Remember those retro-styled trading cards that Lucasfilm used to reveal the names of its new Star Wars characters, as seen in the first The Force Awakens trailer? A cool new app for iOS just released today lets you collect and trade those cards, alongside Topps' complete collection of Star Wars trading cards going all the way back to 1977.
Fire up the app and you're greeted with a page called the Cantina, where you receive a "welcome pack" of ten cards, including one "Legends" card. Users are given one free pack daily, but you can get more packs inside the app by spending credits.
Credits are acquired by achieving specific feats like completing sets, or by buying them via in-app purchase for real-world money. The app appears to start you off with around 25,000 credits, which is more than enough to keep you collecting for a while.
Topps has its own built-in social network to facilitate trading, though it's easy to import your social settings from the likes of Facebook or Twitter. Trading is quite easy: from a list of active users, you view the cards they're willing to trade, compare it to your own similar list, and make an offer. They'll say yes or no, and you'll get a notification. There's no limit to the number of offers or trades you can make, and it appears to be the easiest way to get your hands on complete collections. You can even rate your fellow traders so others know how trustworthy or friendly they are.
Acquire a special card or accomplish a feat, and you're rewarded with some nifty animations and sound effects. The app is very slick and welcoming enough that even if you've never collected or traded cards in your life, you'll find it a fun, easy pastime here. There are other cool features hidden inside the app as well, if you take the time to explore.
Hundreds of cards are acquirable for Star Wars characters, vehicles and locations. The available cards represent all eras of Star Wars, including the original trilogy, the prequels, The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and the eight exclusive cards created for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. This marks the very first time that fans will have full digital access to all of the Star Wars trading cards Topps has produced since 1977.
Star Wars: Card Trader is a free download for all iOS devices — iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
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