Pocket Rumble
OpenCritic Rating
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for Pocket Rumble
A neat little curio that channels a cult piece of hardware, and some of the fighting greats.
It's a beautiful game, but that beauty can't hide the fact Pocket Rumble still needs a bit of work. When playing with friends locally the game is an absolute blast. That's when it's at its best. It's all the other modes that weigh the package down. I'm not too keen to return to any of the single-player options until the AI is fixed nor do I wish to endure the spammy assaults of the same three or four characters I face online. With some fine-tuning, Pocket Rumble can get to where it needs to be, but Cardboard Robot Games should probably hurry because the Switch isn't short on quality fighters and the field will only grow more crowded as we continue the march towards the end of the year.
After a year of delays, the Switch version of Pocket Rumble unfortunately disappoints on multiple levels. While it has a distinct art style and some great multiplayer options, the overall lack of content and limited moveset hinder the game's true potential.
Despite being a useful tool in your training, Pocket Rumble's arcade mode is slight, but in multiplayer the game excels thanks to a diverse (albeit small) lineup of characters. Fighting games can be complicated things, off-putting to newcomers with their wide array of moves and techniques, but Cardboard Robot Games has crafted a fun and easy to learn experience here, bundled up in a wonderfully nostalgic audio-visual imitation of the old Neo Geo Pocket Color brawlers. By employing just two attack buttons and simplifying the special moves, it may not offer as much depth as some fighting games, but there's still enough to keep even a genre veteran happy here. As newcomer friendly as the game is, timing and correct move choice are still key, so experience is undoubtably a factor. Working well with any controller, the game is good fun and perfectly suited for quick bursts of play, whether that be in online battles or playing tabletop against friends. Admittedly the Switch is not short of decent fighting games, but Pocket Rumble still provides great entertainment.
This is great for newcomers and veterans of retro fighters as this one is easy to learn and hard to master. Just keep in mind, if you're looking for anything to collect or any sort of progression besides just ranking yourself up, you won't find it here. The authentic retro style and addicting gameplay, however, is still worth your time– especially if you want something that you can pick up and play in quick and insanely fun bursts.
It's one of the best fighting games available on Nintendo Switch even with its issues, and it's yours for a bargain price. If you want a fast-paced fighting game that has got huge amounts of character, you really can't go wrong.
This is a game which meets the objectives it set out to achieve. Present a fighting game which is fun and easy for the casual to get into. While the game is easy to get into it's still tough to master. While the moves may be easy to pull off you still have to understand timing, putting combos together at the right time and when best to use your meter to make the best use of your characters special moves. This, as with any fighting game, will take time. For the money, this exceeded my expectations offering a nice variety of modes, including online ranked matches as well as the ability to play with friends. If you want something easy to pick up and play then you can't really go wrong with Pocket Rumble.
If you, like me, find a lot of fighting games intimidating to approach Pocket Rumble might just be the game for you. The easy to learn controls, but hard to master characters gives plenty of room to really sink into this one.
