Despite its loyal fanbase, Digimon has long played second fiddle to Pokémon. Tired of having all their digital monsters left out of the party that is Super Smash Bros. in favor of the company's more recognizable characters like Pac-Man, Bandai Namco announced today that it's making its own multiplayer arena brawler.
It's called Digimon All-Star Rumble. And it looks like a lot of fun, even for the less seasoned virtual pet collectors among us:
Namco just announced the game, so we don't know that much about it yet. But the thing that sticks out to me that will make or break All-Star Rumble is the Digi-volving feature, which allows fighters to change into different forms in the middle of a match.
"By powering up in battle, players can Digi-volve into a much more powerful form, creating a unique combat atmosphere where players must balance attacking while simultaneously attempting to Digi-volve and gain the upper hand," a press release for the game notes. Up to four people can play against each other in a given match. And judging by the gameplay footage in the trailer, it looks Digimon All-Star scratches a very similar itch for players itching for the silliness and chaos of a good Super Smash Bros. match.
Hype aside, the transformation-friendly gameplay also sounds like a neat mechanic for a casual multiplayer-friendly fighting game to play around with. Or it could just be a gimmick that makes matches overwhelmingly chaotic and confusing. Either way, fans will be able to find out for themselves on November 11th, when the game comes out for the PS3 and Xbox 360.
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