Ultra Rumble is a third-personbattle royaleaction game which also incorporates elements of multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games.[1] The game can be played against other players online, or against CPU opponents offline. Matches feature up to 24 players, divided into eight teams of three by default, with separate modes for two-person teams and solos added in later updates.[2][3]
Like other battle royale games, players compete across a periodically-shrinking map until only one team remains. Each character has three Quirk skills to use in combat—which have varying cooldowns between uses, depending on their strength—and a unique action, such as Izuku's ability to carry a downed teammate out of harm's way.[4] In addition to combat, players explore the map to collect items, such as cards to upgrade the strength of Quirk skills, or potions that increase the "Guard Point" gauge which prevents damage and knockback.[4]
Characters
Playable characters are sorted into five groups—Assault, Rapid, Strike, Support and Technical—depending on their playstyle.[5] Six characters are unlocked by default, while additional characters and cosmetics can be acquired through a gacha system.[6][7] Some characters and cosmetics can also be unlocked via the "Special License", a battle pass that can either be leveled up by playing a large number of matches, or using microtransactions.[8] Players are also occasionally given "Rental Tickets", which can be spent to play a single match using a character that has not yet been unlocked.[8] Each character's voice actor reprises their role from the anime series in both Japanese and English.[9]
Ultra Rumble was announced in Weekly Shōnen Jump on January 13, 2022.[14][15] Byking, who previously developed My Hero One's Justice (2018) and My Hero One's Justice 2 (2020), returned as the developer.[9] In an interview with Anime News Network, producer Aoba Miyazaki explained that the developers hoped to provide a unique experience within the battle royale game genre through the use of the My Hero Academia characters' different fighting styles.[16]
Two closed beta tests were held prior to release; from February 2 to February 6, 2022,[17] and from August 17 to August 21, 2022,[18] followed by an open beta from May 25 to June 1, 2023.[19] The full game was released by Bandai Namco Entertainment on September 28, 2023 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One.[20][21] Post-launch content has been released in seasons every two months, including new characters, modes, gameplay mechanics, stages, and cosmetics.[2][22][10][11][12][13]
Reception
In a preview of the closed beta version, Josh Tolentino of Siliconera called Ultra Rumble "rough and unbalanced", but said it had "a lot of potential".[4] Scott Adams of The Outerhaven enjoyed the closed beta while noting balance issues.[23] Stef Watson of Couch Soup found the open beta enjoyable despite not being able to get into other battle royale games.[24]
Upon release, James Birks of TheXboxHub gave the game 4/5 stars, praising its map design, matchmaking, and spectacle, while criticizing the small villain roster and lack of mode variety at launch.[5]
Ultra Rumble was downloaded seven million times in its first month.[25][26] It surpassed ten million downloads by February 8, 2024.[27]
Notes
^Japanese: 僕のヒーローアカデミア ウルトラランブル, Hepburn: Boku no Hīrō Akademia Urutora Ranburu
