In Korea läuft die erste Closed Beta zum neuen MMORPG Digimon Super Rumble. Erste Videos zeigen eine hübsche Spielwelt und verraten endlich Details zum Spiel. Besonders interessant ist das strategische und rundenbasierte Kampfsystem, das für MMORPGs eher unüblich ist.
What kind of game is this? Digimon Super Rumble will be a new MMORPG based on Digimon. It is being developed in Unreal Engine 4 and is intended to be inspired by the first season of the series. First images already showed iconic locations like the beach from episode 2 or the subway from episode 3.
There is a character editor where you can design your Tamer. With this, you traverse the Digiworld and can complete quests, meet other players, and battle other Digimon.
And it is precisely with these battles that the game distinguishes itself from typical MMORPGs.
Turn-based battles reminiscent of Pokémon
How do the battles work? As soon as you encounter an enemy Digimon, you will be sent to a separate battle zone. There, 3 of your Digimon will face off against the enemy. The process resembles turn-based battles and even somewhat resembles Pokémon, as you can swap your Digimon and flee from battles.
- Each Digimon has 2 to 3 abilities and one ultimate burst skill.
- You select the respective ability, whereby some have a casting time, which means your turn might be skipped.
- You can pause the battle at any time and think about how you want to proceed next.
- Some abilities of your Digimon can buff or heal your team.
- If you have unlocked the option, your Digimon can digitize in battle and reach a higher level.
- You can swap your 3 Digimon in battle at any time. In the beta, even defeated Digimon could be swapped, which was probably a bug.
Additionally, the Tamers themselves have an action skill with which they can activate a special buff, including more health or increased attack power for your Digimon. These are items that are consumed. If you no longer have the corresponding item, you cannot activate the buff. Therefore, you should be frugal with them.
A first glimpse into the gameplay of Digimon Super Rumble is provided by a video from YouTuber VihKun, who summarized the key information in English. You can follow the battle starting at minute 20:45:
What else do we know about Super Rumble?
- The game world is divided into different maps with loading screens. In the beta, there were 3 areas.
- You can theoretically own an endless number of Digimon, but only one follows you in the open world.
- You obtain new Digimon by hatching eggs.
- There is a Tamer level for your character and separate levels for each Digimon.
- Each Digimon has different stats and abilities, making team-building interesting.
- There are various costumes for your Tamer.
Beautiful for a Digimon MMO, but overall not modern
How does the game look graphically? Visually, the game makes a good, but not outstanding impression. Compared to other Digimon MMOs, Super Rumble is really nice, but otherwise it feels more like a game from the 2010s.
The game world is not super detailed, and the animations in battles seem rather clunky. Additionally, the overall performance was weak, which could be due to the beta and the fact that it was played on Korean servers.
What was missing in the beta? In the beta, some features of the MMORPG were not yet available. For instance, options for forming parties with other players or content like dungeons were missing.
What about the release or a beta in the West? Currently, there is no information on whether and when the Digimon MMORPG will come to the West.
However, the game’s developer, Move Games, has already created and released the other MMORPGs Digimon Battle Online (2002) and Digimon Masters (2009) in our region. In addition, the beta in Korea was not region-locked, allowing players from outside to participate. Therefore, the chances for a Western release look good.
If you are currently looking for a new MMORPG, you’re in luck. Several new games and expansions are being released this year. We have summarized everything important here: 13 reasons why MMORPG fans can look forward to 2021.
