FatCat TCG proudly presents
An Indie TCG Spotlight:
Tetraverse
Tetraverse TCG is a multiplayer trading card game where each player represents an elemental kingdom from the world of Akhira.
The inhabitants of Akhira harness the magical power of mana-resources scattered throughout the land to master elemental abilities.
In this turn-based strategy game, players place equippable Tamers and Animas, upgradable Structures, mana-generating Landscapes, and hidden Trap cards to control the playing field.
First Impression:
We first learned about Tetraverse from a suggested post on Instagram, and we were immediately drawn to the art. The game has many artists, and tons of different styles, which helps to keep the cards feeling fresh and interesting. While looking through the card list of the "base set" called Realm of Akhira, we found ourselves wanting to know more and more about this game. We joined the Discord community and started to try and get a feel for the game. One of the main creators of the game is extremely active, they still host giveaways, and there has been more activity in the chats as the release for the new set approaches. The fact that the creators are still so active and quick to respond is a great sign of care for their community. They have been regularly posting updates on how the development has been going, as well as new game mechanics!
Cards and Product Design
It's no secret that the most important part of a trading card game is the art. It's what catches people's attention, keeps them interested in the game, and helps players develop a bond to the characters that they enjoy. Tetraverse has done a fantastic job on all fronts with this. The packaging on all of their products looks clean, and simple. No distracting text, no random symbols all over the place, just a clean design overall.
Once it gets to the cards, we had only one small gripe. On some of the cards, there are signatures, and sometimes these signatures got in the way of the art on the card. This may have just been a personal gripe, but we look forward to seeing how the next set (Mana Frontier) is going to look!
Creator Q&A
Where did the idea of Tetraverse come from?
The idea for Tetraverse originated from a computer game we were developing and a story we wrote ourselves. Our writer helped develop this story into something much more concrete and built a world behind it. The computer game was originally called “Tetra” and was essentially a grid based tower domination game, inspired from chess. The cards you drew were primarily towers, no tamers or anima. Tetraverse enhanced the gameplay to include additional units and a variety of different card types. Tetra counts your score based on Tile control and the strength of your units in play, while Tetraverse relies on a different strategy since the objective is to destroy your opponent’s Castle and develop your units to attack while also protecting your own Castle. We also wanted to incorporate more collectability into the game, and have a physical card game rather than primarily a digital one. The story originally had 4 main islands/land segments but was expanded to create a world governed by over a dozen nations. The narrative originally overlooked the entire planet as a whole, while now we build the story through the perspective of each character individually.
How many people are currently working on, or assisting with Tetraverse?
The Tetraverse team currently consists of 2 Founders, a Writer, and a vast team of Artists. The founders are two twin brothers, one primarily involved with operations and the other with technical aspects and gameplay. Our writer helps develop our vision and the team of artists help bring the vision to life. We have over 2 dozen artists and refuse to use AI for our artwork. We will be expanding the main Tetraverse team as we further develop the game and company.
What has been your biggest challenge with developing Tetraverse?
There have been many challenges to developing the game, but the biggest is probably gameplay. What we have now versus what we envisioned initially for gameplay is very different. We originally wanted a multiplayer board-game type domain where cards are played and traversed through a very large grid where massive armies are developed. We had to minimize this to account for tournament settings and table space. The current version is geared toward 1v1 combat and faster gameplay. Although it may be fun to play the game for hours to achieve a satisfying victory, realistically players want to be able to complete a game in 20-30 minutes.
What is your favorite character, or card, from Tetraverse?
I have many favorite Tetraverse characters varying from aesthetics to storylines. The Valeria and Mayumi chapters are very fun to read and their stories are engaging. Lillith and Amari are fan favorites card-wise, and I fall into this group as well. Lillith, Bane of Virmurk and Free Spirit, Amari Gold are two of my favorite cards.
Lastly, what advice would you give to someone wanting to start their own TCG?
For those who want to start their own TCG, there are several things they should consider.
Artwork: Once you release an artwork, it is a part of the game’s catalog forever. Keep in mind the overall quality and art portfolio for the game. It’s ok to develop cards with concept-based artwork, but make sure to fine-tune it before making it into a printable card.
Artists: Communicate with your artists to make sure you are on the same page, and get your contracts in order. Most artwork commissioned for the game is “Commercial” and requires a clear statement of rights, possession, and what you can or cannot do with it. Do this in a timely manner so you don’t fall behind on your paperwork.
Gameplay: Start working on the Gameplay and Game Rules as soon as you can since this is a constant process. The finished product will be very different from the initial game, so keep this in mind and allow yourself room for changes and development. Start testing gameplay as soon as you can and get feedback from as many players as possible.
