14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at Blizzard announces that its card-based title Hearthstone is now officially launched in the Americas region, with the team offering a quick overview of the game for those who are unfamiliar with it.
In the official announcement, the company explains that, "The Hearthstone beta is complete and we wanted to take a moment to thank all of our participants for their incredibly valuable feedback and support. If you haven’t had the chance to jump into the game, now is the perfect time to check out the fast-paced strategy card game that’s fun for everyone."
Blizzard has used the beta period to test the core infrastructure associated with Hearthstone and make sure that all the core mechanics are working correctly.
The company has also listened to all the feedback coming from the player community about balancing and has delivered plenty of updates designed to make sure that none of the included classes is more powerful than the other.
Blizzard also explains that Hearthstone is entirely free to play and can easily be downloaded and installed by all those who want to try it out.
The company adds, "As soon as you jump in you’ll challenge iconic Warcraft characters, including the ferocious Hogger, the mischievous Millhouse Manastorm, and the wise Lorewalker Cho. As you progress through these introductory missions, you’ll hone your card-slinging skills in preparation for a climactic battle against Illidan Stormrage!"
Hearthstone includes the following classes: Mage, Priest, Druid, Rogue, Shaman, Hunter, Paladin, Warrior and Warlock, and Blizzard has indicated that more might be added in the coming months.
The game allows players to test their skills and practice against an Artificial Intelligence controlled opponent before creating a competitive deck in order to take on human enemies.
The team is also offering both Facebook cover images and Twitter icons for all those who want to celebrate the launch of Hearthstone via their social service profiles.
Hearthstone allows those interested to pay for access to content via microtransactions and Blizzard is expected to sell a number of options in order to create a solid revenue stream around the game.
The title will also receive constant updates in the coming months, most of them linked to the balance between the various heroes.
The company has also suggested that it might offer experiences that are cross-promoted across Hearthstone, World of Warcraft, Diablo 3, Starcraft and the new Heroes of the Storm.