Game: Lunia Chronicles and Rumble Fighter
Publisher: OgPlanet
Developer: OGPlanet
Price: Free!
Genre: MMO
Pro: Both enjoyable free titles which will keep casual gamers busy for a few hours
Con: Rumble Fighter just feels a bit too shallow to be anything more than a diversion for an hour or two
Lunia Chronicles is clearly an MMO aimed at the more casual gamer. It’s free to play, it’s very simple but it still has that certain something about it that would make more hardcore gamers compelled to play, even if they might not want to admit it.
Part of an increasingly common trend in games, Lunia Chronicles makes its money from micro-transactions: small cash purchases to acquire new items or unlock new character types. This works quite well as if you’re a cheapskate like me or a younger gamer without access to regular money, you can still reap plenty of enjoyment from the game, while still always retaining the option to purchase extras. The game starts by offering you four characters to play as, with a number of others available with an inexpensive purchase. The four initial characters are quite archetypal with the Knight, Healer, Wizard and Thief.
Progression works via a mission based system with various submissions also available. Missions often also extend the plotline of the game which is charming but slightly shallow as one would expect from a game aimed at the casual market. Each mission feels more like a side scrolling fighting game more than anything else with combat down to a matter of repeatedly pressing a few button combos. Frequently bosses emerge which again tend to just require more persistent button mashing. It all felt very much like arcade classics of old such as Double Dragon, but in a cute manner and with a levelling system thrown in for good measure.
The levelling system is certainly swift to traverse and it really won’t take long for players to reach level 50-60. Lunia Chronicles certainly likes to offer fast gratification to its players. At the end of each mission there is also a grading system akin to arcade games, rating your success from F-S.
Lunia Chronicles isn’t going to win any prizes for originality. It’s really not that kind of game. It’s a mindless distraction but something that I still found myself strangely drawn to even with its distinctly shallow gameplay. Everything works just how you would expect with the graphics being particularly appealing, a sound control system and never being lost as to what to do next. The fact that it’s free makes me more inclined to keep it installed for a long time to come, simply because it is a perfect game to drop in and out of, especially considering you can progress far in a short space of time.
Rumble Fighter is from the same stable as Lunia Chronicles and is again a free to play online MMO with micro-transactions. This time round though, Rumble Fighter borrows elements from the Super Smash Brothers series of games rather than the side scrolling beat em up genre. It works, but I didn’t find it anywhere near as enjoyable as Lunia Chronicles.
Upon starting there is a choice of four character types and one (Shaman) that can be bought for real money. Each class has its own respective advantages, such as the Striker being better at close quarter combat while the Soul Fighter is better at speedier attacks. It could have introduced a great tactical element so that players could weigh up their opponent by recognising what class they were but unfortunately, regardless of what you choose, your character always looks the same. It’s a shame as it would have been useful to be able to gauge as soon as the fight begins exactly what you were dealing with.
To get to a fight, players join channels which are divided up according to player ability. As you win more fights, you gain experience points and work your way up the channels. Fighting is a mixture of button mashing and more tactical attacks with combos being particularly effective. A gamepad would be greatly useful here to reap the full benefit from the combat system. In the early stages fighting can be a little dull however, as an awful lot of blocking occurs in order to succeed. It’s understandable but it doesn’t make for gripping fun.
There are a number of different game modes with typical arena based fighting as well as more unique modes such as Moving Screen whereby players must continuously move along the screen as well as fend off opponents. There’s also the increasingly common Zombie mode where action is all about taking out as many zombies as possible. Typical PvP battles tend to take around a couple of minutes with team play modes also open. There’s no sign of any real PvE action as this is a game purely for PvP fans.
As expected from a game profiting from micro-transactions, there is an item shop available where superficial accessories can be bought as well as skill scrolls. Some of these items can be bought with in game money, while others with real cash through the Astro shop.
I didn’t find Rumble Fighter as engaging as Lunia Chronicles. It just felt a little bit too simplistic to really keep my attention. As much as I enjoy defeating people in beat em ups, the satisfaction just isn’t there unless you can witness the annoyance on the loser’s face. Of course for free it’s still worth a play for a little while, just don’t expect much. You do get what you pay for after all.
Popularity: unranked [?]
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