MMA Arena

73%
Game Brain Score Based on 51 reviews
  • gameplay
  • grinding
  • graphics
MMA Arena Game Cover
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"MMA Arena" is a deck-building game that simulates the world of Mixed Martial Arts, where players create their own fighter and train in various martial arts disciplines to become a champion. With a wide range of customization options for your character and move-set, players can build their own unique fighting style and master techniques from Wrestling, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Boxing, and Jiu Jitsu.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

73%
Audience ScoreBased on 51 reviews
graphics3 positive mentions
grinding11 negative mentions
  • The deck building mechanics are well-designed, allowing for a variety of strategies and combinations that enhance gameplay.
  • The game captures the essence of mixed martial arts with a good representation of various fighting styles and real-life fighters.
  • Despite some bugs, the game is fun and engaging, especially in short bursts, making it a decent option for casual play.
  • The game suffers from grindy progression, especially after level 10, making it tedious to unlock new content and advance.
  • Many mini-games and mechanics feel poorly adapted from mobile, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences on PC.
  • There are significant bugs and design flaws, such as randomization issues with card draws, which can disrupt the strategic elements of fights.
  • gameplay15 mentions

    The gameplay is centered around a well-executed deck-building mechanic that allows players to learn through a career path before engaging in ranked fights, reflecting the realities of mixed martial arts. However, it suffers from slow animations, poor RNG, and design choices that detract from the experience, particularly in multiplayer contexts. Players express a desire for improvements in mechanics and community engagement, as well as a rework of certain features like the knockout system.

    • “The deck building is very well done, and I like the career path and the ranked fights; the career path fights let you learn the mechanics and styles before committing to ranked fights.”
    • “For a game whose main mechanic is deck-building, it manages to be very faithful to the reality of mixed martial arts.”
    • “I love the gameplay.”
    • “Has an ok mechanic saddled with bad RNG and worse design decisions.”
    • “In addition, the animations tend to be terribly slow and the game lacks any way to speed them up, skip them, or otherwise speed up the gameplay.”
    • “Money that you earn is all but useless from a gameplay standpoint.”
  • grinding11 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a significant hurdle, particularly in the career path where reaching higher-level fights and unlocking cards requires extensive repetition of older content. While some describe the grinding as satisfying, it often becomes tedious and frustrating, especially when trying to level up characters or unlock competitive cards, leading to a sense of imbalance in matchmaking. Overall, the grind is seen as excessive, detracting from the enjoyment of the game's core mechanics.

    • “In the career path, it can also become grindy to get to the higher level fights and reach the top end level 100 fights. You often have to over-level your fighter by grinding older fights, older training, or ranked fights.”
    • “The fundamentals are great, but the progress in content becomes painfully grindy from level 10 onwards.”
    • “Too much grinding for 1 million cash and no idea what the 'max level' achievement is.”
  • graphics5 mentions

    The graphics are generally described as nice and smooth, offering decent quality without requiring high-end hardware. While some users note that the graphics are basic, there is appreciation for the range of customizations available. Overall, the visuals are satisfactory for the game's performance requirements.

    • “Graphics are nice and smooth.”
    • “It doesn't need a high-level graphics card or computer at all, but the graphics are still good.”
    • “It has commentary, decent graphics, and a good range of different kinds of customizations.”
    • “The graphics are quite basic.”
    • “It doesn't require a high-level graphics card or computer at all, but the graphics are still good.”
  • stability3 mentions

    The game experiences significant stability issues, particularly freezing when users attempt to change categories in the item store or purchase new gear, often necessitating a reboot. While the concept is promising, numerous bugs detract from the overall experience.

    • “Pretty fun game, but it freezes when I change categories in the item store.”
    • “This game is not bad and the idea behind it is promising, but there are just too many little buggy things making it a mediocre experience.”
    • “I can't, for example, buy any new gear; the game freezes and a reboot is required.”
  • music2 mentions

    Users report experiencing a glitch in the music where a strange background noise emerges after about 20 minutes of gameplay, creating an effect that sounds like the music is stuck and overlapping itself. This issue detracts from the overall audio experience.

    • “I have this strange background noise that seems to show up about 20 minutes after playing. It sounds like the music is stuck and trying to play over the top of the music already playing.”
  • story1 mentions

    The story aspect of the game is likened to PD games for MMA, where players train their fighters and then engage in matches that are narrated like a story. However, this game enhances the experience by allowing players to actively participate and visualize the fights, making it more immersive.

    • “This reminds me of PD games for MMA where you would train your fighter and then match them with an opponent. The fight was written down like a story to read, but with this game, you actually get to play and visualize it!”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The game has moved away from microtransactions but still incorporates various monetization strategies commonly found in mobile games.

    • “They backed away from microtransactions, but everything else you find in mobile games is there.”
    • “The monetization model is fair and doesn't feel intrusive, allowing players to enjoy the game without constant pressure to spend.”
    • “I appreciate that the game offers plenty of free content, making it accessible for everyone while still providing optional purchases.”
    • “They backed away from microtransactions, but everything else you find in mobile games is still present.”
    • “The monetization strategy feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending money.”
    • “It's frustrating that essential features are locked behind paywalls, forcing players to spend if they want to progress.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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