Relay Rivals for parents: what the robot game is like
Relay Rivals is a short-session robot strategy game in the browser for kids from about 8 to 12. The player builds a crew of six robot cards and plays three-minute battles against a computer rival, choosing which robot to send and where. There is no blood, no chat with strangers and no ads. This page lists the facts a grown-up may want before their child plays.
What does the player do?
- Chooses six of twelve robot cards to form a "crew".
- In battle, picks a card and a starting pad. The robots then walk and fight on their own.
- Manages "charge", a resource that fills up by itself, one point per second.
- Tries to capture the relay in the middle of the arena, then break the rival's turret and core.
- Plays a twelve-battle campaign, earns up to three stars per battle and unlocks colours and decorations for the robots.
It is a game about planning and timing more than fast reflexes. The rules are on how a battle works, and the robots are on all 12 robot cards.
Content notes
- Robot battles. Small robots made of simple shapes fight other robots in a workshop-like arena. They zap each other, and a beaten robot disappears in a burst of sparks.
- No people get hurt. There are only robots. There is no blood and no scary theme.
- Losing. The player can lose a battle. Losing never takes away stars or rewards that were already earned, and the result card gives a friendly tip.
- Fair play. Every player has the same twelve robots with the same power. Nothing can be bought to get stronger, and there are no levels to grind.
- No other players. All battles are against the computer. There is no chat and no online play.
How much reading is there?
All text is written, with no voices. Sentences are short. A guided lesson, Learn by playing, teaches the basics by doing, and the help card explains the rules in four short lines. A younger child may need help reading card descriptions at first.
How long is a session?
A battle lasts three minutes at most, and many are shorter. The result card after each battle is a natural stopping point. The game can be paused at any time, and it pauses by itself when the player switches to another app or tab.
The Daily relay offers one new challenge per day. There is no streak to keep and nothing is lost by skipping a day. There is no leaderboard.
Where is progress saved?
The game saves by itself in the browser on the device being used. There are three separate save slots, so siblings can each keep their own progress. If the browser blocks saving, for example in a private window, the game says so and can still be played. Details are on settings and saving.
Ads, purchases and data
- There are no ads in the game.
- There is nothing to buy inside the game.
- The game sends a few play events to the Contenta Games portal's own statistics, for example that a battle was started.
Devices, controls and languages
- Plays in a web browser on computers, phones and tablets, with no download. It shows a 3D arena, so it needs an up-to-date browser that can draw 3D graphics (WebGL).
- Touch, mouse, keyboard only, or a game controller. On phones, the game is played with the screen held sideways.
- Nine languages: English, Swedish, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese.
- Settings include volume, music and sound effects, a sound on/off switch, Graphics (Simple suits older devices) and Moving effects. Set Moving effects to Calm to stop sparks, flashes, flickering shot lines and moving card animations.
All controls are on the controls page.
How to get the game
Relay Rivals can be tried in your browser with a demo. The full game is part of the Contenta Games membership, which opens every game on the portal. See what a membership includes, or browse the guides to all our games.
See also
- The guide's front page: what the game is about.
- FAQ: quick answers to common questions.
- Your first battle, step by step: what the first ten minutes look like.
- Play Relay Rivals together.
