DIGIMON ALL-STAR RUMBLE (PS3) REVIEW

Since childhood I have been a huge fan of Digimon Digital Monsters, and have played as many games in the franchise as I could. Digimon Rumble Arena holds a special place in my heart, as it was the game that started it all for me, back on the PlayStation One.

New digimon games today are rare but when Digimon All-Star Rumble was released last year I was ecstatic. At first.

The story in Digimon- All Star Rumble is pretty simple. You play as one of 12 digimon who is bored with the everlasting peace in the digital world, and decides to enter the “Digimon Evolution Tournament” for a little action.

Digimon All-Star Rumble is a fighting game with action elements, as you can move your chosen digimon on the stage, solve obstacles, and fight wild digimon as you make your way to your opponent. The traditional formula of fighting games is to lower your opponents HP to zero in order to win, but in Digimon All-Star Rumble battles are played out differently. 

Here are is video showcasing Flag Battle, Point battle, and Survival Battle:

Having only played Digimon Rumble Arena I thought it was very refreshing to see a new spin on fighting games at first but at a certain point I felt it became repetitive especially since I was playing alone. 

Here are a few things that you will unlock as you proceed through each digimon’s story.

• New Digivolutions
• Digi-Cards
• Characters (you will have 12 in all after you unlock each)

So if you like multiple play-through this may be up your alley.

In battle, and on the field you can digivolve by pressing the L and R buttons together once the digivolution gauge is filled. This comes in handy outside of opponent battles since it will help you defeat stronger digimon as you make your way through the stage.

Note: The L and R buttons also performs the Digimon’s finishing move. As far as I know and tried, this is only executable in battle, not outside on the field.

After each opponent battle you earn in-game currency known as bits. You can use it to purchase digi-cards. Digi-cards are power-ups that you can equip your digimon with, before each battle. Don’t be afraid to see what is most beneficial to you!

In addition to digi- cards you can also power- up your digimon right on the battle stage, when it becomes available. Although you have to be quick about it since your opponent will be after the power-up to use against you.

I can’t comment too much on multiplayer mode as I haven’t tried it, but from what I have observed through videos it is more action-packed when friends join in.

Graphically I thought the game’s design was very colorful and pleasing to the eye. The characters were once again brought to life in a 3D world. Sound wise there was one voice that bothered me but the rest of the tracks and voice-cast were okay.

Final Thoughts:

I have a very neutral emotional connection to this game as I am a fan of Digimon Digital Monsters, and I will always support the franchise as much as I can. Digimon All-Star Rumble didn’t disappoint me to where I regret purchasing this game, but it didn’t keep me excited all the way through. I wanted more from it. Digimon All-Star Rumble is a game that fans would add to their collection, just to support the franchise.