Spin Master Ltd., the toy company that scored a major success with Bakugan, is launching RedaKai, a lenticular trading card game supported by an animated series launching on Cartoon Network in July. Targeting boys from 6-12, RedaKai is a game that can be played in two versions, a basic game for kids from 6-8 and a more complex and strategic advanced game for older kids.
Realizing the importance of the hobby in creating a successful trading card game Spinmaster is releasing the game first to hobby stores in June, two months before the mass market retailers will get it in August. Spin Master will sponsor organized play events in the hobby and is also creating special SKUs for the hobby that come with exclusive cards that won’t be available in mass.
Realizing the importance of the hobby in creating a successful trading card game Spinmaster is releasing the game first to hobby stores in June, two months before the mass market retailers will get it in August. Spin Master will sponsor organized play events in the hobby and is also creating special SKUs for the hobby that come with exclusive cards that won’t be available in mass.
The most ingenious aspect of RedaKai is the gameplay itself, which is based in part on the proprietary 3-D process used in the cards. Not only do the cards have depth, they also have motion; the attack cards for example have 8-12 frames of animation, so the players can actually see the attack. Additionally many of the cards are created on clear plastic to allow for a simple “stacking” method of gameplay. When for example an attack card is layered over a character card, the effect of the attack is visible, or when a “monster” card is layered over a character card, the change in the character (and his power level) is clearly visible.
To get the gameplay right Spin Master brought in Justin Gary, the designer of the Ascension deckbuilding game (see “Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer”). Gary told ICv2 that he and his team designed a basic game that is as simple as Pokemon “that can be played right out of a single pack of cards by kids as young as six, as well as an advanced game where players have several characters and the play is much more strategic and will appeal to older tweens like Yu-Gi-Oh!.”
The exclusive hobby SKUs include $4.99 Gold Packs, which contain six cards, including one rare card exclusive to the hobby; and the Hobby Structure Deck (MSRP $18.99), which contains 43 cards including a hobby exclusive card among several rares. The Hobby Structure Deck allows players to play at tournament level right out of the box. The other hobby SKU is The Championship Set, which also comes with 43 cards in a cigar box-like package with a card shield, which functions sort of like a DM screen to hide a player’s cards (which is helpful because the cards are somewhat transparent, and it’s useful to hide them from your opponent); a "battlefield" that will hold a player’s three character cards in the advanced game, and a blind draw deck box.
In addition to their value in the gameplay of the trading card game, the RedaKai cards also have embedded codes that can be activated when swiped in the RedaKai Action Figures. The Action Figures, which are based on the characters from the animated series, are not needed for the trading card game, but the standard RedaKai Action Figures (MSRP $9.99), which come with a RedaKai card, can project an animation kicked off by cards when inserted into the figure.
The Deluxe RedaKai Action Figures (MSRP $19.99) come with three cards and play animations tied to the cards on a screen on their chests. The Microglyph Animation Unit (MSRP $22.99) allows the card animations to be projected on a much bigger surface, and it also doubles as a storage space and a display place for favorite cards.
The action figures will be available in both the mass market and the hobby starting in August.