Warcraft Rumble

There's a pretty significant part of me that finds it downright sad that the "adaptation" that occurs when big, beloved, old classic game sequels are released for our mobile phones more or less means that the mobile game doesn't even resemble where the game series began, or is today. Little Big Planet is an example where the mobile title had little to do with Media Molecule's original. Doom (Mighty Doom) is another, as is The Elder Scrolls: Blades, which has very, very little to do with the original series. Warcraft Rumble falls into the same category and after the, in my opinion, successful Diablo Immortal, it's a shame that Blizzard chose this path rather than a more classic strategy game.

Warcraft Rumble is a cute little Clash Royale copy where the "strategy" part is limited to a few tasks per level. Each level consists of a short map where the end (at the top of the image) is guarded by a mini boss, and the way to get there revolves around building a small micro-army and letting them walk towards the end. Along the way they come across enemy troops and it's up to you to both build the right kind of soldiers in a combination that allows them to both attack ground targets but also aerial enemies, and then vary this by using special attacks such as lightning and a bomb that can be launched once per match. In order to build troops (just like in the old Warcraft originals) you need to collect gold and this is done by building small harvest trolls that run to the nearest gold cache and start their work there.

The setup is hysterically simplified compared to what it looked like in Warcraft 2 and especially Warcraft 3, but that does not mean that there is no depth. Rumble becomes very difficult, very quickly as you have to think before the match starts, build the right troops in the right order, send them with slightly different timing and make sure to take over stationary crossbow cannons that the enemy has placed. This then allows you to build new troops closer to the map's mini boss and thus "advance" towards the final objective. After completing about ten maps, it is also important to upgrade your troops, choose the right "Leader/Hero" that best suits your playing style and read the tips given before the match begins. Sometimes it can be that a specific enemy soldier needs to be destroyed first to make it easier to get to the mini boss, or that the boss itself is extra weak against a certain type of attack.

Rumble is free and thus packed with microtransactions and before you know it, Blizzard has offered you a starter pack to obtain gold coins to buy new soldiers and expand your troops. This part is skilfully integrated and just like in Clash Royale or Clash of Clans, it is of course possible to play Rumble without investing a single penny, but it also quickly becomes extremely difficult to advance if you do not open your wallet and spend money. There's a rather peculiar AI system here as well, which means that the enemies on all the maps become significantly more difficult with each level that you go up, which surprisingly also includes the initial levels that you completed several hours ago. Thus, if you get stuck, you can't go back to "easier" levels to collect gold and XP, as these have also become as challenging as the level you just got stuck on. This is a clever way to force the player into spending real money when you get stuck a couple of times, and while I can appreciate the idea, which works as it is supposed to, it feels greedy.

In terms of gameplay, Rumble is far too challenging for those who don't spend real money and lacks that rewarding feeling of wanting to play another level, in the way that Warcraft 2 and 3 always did. Although the "strategic" portions work well, it's too simple for me and even though I've spent money, it feels like the battles are too small scale and lack width, scope or that sense of "adventure" that Warcraft has always offered. The layout is too small, cramped, limited and the minimal amount of soldiers that decide each battle makes me get tired faster than I had hoped. Clash Royale feels like a much more chaotic and entertaining game with a more successful setup, in my opinion.

I'm also not particularly fond of the design, which feels so forced in how cute and mobile game-like it is. Warcraft 2 and 3 featured very remarkable designs and a look that with updated detail and higher resolution would have worked brilliantly here, instead Blizzard may have looked at Supercell's Clash game too many times and lost their own iconic aesthetic along the way. It simply looks too much like a pure children's game and too little like Warcraft. The menus are good, though. Like a mix between World of Warcraft and Hearthstone with very clever interfaces and navigation, despite the fact that there are almost 1000 buttons and icons to click on. When it comes to the sound, my judgement ends up in the same place as it does for the graphics. The iconic voices and lines from Warcraft 2 and 3 (Right away, Sire! We are under attack, Lord! We move in your name, King!) have been replaced by voice acting and lines that don't sound like they belong in the Warcraft world but rather in Clash Royale, and that doesn't help the atmosphere.

Warcraft Rumble has been in development for several years and has been beta tested for almost 12 months, and for me it has been long awaited. However, after five days with the finished game, I can conclude that Blizzard has simplified and dumbed down their own concept a bit too much while limiting the playability with a hysterical level of difficulty for those who don't spend real money, here. Rumble is in parts really well done but not a game that I will keep on my iPhone 14 Pro Max. Sadly.