RIVALS FPS: Online Shooter

Into the arena

Getting into a game starts with a choice: create a map of your own or join other players. From there you are dropped into online battles in an arena, and you can bring friends along to fight on the same side. The description lists different game modes and plenty of maps, and leaderboards keep track of how players are doing.

Familiar controls on any screen

The how-to-play notes say the controls follow the pattern of many well-known shooters, and the layout bears that out. On a computer you move with WASD, look around with the mouse, jump with Space, crouch with C and press E to interact with objects. On a phone, a virtual joystick on the left handles movement, swiping across the right half of the screen turns the camera, and on-screen buttons take care of jumping and reloading. The notes do not say which button fires, so it is worth finding that out early in your first match.

Weapons, upgrades and rewards

Fighting is only part of it. You can switch weapons, upgrade and collect rewards as you battle, and the game is drawn in bright, colorful 3D. It is free and runs in the browser on a computer or a mobile phone, with nothing to install.

If you are new to online shooters, a few general habits help. Knowing a map well is an advantage in any shooter, so it can pay to stay on one for a while before moving on to the next. When you team up with friends, stick together rather than drifting off alone, and treat the leaderboard as a measure of how you improve over time rather than a verdict on a single match.