Urban Rivals World

About

Urban Rivals WORLD is the biggest update the game has had in 16 years. This is a soft-reboot economy with brand new twisted game mechanics and classic gameplay for our old school fans. UR is the underground card battler, now available on mobile for fans and new players:

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

59%

Audience ScoreBased on 204 reviews

gameplay12 positive mentions

stability13 negative mentions

Urban Rivals offers a unique blend of strategy and bluffing, making it an engaging card game experience.
The game has a rich lore and diverse characters, with beautiful artwork that appeals to many players.
It has a long-standing community and consistent updates, providing a nostalgic experience for long-time players.

The Steam version suffers from a buggy interface and poor user experience compared to the original browser version.
There are significant balance issues and power creep, making it difficult for new players to compete without spending money.
The game has become increasingly pay-to-win, with many players feeling frustrated by the monetization strategies.

gameplay
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
65%
7%
The gameplay of Urban Rivals is described as immersive and unique, combining elements of card collection and strategic mechanics reminiscent of poker, which keeps players engaged. While many appreciate the interesting mechanics and beautiful card designs, some users express frustration with visual changes, bugs, and balance issues that detract from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the game remains enjoyable and competitive, particularly for those who appreciate its niche appeal and quick gameplay sessions.
- “In terms of gameplay, Urban Rivals is quite immersive.”
- “With its immersive card collection system, large world map, and strategic gameplay, I didn't get bored for a long time.”
- “I would very much recommend you try the game for yourself; the gameplay is extremely unique, and the games are very short, great to play while in queue or when you just want some quick fun.”
- “While the core gameplay hasn't changed a bit, personally I find it nauseating to look at as it is now.”
- “The bigger part of the appeal was the visual style and gameplay animations which changed for the worse since I last touched it.”
- “Now the gameplay requires you to predict what they would do if you use a certain amount of pillz... that is legit stupid. It's better if you just put the card down and let it face each other instead of powering it up with pillz.”
graphics
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
53%
15%
The graphics of Urban Rivals receive mixed reviews, with many praising the unique and charming artwork of the cards, while others criticize the inconsistency in quality, particularly with older cards that appear pixelated or dated. The game's visual aesthetics and detailed designs contribute positively to the atmosphere, but the user interface is often described as confusing and poorly designed, detracting from the overall experience. Despite some nostalgic appreciation for the original graphics, many players express a desire for updates to improve both the visuals and the interface.
- “The visual aesthetics of the game and the detailed designs of the various regions allow you to fully feel the atmosphere of the game.”
- “Every unit's artwork was extremely unique and had such a charm to it.”
- “This game has beautiful card artwork, interesting mechanics, and pop culture references galore, that made me love this game more than Hearthstone, a million times over.”
- “Some visuals are dated (very low definition / sketchy drawing).”
- “Dull animation & blurry non-HD graphics are not suitable for big wide displays.”
- “The graphics are terrible and the UI design is a nightmare; it is impossible to navigate among the many counterintuitive menus to perform even the simplest tasks.”
story
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The story in this card game is set in "Clint City," featuring a variety of colorful characters, each with their own unique backstories and abilities, though the narrative depth is considered minimal. Players engage in missions that contribute to the overall experience, but some feel that the rewards for these missions are lacking, leading to a perception of a pay-to-win model. Overall, while the game offers a structured tutorial and a consistent community, the story aspect is seen as secondary to gameplay mechanics and character collection.
- “Cards display the colorful citizens of 'Clint City', the place where the plot exists. It's not deep, but it definitely has a storyline.”
- “Each character has a unique story and abilities, adding depth to the gameplay experience.”
- “C+ for an unrealistic number of characters with a written story.”
- “C+ an unrealistic number of characters with a written story.”
- “Rewards & pay-to-win: game designers attempted to update the game by adding missions and daily rewards, but unfortunately they are just mockery, as the rewards that they drop are not really worth anything, leaving the player with only the option to develop their collection and cards to buy products from the store.”
- “---{story}---”
