Clint: Urban Rivals plays like any other Customizable Card Game (CCG). Once you sign up for the game, you are given a set of eight character cards which serve as your starter deck. If you want to expand your selection of characters, you can buy credits which can then be used to purchase booster packs. New characters can also be purchased using an in-game currency that can either be purchased from the store, or by winning matches. Buying single characters is the best way to get the exact character you might be looking for, though they are pricey. In the long run, buying boosters is a probably a better choice; not only is there a chance of getting a particular character for cheap, but you may also find a sought after character that you can then sell on the marketplace.
Urban Rivals is a completely online game, so there’s no single-player mode. The online community is pretty large, though a majority of the players are overseas. Lobbies are set up based on ranks, which are earned by playing and winning matches. Once in a lobby, you can click on any other player to check their rank, send them a message or challenge them. The community is active on the game’s board, though I would have liked some sort of in-game chat function.
Matches are played between eight characters, four from each player’s deck. It begins with one player selecting a character and adding a certain number of modifiers called pills which increase your player’s power. This is one of the few strategic elements in Urban Rivals. You are limited to 12 pills per match, so you have to be careful about how your spend them. The problem is that the actual power boost is based on a math problem that you are supposed to do in your head rather than showing you the exact number. While I tried my best to do the math, I usually ended up throwing pills and hoping for the best.
Once both players have selected characters and assigned modifiers, the two enter a static battle sequence with the each character exchanging blows until one is destroyed. If the winner has any leftover power, that damage is rolled over to the player’s life bar. This continues for four rounds until a player runs out of health or all of his characters are gone.
