Facebook Game Face-off: Dungeon Rampage vs. Cloudstone

Given the mode of interacting with Facebook games, the mouse, it was only a matter of time before the click-fests known as action RPGs invaded the platform. Two of the first to hit the scene in a big way are Cloudstone, publisher Nexon's cutesy take on the genre, and Dungeon Rampage, the real-time, raucous debut effort from Rebel Entertainment.

That brings us to this week's Facebook Game Face-off, a regular showdown between the top social games in their genre to let us, and more importantly the readers, decide which is best. With that, let's get ready to ... rampage! (Or something like that.)

Beating Up Baddies

Cloudstone takes a much more literal, albeit flat, approach to its combat. Aside from special abilities for each of the three classes in this RPG, fighting feels more passive than traditional games in the genre. When your wizard launches a volley of fireballs at the enemy, there simply isn't that intense visual feedback that you receive in its competitor.

Speaking of which, you can see and almost feel every axe swung, arrow loosed or spell flung connect with its unfortunate victim in Dungeon Rampage. Combat in this RPG is more tactile than the competition. When players activate their special attacks and uniquely devastating dungeon buster abilities, you can tell they're doing serious damage.

Beating Up Baddies with Buddies

Playsaurus has taken great pains to make it feel as if you're exploring the vast dungeons of Cloudstone with your friends. While it's all asynchronous, this RPG does a fine job of providing semi-realistic AI for the computer-controlled representation of your friend. Even with asynchronous PvP and real-time chat rooms, this is multiplayer for players that might not have time for the real thing.

Rebel Entertainment, on the other hand, has the real thing. Dungeon Rampage boasts fully functional, real-time multiplayer that players can either enjoy with their Facebook friends or random strangers through its matchmaking system. Arguably, this is the ultimate type of social play in a social game, wouldn't you say?

The Cause for Clicking

The reason to keep coming back for more adventures in Cloudstone is just that: the adventures. Cloudstone's strongest points are its quirky characters and story, its expansive maps to explore and the personal, powerful growth your character sees over time. You play Cloudstone to live in (and loot) its world; the monsters are merely in your way.

You'll continuously click away in Dungeon Rampage for the simple joy of destruction rather than exploration. Frankly, the majority of the areas in Dungeon Rampage are mapped out like arenas rather than dank dungeons or grassy knolls. And there's a point to that: You're not expected to focus on your world, but the monsters that are gnawing at your arms. Thankfully, it's a blast to clobber them.

And the Victor is...

Dungeon Rampage! While Cloudstone offers a world for players to explore with their friends (in a fashion), Rebel Entertainment's RPG provides a real-time romp with your buds in the same vein of Diablo and other action-packed dungeon crawlers. Cloudstone has an enormous world, cute characters and interesting character progression, but we can easily see Dungeon Rampage as a poster child for real-time action games on Facebook. Let's see what you think:

Dungeon Ramage or Cloudstone?
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