REVIEW - Rumbleverse is a slapstick good time in need of a roadmap
Back slap.
By Jonathan Garrett
19/09/22
Reviewed on Xbox Series X.
One could be forgiven for wheezing a sigh of apathy as yet another battle royale enters the scene, but thankfully Rumbleverse genuinely seems to be trying something new. There are several key changes to the expected formula that help it stand above the rest; a lower player count, tighter map, and focus on melee over shooting, wrapped in an accessible but nuanced combat system with a Fortnite aesthetic.
On paper, that’s a win in my books. The emphasis on good positioning and timing of attacks is a far cry from the twitch reactions and survival instincts required of you when playing Warzone. Being able to select which attributes and abilities to buff / acquire each round gives each trip into the ring a freshness sometimes lacking in other similar experiences. It also has regular stream worthy moments of genuine surprise, with the Duo’s mode in particular well suited to instances of satisfying “one, two punch” manoeveurs.
The learning curve is pretty steep, and the skill gap high, which will be off putting to new players. There’s not a great deal of effort made to ease you in. The sandbox playground mode is a nice way to experiment for yourself, but a more structured, mandatory tutorial (kept mercifully brief) might have been the better approach here, given the combination of different moves available.
The attack priority system is another bone of contention, as again it’s not immediately clear why certain simultaneous attacks are better than others. It does tell you on screen that the other player’s choice of move had priority, or there was a clash, but there are certain moves that seem to have higher priority over others without a clear logical reason.
Despite this, and some launch window server wonkiness (which, to be fair, has largely subsided), Rumbleverse is an undeniably catchy and satisfying brawler, which iterates just enough to carve a place for itself. It desperately needs a roadmap for the future though, since we don’t really know what lies ahead.
Throwing chairs at people is very satisfying.
WORTH IT?
At the bottom of every game review, we ask the question: Worth it? And the answer is either “Yeah!” or “Nah”, followed by a comment that sums up how we feel. In order to provide more information, we also have “And” or “But”, which follows up our rating with further clarification, additional context for a game we love, or perhaps a redeeming quality for a game we didn’t like.
YEAH!
Rumbleverse is a frantic battle royale brawler that smartly iterates on conventions of the genre.
BUT
Prepare yourself for a steep barrier of entry, as new players will need to really invest time to get up to speed.
TARPS?
At the bottom of some of our articles, you’ll see a series of absurd looking images (with equally stupid, in joke laden names). These are the TARP badges, which represent our ‘Totally Accurate Rating Platform’. They allow us to identify specific things, recognise positive or negative aspects of a games design, and generally indulge our consistent silliness with some visual tomfoolery.
