.com. Immutable Games is lending its Web3 expertise to Shardbound as a strategic partner as it will co-develop and co-publish the game.
Coming on the heels of a $5 million funding injection to accelerate Shardbound’s launch, Bazooka Tango has fine-tuned the game’s tactical card combat, responding to feedback gathered from early community playtests last year. Now, with the Ascent to the Shards playtest, Shardbound aims to transform mounting anticipation into mainstream fandom.
Ascent to the Shards offers an alternative view of the storyline. This view tells the story of Venerator Wynn, the antagonist who sabotages the main characters, Petra and Sabine, in their quest.
Daly, cofounder of Bazooka Tango, said in a statement, “We can’t wait to show the next major step in our development process, including new features like fresh gameplay content, a new game UI, updated card distribution systems, additional 2D card art, testing card progression, and more.”
Following positive reviews from the Alpha preview in August 2023, Bazooka Tango has enhanced Shardbound’s gameplay loop and card progression. Ascent to the Shards introduces a new card distribution system, a free battle pass, quests, updated spell and equipment leveling, starter decks, post-game rewards, and new cards, art, and starter decks.
Moreover, a new cohort of content creators, including notable players like Kripparian, BruceGreene, YellowPanther, and others, will participate in the playtest, following the success of the initial Shardbound Creator Campaign.
With over 85,000 players pre-registered and Shardbound was named a GAM3 Awards finalist for Most Anticipated Game for 2024, the game combines intricate gameplay, vibrant characters, and immersive worlds. It fuses elements of trading card games (TCG), tactical maneuvers, and digital collectibles. Upon launch, Shardbound will leverage the newest blockchain technology powered by Immutable zkEVM, promising cost-efficient scalability and robust security.