Parallel's onchain card game joins the thrill of collecting with the power of onchain art. Parallel is setting the stage for a future where players reign supreme. Mint at onchainsummer.xyz/parallel

At the forefront of onchain gaming stands Parallel, a visionary card game which launched in 2022 and took the blockchain ecosystem by storm. Led in part by Kohji Nagata, the Head of Game Design, Parallel aims to craft an immersive experience which expands out into a full-fledged sci-fi universe. The decision to start with a card game was intentional, driven by Nagata's passion for collecting and trading cards. Parallel exists to create an experience that celebrates the trading aspect of collectible card games while creating an enticing experience for players of all levels of onchain experience.

In contrast to traditional card games which are rooted in the physical world, digital card games offer many new opportunities, but historically have been strangely limited."The biggest issue that I have with digital card games today,” says Nagata, “is that you spend all this money on these cards, but you don’t actually ‘own’ them." Indeed, many of the most popular digital card games today allow users to spend money opening new packs of cards, but offer no ability to trade (or sell) them. By providing players with onchain cards that are tradable, sellable, and even capable of earning tokens through gameplay, Parallel bridges the gap between virtual and real-world ownership. In comparison, other digital card games lack a true sense of ownership, as players find themselves at the mercy of centralized platforms that control what they’ve bought.

Parallel’s onchain game allows players to not only own their cards but also trade and sell them freely on a decentralized and open market. Each card can be purchased from other players on secondary markets, or from Parallel in the form of packs. "For Onchain Summer,” Nagata says, “we are giving users on Base the ability to acquire a full deck of onchain cards.”

Parallel’s Starter Pack grants players access to a set of cards called ‘Parallel Beta’ as well as a deck of 40 playable cards for specific Parallel Factions: Kathari, Marcolian, Earthen, Shroud, and Augencore. In addition, the Starter Pack includes a card back exclusive to Base.

Even though onchain cards are an important part of the Parallel experience, the team makes it clear that they want to make a game that’s accessible to everyone, utilizing a free-to-play experience where players can utilize ‘ephemeral’ versions of the cards which maintain the core gameplay functionality but lack features only found in their onchain counterparts.

Parallel's ambitious vision extends beyond the confines of its card game. Nagata envisions a future where players can unleash their creativity and use the cards as a sandbox for their own projects. He points out that many of the most successful games being played today were in fact born as modifications of other games, proving that possibilities are limitless when creators are given the right tools. As he says, "I imagine someone getting their hands on Parallel assets in the future and making something new, and then our cards now unlock new assets which let you play a completely different game. That’s the dream."