stability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous glitches and bugs that significantly hinder the experience. Common issues include a malfunctioning user interface, broken links, and inconsistent language settings, leading to frustration and a lack of enjoyment. Overall, players find the game to be overly buggy and unplayable in its current state.
- “The Steam version of the Urban Rivals app is a weird buggy mess; there are parts of the UI that are in French even though I have my account set as English, as well as several broken links and infinitely loading images in the deck builder.”
- “The game is buggy as hell with card images being blank the majority of the time.”
- “UI is terrible, unresponsive, and buggy as hell.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The music in Urban Rivals is praised for its excellent soundtrack and memorable variety, contributing to the game's vibrant atmosphere. However, some players express frustration over the removal of classic tracks, the repetitive nature of the current music, and technical issues like random unmuting. Overall, while the music enhances the game's appeal, there are calls for a return to previous compositions and improvements in functionality.
- “Urban Rivals has an excellent soundtrack, beautiful characters, and unique, addicting gameplay.”
- “There's good music, and the clans are all unique looking with vibrant art, lore, and personality.”
- “Especially the music, just return the classic music and add new ones if you want, don't just remove them for no reason.”
- “On the negative side, I can highlight that at a certain hour, the music starts to get annoying.”
- “Especially the music; just return the classic tracks and add new ones if you want, don't just remove them for no reason.”
- “The music will randomly unmute and needs to be toggled twice to remute.”
monetization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
17%
67%
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the free "kinda roguelite" mode, while others criticize the developers for perceived greed and laziness, labeling the game as a cash grab. Initially successful in attracting players through marketing, the developers have since reduced their advertising efforts, leading to concerns about their commitment to ongoing support and content.
- “Especially in the new - well new for me, anyways - 'kinda roguelite' mode, which seems to be completely free without any monetization.”
- “Today it looks like a generic garbage cash grab; I won't waste my time with it.”
- “Extremely lazy and greedy developers. They'll take every opportunity for a quick and cheap cash grab.”
- “After a while, however, the developers stopped their online advertising campaign, seemingly confident that they had a stable and reliable customer base.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Players note that grinding is a significant aspect of the game, with many characters being affordable but some high-cost cards requiring extensive playtime to acquire. While this appeals to those who enjoy grinding, it can lead to frustration, especially in competitive modes where progress feels slow. Additionally, the game's interface for completing missions can be tedious, further contributing to the grindy experience.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Expect to hit a massive coin block sooner or later; most of the characters are reasonably affordable, but then there are cards for several million which can take quite a while to save up for. It's good for those that like grinding out the game, but it's important to keep this in mind.”
- “Back when I was playing it (a long time ago, mind), it was a little 'grindy' to the point where it was really hard to get anything good to play against anyone in online PvP.”
- “The tutorial has 38 + 1 missions. When getting to the later missions, one needs to drag down the window while holding the left mouse button; there are no sliders or anything, which is tedious and hints that, along with the previously mentioned visual issue regarding the achievement pop-up window, this game is designed for the mobile platform.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by its stunning visual aesthetics and intricate regional designs, immersing players in a richly detailed environment.
- “The visual aesthetics of the game and the detailed designs of the various regions allow you to fully immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the game.”
- “The haunting soundtrack and ambient sounds create an incredibly immersive atmosphere that draws you into the world.”
- “Every location feels alive, with unique environmental details that enhance the overall atmosphere and storytelling.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game has been widely criticized, with many users finding it lacking and unamusing.
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game boasts high replayability due to its extensive range of skills and unexpected elements, coupled with its complex mechanics that encourage players to explore different strategies.
- “With massive amounts of skills and additional surprises, this game has high replay value and is really complex.”
- “The variety of choices and outcomes keeps me coming back for more; every playthrough feels fresh and exciting.”
- “Each run offers new challenges and experiences, making it hard to put down and always worth revisiting.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from performance issues, with users reporting that it does not run smoothly.