Rugby 18

EKO Software has become recognizable after they released the game called How to Survive. Apart from this, the studio has developed other games, including Handball 17. Rugby 18 is another one of their attempts to develop a sports game for PC, PS4 and XONE. The game described herein has been published by Bigben Interactive – French publisher of such series as WRC: FIA World Rally Championship and Hunter's Trophy.

Mechanics

Rugby 18 is an arcade sports game with simulation elements. During the game, one participates in rugby matches, in which he or she has to score points by placing the ball in opponent's H-shaped goal or by touchdowns. During a given match, the player has a number of options – when in possession of the ball, one can run freely on the playing ground avoiding opponents' attacks. One should remember, however, that each player is limited by his condition represented by a special bar which is depleted as players move around the field – as this bar becomes smaller, a player runs slower and becomes an easy target for the opposing team. Rugby is a team sport, so during a match, you have to cooperate with other players by passing the ball. This way, you move towards the best position to score.

The attack is not everything. Defense is also important and gives you many options – you can stop the opponents that are coming at you to retrieve the ball. This might have some consequences, as a badly performed move might result in losing several precious seconds or an injury. When the ball is on the ground, you can try different things, such as picking it up to launch a counterattack. In some cases, it is best to simply kick it out or cover it with a player's body.

The in-game AI has been developed in such way so that the players on your team take good positions in both attack and defense.

Among the available teams, there are the most important clubs as well as national teams including French Top 14 and Pro D2 leagues and the famous All Blacks – New Zeeland’s national team. Moreover, the My Squad mode allows players to create a dream team choosing from all the available players.

Game modes

The PC, PS4 and XONE release of Rugby 18 is bound to satisfy both players preferring single-player experience and those playing online. The multiplayer modes include both couch and online multiplayer.

Technical aspects

Rugby 18 delivers decent quality visuals, however, the game cannot match the sports games developed by such companies as Electronic Arts and 2K Games. Players are similar to one another and move practically in the same way. The audio layer of the game features higher quality and is bound to allow players to immerse into the atmosphere of rugby matches.

Last updated on 30 October 2017