14 DAY TRIAL // 
Rumble Fighter is not really the latest OGPlanet published online multiplayer but what’s different about it is that the studio has recently launched a closed beta release for the European version of the game, preparing it for its new customers. Those that have an active beta testing account with OGPlanet can download the client and get ready for some serious action packed fighting scenes.
It comes as no surprise that an online multiplayer game released initially only for America and Canada is now trying to reach the European market. Even though the Internet is saturated of online games, the trick is to bring something new in the equation and Ruble Fighter manages to do so by placing the player in an action packed virtual environment where they can directly challenge their opponents in a fast-paced fighting arena.
The background story revolves around a constant fight between good and evil that started when Shadow King, a great warrior and tormented spirit planned to take over the world. When brave warriors tried to stop him, they became drawn to the dark path and transformed into Dark Guardians. As the evil king was finally captured and imprisoned by magical sacred seals, these dark warriors dedicated their lives to destroying the shackles that bound their master so that he could rise again and bring terror into the world.
You come in as a warrior from the good side, highly trained in martial arts combat that has to stop the corruption of the seals. To help improve your fighting abilities, an ExoCore has been created, acting as a power amplifier, boosting your skills and giving you special fighting abilities. Your main task is to stop the destruction of the seals that hold the evil king prisoner by fighting off his disciples.
Gameplay
Action packed and very dynamic, Rumble Fighter was designed to be played either in one on one confrontation or in team combat. Either way, the purpose remains the same, defeating your opponent, which generates an increase of your experience points and your overall stats, resulting in greater damage and increased life.
As soon as you log on into the game, you will be faced with the difficult task of choosing your character. Not only are there four classes you can choose from but they are also gender oriented, giving the player the opportunity to choose between male and female. The first class is the Striker, a warrior with a lot of physical strength and advanced combat skills. Mostly, it’s recommended for beginners because it’s easy to control and you get full hands on action. After morphing, these warriors use their ExoCores to improve their strength and speed, inflicting more damage to their opponents.
Soul Fighters have the ability to hunt their opponents for power and use it against them. Their main strong points are increased speed and maneuverability, making them the perfect weapon in hit and run attacks. Once they reach the morphing status, the ExoCore will allow them to transform into various beasts, increasing all their natural abilities.
Elementalists are part of the third class; they are the sorcerer equivalent to RPG games. They have increased psychic powers that they use to inflict massive range damage but at the same time lack the ability to fight and even defend themselves in close combat encounters. Still, the ExoCore grants them the ability to summon various spirits to their assistance that can do the fighting for them. All they need to do is fall behind and watch from safe distance how their minions wreak havoc.
Finally, Alchemists are the ones that have the greatest defensive and offensive ratings. They are perfect for taking in a lot of damage and in ExoCore mode, they can really inflict a lot of pain to their enemies. Their only disadvantage is that they lack speed and agility, but they compensate by having the highest armor stats from all the classes.
Rumble Fighter has been divided into two game modes: battle mode and ruble mode. Each of them can be played by single players or in team deathmatch, and the purpose is always to fight your opponents to the death. In order to join such a game, you first have to look for a room to join in or you can create your own. No more than eight players can fight at the same time and before you join a game, make sure that you are from the same channel. After each tournament is completed, you will be awarded skill points; thus, you can reach a level up.
In the lobby room, you will notice that there are six different channels that you can choose from. These are mainly difficulty levels that will allow you to search for opponents that match your current level and skills. These are made available progressively; as you gain more experience and reach a higher level up, you will unlock all of them and even take part in tournaments.
As for the gameplay, I can only say that it's among the few online clients that come with cartoonish characters that are very detailed in design, and dynamic in movement. Not only will grownups love to play it, but children will also be interested in creating a character and preparing for some one on one action. Throughout the gaming experience, you will have the feeling of playing a classic arcade game, but things get complicated when you find out that your opponents are not as easy to anticipate.
What you need to remember is that after each level up, you will be awarded some money that you can use to buy upgrades and change the visual appearance of your character. Upon visiting the Item Shop menu, you will be able to change not only visual aspects of you character, such as clothes and accessories, but can also buy artifacts that grant you special combos or increase your overall stats.
From the same menu, you can check out and buy Fighting Scrolls that act as an upgrade to your fighting style. You can choose from jujitsu, kung fu, taekwondo, renegade and street fighting styles that will affect the way your character moves and fights. These are very effective ways of getting the upper hand on your opponent since every style has a flaw that someone else can easily exploit. Combining Fighting Scrolls with the appropriate gear and ExoCore you will create the ultimate fighting machine and will get a long way up the ranking chain as far as the Tournament competition is concerned.
You can also check the condition of your player at any time by entering the My Character menu. Changing their hair, eyes and even the ExoCore that you want to equip them with are only some of the things that you can choose from. As a matter of fact, you can look at this menu as your personal inventory room where you can customize every aspect of your character.
As for the in-game fighting, Rumble Fighter was thought to be a highly dynamic combat arcade with quality graphics and impressive visual stunts and effects. The cartoonish overall design is a nice touch, considering that most online games these days tend to exaggerate with real life condition simulators and effects. The game was designed to focus on the fun part of fighting and not setting the standards for realistic environments and gameplay.
One of the most common gaming modes chosen by everyone is the Moving Screen in Rumble Mode, where players are forced to keep up with the moving camera and avoid falling off the screen. Once the camera reaches a certain destination, it stops and that’s when the fighting begins. Still, you have to be careful, as there are some maps where you can fall off; thus, paying attention to your environment is a must. For instance, if you stand on the edge of a cliff and someone kicks you, you will surely fall down and the game will be over. This goes to show that it’s not all just about fighting and who’s got the bigger muscles, but also about using the scenery to your advantage. You can be a level one newbie and still win against a level 15 player if you push or throw them over the right edge.
Slide kicks, shoulder kicks, kicking while in the air and spinning kicks are just some of the things that you can do. All of these are trigged by the right keystroke combination and the use of consecutive combos can easily get you closer to a flawless victory, especially in ExoCore mode. Special abilities such as deploying spikes from the grown to knock down your opponent should be on the top of your priority list, especially if you get surrounded in a back corner.
Graphics and Audio
Strictly regarding the visual part of the game, Rumble Fighter behaves pretty well in almost all circumstances, all fighting moves being accurate and very dynamic. The gameplay flows smoothly and there are no rendering drawbacks when it comes to viewing multiple combos from all the characters at the same time.
As for the audio part, the lobby soundtrack could use a little diversity and it would be nice if the characters had a voice of their own, mostly because online games are about creating a unique individual that sets them apart in that huge virtual environment. Being the beta version, I’m sure that most of the glitches reported will be carefully analyzed and fixed before the official launch of the full client.
Conclusion
Ruble Fighter is definitely a captivating online fighting arcade type game because it brings together the dynamics of combat games with the online experience. It’s fun to know that you are fighting with a real life person rather the AI, and what’s even better is that you get to combine this with a little RPG style. Buying upgrades, getting a level up, and fighting in a dynamic way are surely the recipe for a great online game where anyone can join, create a character and unleash the hurt.
