Ubisoft is using its patented Rabbids mascots for a brand “new” kind of game: the card-based unit-summoning action strategy genre that’s found in mobile games since the days of DOT Arena.

Ubisoft has released the new action strategy title Rabbids: Legends of the Multiverse on iOS via its Apple Arcade game subscription service (like Apple TV but for games). The Apple Arcade game subscription service plays host to a number of exclusive mobile titles, with this Rabbids title being one of them.

Apple Arcade’s first month is free, with a RM29.90 per month charge to come after. So if you don’t see any mobile titles you like, you can just unsubscribe before the billing period.

Rabbids: Legends of the Multiverse – How’s The Game?

Rabbids: Legends Of The Multiverse is a card battler-slash-action strategy title similar to classic mobile fares like DOT Arena or a side-scrolling beat-em-up perspective version of Clash Royale. You play a camera-snapping-happy Rabbid who walks from left to right trying not to die from enemies blocking your path on a scrolling stage, usually in different time periods and alternate Rabbid universes. To protect yourself, you can summon Rabbid units of various classes and skills to stop enemies from dogpiling your lone Rabbid commander.

These units range from hulking giant Rabbid behemoths who tank your damage but are slow, to assassin units who hit really hard but die really quick. You have your fighters, ranged attackers who are better off in the rear for suppressing fire, and powerful towers, but are stationary and are lost as soon as your Rabbid commander keeps pressing forward. The game will take you through different Rabbid multiverses and time periods, with you collecting various units in card form to power up and build a deck out of. Depending on the stage layout and enemy placements, you can make a boatload of different decks for different situations.

The basic core gameplay seems fun for a few hours: it’s different from the mobile strategy titles I mentioned because the stage scrolls further down instead of using one static screen for all the battles to take place. Being a mobile game of this casual calibre, however, I don’t foresee any high-level strategy being implemented here to get ahead.

Here’s what I’ve done so far that’s getting me a ton of wins.

• Put the tank/fighter characters in front first as soon as you have the resources.
• Fill up the remaining spots with assassins and ranged attackers; assassins in the front, ranged at the back.
• Resummon the tank/fighters who died, using your resources when the time is right.
• Rinse and repeat; add a tower when you fight the boss at the end of the scrolling stage.

It gets old pretty fast, though the new cards and units you get can spice things up. The graphics and sounds, while competent, do lack the flash and particle pizzaz that most mobile games use to differentiate themselves from the crowd. Then again, I’ve only spent a couple of hours on the preview build; perhaps the final version of the title would change my tune once new mechanics start coming in.

Rabbids: Legends of the Multiverse is out now for iOS via Apple Arcade.