Rugby Kicks 2 Mobile Game Review for Android & iOS

Actual Players Kicking Actual Balls

What sets Rugby Kicks 2 apart from other similar games is that it’s more than just flicking a ball at a set of posts; it’s a fully realised rugby game based around the art of kicking.

Gameplay

The game controls are simple and effective: as you receive the ball a power bar slowly decreases meaning that the quicker you swipe the further you kick. This allows for you to really decide on the distance you put on the kick which is key when you’re trying to maximise your accuracy. When I say “receive the ball” I mean that your play catches a pass from another play and then drop kicks that ball, allowing you to actually watch the kick as it is taken. Coupled with the more than passable graphics this really sets RK2 apart from similar games.

What improves the gameplay even further is that it incentivises you to be as accurate as possible. It’s not just a question of getting the ball between the posts, it’s a question of where between the posts it goes. Between kicks, a different area of the posts will be illuminated and maximum points can be earned by slotting a kick in that area. This can make the difference between winning and losing a game, especially as you are trying to score as highly as possible in the time required. Playing against the clock can be slight frustrating as you have to gauge wind direction and distance quickly but this provides a real challenge once you get to the harder competitions.

Game Modes

Progression through the game means completing scoring challenges at real world rugby events like the Pacific Islands Cup and the Six Nations. As you can imagine, the game concludes with the World Cup and getting to that point is only possible by winning every preceding tournament. It’s not an easy advance to the end of the game and many may feel aggrieved that you can’t jump ahead to other tournaments. This lack of variety in game modes is mitigated by the fact that the tournaments are fun and challenging and the variations in the accuracy required of your kicks makes for enough of a gaming test.

Buying and Selling

Another well thought out aspect of RK2 is its use of coins that are gained through high scores. Coins will help you to purchase in game additions to help add some personalisation to your gaming experience. What’s good is these go beyond simple kit purchases on to more creative add-ons like real life stadiums and even pitch security. None of this is going to help your score more but it will allow a hard-core fan that little bit extra rugby realism. You’ll also be able to purchase a specific name for your player as well as the number you want him to wear on his jersey.

The only small issue is the huge number of coins you need to make a purchase. Needing coins for power ups makes sense; if you could get power ups too easily you’d advance to easily. But needing thousands of coins just to give your player a name and a number does seem a bit excessive.

Final Thoughts

Rugby Kicks 2 is a fully realised rugby game that provides a decent gaming challenge and pays enough attention to its appearance to appeal directly to fans of rugby. Whilst some of the game modes aren’t completely realistic, it’s a decent imitation of the real thing that hard-core fans can believe in.