Massively multiplayer aerial combat

Air Rivals is a Manga-styled action orientated massively multiplayer online game, which mixes traditional RPG features with aerial dog-fighting.

To begin with you have to register, and click on a conformation email, and then you’re ready to go. There is a comprehensive tutorial to get you going, which teaches you all of the basics. After that you’re set free in a lobby, where you can buy upgrades for your craft. There are different classes of ‘gear’ as the ships are called, and you just choose the type you prefer. Hitting take off sends you up into the air.

To level up, as in most MMORPGs, you kill things! To start with, flying around and targeting any of the flying monsters or enemy craft will gain you experience points. Every so often you need to visit a base to refuel, but they are never too far away. The combat in Air Rivals is more exciting than in many MMORPGs, as you are not simply battling with your stats, but real time dog-fighting. Still, to fight against the best opponents you’ll need to have levelled up quite a lot. choose a nation to ally with, and get involved in missions and the long war of defeating the opposing civilization.

This is not the most attractive game in the world, but a twitch-action based MMORPG is a welcome change, and it’s free to play, which is great. There is a fairly big community of players, so it’s easy after a while to get involved in big battles with hundreds of fighting ‘gear’.

Air Rivals is a little rough around the edges, and not very pretty, but offers a fast action version of the MMORPG experience