NFC Smash Cards - Review and Discussion

I didn't expect to make a "review" type blog until I actually got my hands on these things. And honestly, I'm surprised they actually work as well as they did. So instead this won't just be a review, but a discussion on a very relevant topic that concerns my purchase.

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Overview

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What I'm talking about are these cards I found on AliExpress. Produced by NS Gamecard, they act as Amiibos with compatible games. Different sets are sold for each of the games below:

□Breath of the Wild

□Splatoon 2

□Mario Kart 8

□Mario Odyssey

□Kirby

□Diablo

□Smash Ultimate

Looking at the last one on the list, you can see why I was interested in picking one up. Looking at the sets from the listing, there are some overlap between the cards, and depending on the game you won't get all the Amiibo the game offers.

The Smash Ultimate Set, which is the one I bought for a little less than $15, comes with 20 cards. However, in other sets there are cards that would (presumably) be compatible with the game as well. The characters included are:

□Mario

□Link

□Donkey Kong

□Samus

□Yoshi

□Kirby

□Pikachu

□Luigi

□Peach

□Bowser

□Zelda

□Shiek

□Pokemon Trainer (Via Charizard)

□Sonic

□Pacman

□Rosalina

□Megaman

□Shulk

□Ryu

□Inkling

That's a fair bunch, but this misses characters they sell in other game sets like: Ganondorf, Olimar, Isabelle, Fox, Wario, Captain Falcon, Diddy Kong, Dr Mario, Meta Knight, and King Dedede.

If you include those characters in other sets, the amount of Amiibo you could use for Smash jumps from 20 to 30. In my opinion, I wouldn't mind paying an extra $5 to get them. But instead, I'd need to buy pretty much all the sets besides Splatoon 2 and Diablo to use them. Although it isn't a major downside, it is something to keep in mind. 20 cards is already 25% of the playable roster anyway...

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How They Look

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Each of the cards are about the size (and feel) of a credit card, and as you saw above both sides contain artwork reminiscent of the character they represent. These new takes could be really cool like the Pikachu design that reminds me of the first Pokemon Movie with Mewtwo. However, they can be extremely derpy like the mohawk on DK and the Sonic design that separates his eyes. It's still a better design than what was used in the Sonic Movie trailer.

The design on the back of the Smash set looks pretty sleek, using two red slashes to create the Smash Logo on a black background. Overall, the art was how I justified buying NFC cards that I expected to be a scam.

Lastly, mine came with a small wallet like case that contains sleeves to hold the cards in. I assume each set comes with one that only has enough sleeves for the set you buy. It's nothing special, but a nice gesture nonetheless.

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Functionality

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They work exactly like official Amiibo figurines. You scan them when prompted, and the correct character appears in the game. For Smash, the data correctly saves to the card as well. So there's no chance for a lv50 you trained for an hour to go back to lv1 when you scan it again.

I also tested them with Breath of the Wild using the Link, Zelda, and Shiek cards. Turns out, they work with BOTW as well. So I assume if you used a card from a different set in Smash (if it's a character in the game) it will probably work. I am not responsible for any lost cash if this turns out to be false.

Overall, I see these as a pretty good alternative to the official figurines. They cost less, and take up less space in your own. At least that's what I would say if there wasn't the issue of ethics and legality inherent with these kind of purchases...

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Legality

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I am by no means an expert on this, so please take whatever I say with a mountain of salt.

The very easy comparison to make to this is with piracy. To heavily oversimplify, you could say that the seller has reproduced and sold Nintendo's intellectual property without permission. And if that was the case, the practice would be illegal.

However, while talking to a much smarter friend of mine, they brought up something interesting. As they put it, "ever try to copyright code?". The chips in the cards can be used for more than just Amiibo functionality, and the information inside is just code.

How this differentiates itself from pirating a video game, is that the game is both physical and intellectual property. It's not the code, but things like the artwork and story that can be protected through copyright. Think of it like this: you can't a story off as your own, but you can use words like "and" and "the". The Amiibo figurines is pretty much 90% of what you are paying for.

As it relates to these NFC cards, the artwork on them (best case scenario, but would have to be decided in court if Nintendo chose to pursue it) is different enough from Nintendo's that the seller would be allowed to sell it as "original", albeit knockoff in nature.

In of Legality, these cards are in the clear. Slightly in the grey, but would most likely hold up in court.

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Ethics

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What isn't debatable is that using these cards allows you to access content in a way that Nintendo didn't intend. And the money spent on these cards (or even nfid tags you find online) doesn't the team of programmers that made Amiibo functionality a thing. Similarly, if everyone took to similar unofficial products, the sales drop could end Amiibo entirely.

On the other hand, it is up to the consumer how they want to spend their money. Maybe they aren't interested in the figures, but still want the in game benefits. Maybe they aren't able to get their hands on official Amiibos without dealing with online scalpers. And what if the Amiibo you want goes out of print?

There are plenty of reasons why someone would buy something like these cards, and it's only really up to them if that reason is valid.

A great example is that of Gamecube Controller Adapters, especially around Ultimate's release. There was a huge demand for these things, but Nintendo only had a very limited supply of them both online and in stores. This is where other unofficial products, like the Mayflash adapter (which I'd argue to be better than Nintendo's), have a market. If we were to concerned with purchasing officially made products, almost nobody would have the option to use Gamecube controllers without an insanely upsold pricetag.

In my opinion, it's up to the consumer to decide what they are willing to buy, as long as the product in question is legally sound.

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Rating

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Considering everything I've talked about above, I would rate these NFC cards a solid 8/10. They do everything they are supposed to, and are consistently recognized and scanned by my switch. My biggest issue with them is that I can't get every card I'd like (from what they offer) without having duplicates or cards I won't be able to use (or both).

What I'd like to see is an option for a "custom set" where you can choose specific cards from different sets to purchase as one. This would entirely eliminate the duplicate or useless cards.

I can't really say anything else these cards without essentially reviewing Amiibo functionality for smash. They are simply a cheep alternative to both Nintendo's figurines and other NFID tags you'll find online at the cost of not getting every amiibo you may want.

I don't think I have the right to reccomend them or not because of the before mentioned ethics, but I can let you all know they exist.

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If you have something to add to this conversation, the comments exist for a reason. Have nothing to say? Comment "Rep" just because. No reason why "Rep" specifically. Just a random thing I thought of.

Link to Listing

You could probably find them on other sites as well. Up to you if you want to pursue them