Mud Ring Rumble: A Kushti Wrestling Game for Kids
Kushti, India’s traditional wrestling, is fought in a mud pit called an akhada, between wrestlers called pehlwans. Mud Ring Rumble turns it into a cartoon wrestling game for kids, and for the grown-ups who end up playing it, with up to four players on one phone: tap to charge, hold to run, and push everyone else out of the ring. Nobody gets hurt, everybody falls over, and it’s the game younger children ask for again.
How to play the wrestling game for kids
- Pick 2, 3 or 4 players. Each player gets a button in a corner. Empty seats can be the computer.
- Watch your arrow. It keeps turning around your pehlwan.
- Tap to charge in the direction the arrow points.
- Hold to run. The arrow stops turning and your pehlwan runs that way until you let go. Running uses breath (the bar under him). Out of breath, he only jogs.
- Bump the others out of the ring, and don’t fall out yourself. After 15 seconds, the ring starts to shrink.
- Last wrestler in the ring wins the round. Win 2 rounds to win the match.
The power move
Every couple of seconds your pehlwan glows gold. Charge right then for a Dhobi Pachhad, named after a famous kushti throw: faster and much harder to stop. Most matches are won by players who wait for the glow instead of tapping wildly.
What turns up in the ring
| Item | What it does |
|---|---|
| Desi ghee | Makes you heavy and hard to push |
| Lassi | Fills your breath bar |
| Badam (almonds) | Makes you faster |
| Spilt mustard oil | Anyone on it slides and can’t stop easily |
The power-ups only last a few seconds. The oil is spilt twice a round, and the best move in the game is pushing someone else onto it.
Tips to stay in the ring
- Stay near the middle. The edge is where you get pushed out, and the ring shrinks.
- Let two others clash first. In a three or four-player round, charge the one who’s left wobbling.
- Grab ghee before a big fight. Heavy pehlwans barely move when hit.
- Save your breath. Run to get somewhere, not all the time. A pehlwan out of breath is easy to push.
- Charge on the glow. A Dhobi Pachhad from the middle can clear the ring.
Playing alone
Tap Play alone: beat 5 rivals and work up from Chhotu through Pinky, Bunty and Guddu Bhaiya to Ustad ji. Beat Ustad ji for the Akhada champion badge.
A little about real kushti
Kushti has been part of north Indian life for centuries, and akhadas still train wrestlers in Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. In a traditional bout there are no points: you win by pinning your opponent’s back and both shoulders to the ground. Many of India’s Olympic wrestlers started out in akhadas. Mud Ring Rumble keeps only the spirit, a ring, a lot of pushing and plenty of ghee, which makes it a nice way to tell children where the real thing comes from.
Questions people ask
Is it violent?
No. It’s a cartoon pushing game: wrestlers bump and slide out of the ring, and that’s all.
How many can play on one phone?
Up to 4, each with a button in their own corner.
Is it a good wrestling game for kids?
Everyone. It’s one button, so it’s one of the easiest games for small children, and one of the most fun for adults.
Can we play it in a family tournament?
Yes. Mud Ring Rumble is one of the games in the family games tournament, and it makes a good last game.
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