Professional wrestling video games have mainly focused on mimicking the excitement of in-ring action since the early virtual forays of the sport. Some have taken to wrestling entirely in new worlds, such as Guacamelee’s lucha libre version of the Metroid-Vania blueprint and the upcoming WrestleQuest RPG. Rumbleverse is the newest member of this experimental group, built with an obvious admiration for professional wrestling and injecting spandex and baby oil into the battle royale genre. While it probably won’t take Fortnite or Call of Duty: Warzone’s place at the top, developers Iron Galaxy have created an incredibly fun base that, with the right support, can grow into something beautiful.
The vibrant world of Rumbleverse
For players versed in Battle Royales, Rumbleverse is walking a familiar path. Forty players are dropped across a map and then battle it out on the shrinking battlefield to crown a single champion. When booted up for the first time, it’s abundantly clear that Iron Galaxy has found a permanent identity for Rumbleverse, setting its cartoonish-looking ‘rumblers’ in Grapital City, a metropolis dedicated to the spectacle of professional wrestling.
Exploring a cityscape is nothing new in gaming, with large open cities having been a staple of the medium since the early 2000s. So many titles eventually lead to rather dull and simple settlements, but with Rumbleverse, Grapital City has been meticulously designed, infused with the spirit of professional wrestling from the ground up. Streets are filled with ironic jokes about the testosterone-fueled world of the square circle, with protein and gym billboards, bench presses at bus stops, and a personal favorite is a skyscraper called simply “The Body Building.”
Rather than choosing from a selection of skins to coat your characters in like other battle royales, Rumbleverse offers a more granular customization mode. Rumbleverse clearly understands that building your own grapplers is one of the most fun parts of wrestling games and allows players to choose their avatar’s build and dress it up with a selection of clothing options, from traditional wrestling singlets and tights to zanier options such as a full chicken suit.
While Rumbleverse isn’t really venturing into uncharted territory with its cartoonish aesthetic, it’s really impressive how good the game looks. Grapital City and the rumblers themselves are all polished, as slams, clashes and wall climbs leave their mark on the world, all a demonstration of how much care has gone into building Rumbleverse.
Learning a new handhold
When putting ‘pro wrestling + battle royale’ on paper, the question immediately arises: how does combat work? Melee combat has rarely worked well in a battle royale environment, with the heavy hitters like Fortnite, Warzone, Apex Legends, and PUBG all having gunfights at their core. The answer that Rumbleverse has come up with is surprisingly satisfying.
In Rumbleverse, players have a basic move set that can be expanded with loot. When landing in the game, players can perform basic attacks such as simple attacks, walking drop kicks and elbow drops, as well as some ‘vicious attacks’. These act as Rumbleverse’s heavier but harder to execute moves, requiring an enemy to be caught just right to land. Things get interesting when special attacks are added. In addition to finding weapons like baseball bats and steel chairs, players will find magazines and textbooks that teach them new moves that they can then equip, with up to two at a time. This is another area where Rumbleverse’s love of wrestling comes to the fore. In this first version of the game, the loot pool features crunching attacks like massive uppercuts and super kicks, powerful grapples like chokeslams and Castagnoli-esque swings, to think even like poison mist and a rocket jump, launching you into the air ready to bend an elbow. from heaven.
A genius idea implemented in Rumbleverse is the use of Perks. If you deal damage to opponents, you score more points for unlocking a new advantage in that round. In addition to pushing a more aggressive playstyle and rewarding the brave and bold, these perks have a noticeable effect on gameplay. Some offer passive boosts such as lower stamina costs and extra damage, while others offer the ability to rest and regain health, which really changes the game.
Rather than stomping on buttons to perform the best moves, Rumbleverse requires a more thoughtful approach. In addition to managing a stamina meter, players can block attacks and dodge grabs, adding a few things to consider when fighting an enemy. In the early hours of Rumbleverse, mastering fighting tactics can be a little frustrating when moves don’t align, or you can’t block in time, and sometimes feel like you’re being crushed by an opponent making move after move . But most of the time you come out of a skirmish that evaluates and learns, considering what you could have done better and how to improve your game next time.
When Rumbleverse’s fight clicks, it clicks big. There are few things in gaming more satisfying than standing on top of a building, watching two players fight on the street below and land a perfect 30 foot elbow drop on both of them, or a suplex bouncing off a car roof and throwing an extra one. city block launches, KOing an opponent on impact.
The final verdict
Many games have entered the games-as-a-service sphere in recent years, with more hassle than real success. A title doesn’t have to be a monumental hit like Fortnite, with the game landscape supporting countless multiplayer communities. For Rumbleverse, it certainly has the potential to carve a niche for itself in the ecosystem.
With the first season set to release on August 18, featuring a battlepass that modern gamers are well accustomed to, developer Iron Galaxy has its eyes set on Rumbleverse as a long-term project. As of the rating, this is very much ‘Rumbleverse 1.0’, with more depth sure to come as more content is added. But since this launch version is the most stripped-down and simple iteration, it really shows how much fun Rumbleverse is to play. Even without a list of weekly challenges to check off or a battlepass to level up and grind through, the end of one round always evokes the desire for another. For every time a battle with another player leaves me frustrated, there are five instances where Rumbleverse sets up some of the most hyped multiplayer moments in recent game memory.
Spanning the worlds of battle royales and pro wrestling, Rumbleverse probably won’t be for everyone. However, if you end up in Grapital City prepared for a wrestling-packed Battle Royale, rather than an in-depth wrestling simulation, you’re sure to have a good time.
Rumbleverse Rating: 4/5
Game rated on PlayStation 5.
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