What makes a perfect, or almost perfect, game? Is it the graphics, storyline, setting, gameplay? Each person will say a different thing and probably be right. But they all have one thing in common – such a game is a pure joy to play. When everything comes together, when everything works as it should, all the while keeping you glued to the screen, that’s when we can say that the developers have got something special on their hands. Rocket League might not be that perfect game, but it’s damn close and is one of the most entertaining games we’ve had the opportunity to play in last couple of years.
But let’s not be too hasty, and see what it’s all about. Rocket league is a futuristic sport in which you won’t be watching twenty-something prancing superstars running on a meadow, nor is it a gladiatorial competition in which Tina Turner locks people in cages while the audience howls “Thunderdome, Thunderdome!”. You’ll actually be driving cars that resemble radio-controlled toys, only in giant scale, while they try to drive a huge ball into the opponent’s goal. So, football with cars? Well, not quite.
The football comparison is unavoidable. The teams comprised of one to four players charge over specially designed arenas and try to score a goal. That’s all the rules. There’s no foul, the ball can’t get out of the arena because it’s domed, and there’s barely a breather during the 5-minute match. Upon the signal to start everyone charges towards the ball in an adrenaline rush which usually results in spectacular crashes. The game basics are very simple and the mechanics are learned almost instantly even without the tutorial (which you should do anyway, because it explains some of the advanced techniques as well). Along with typical maneuver controls, the cars also posses nitro boost and the ability to jump. While in the air, you can rotate to better anticipate a hit or to do another jump and quickly turn to the chosen side to hit the ball even harder. And if you use your turbo boost while in the air, your car becomes a real mini-rocket! The physics model is great and allows for inertia and acceleration, making the advanced maneuvers harder to accomplish before you get completely acquainted with the game’s mechanics. And to top it all off, all of the aforementioned maneuvers can be combined into extremely spectacular pirouettes that will not only excite the audience, but are also very useful to defend the goal or launch the ball from very nasty angles. Oh yes, you are also able to drive along the walls and ceiling.
All of this would have remained just a string of good ideas if the car controls weren’t so intuitive. Driving the cars in Rocket League is pure joy. It doesn’t matter if you’ve chosen a sports car or a truck, each one will follow your commands to the letter. Meaning, all the vehicles are behave and perform identically, and the only difference is in their shapes, i.e. hotboxes. For those that are used to upgrades and tuning, sorry, but in Rocket League, everyone’s the same. Which is a good thing, because that way the success is based only on the player’s knowledge and skill, and the real leveling are those great moments when you manage to pull-off a difficult maneuver or fulfill a tactic with your teammates. There is no skill-ceiling to speak of, because you’ll always have to learn and evolve how to cover certain angles or be more precise when hitting the ball towards your teammates or the opposing goal. That does not mean that there’s nothing to do between the matches though. After each completed match you’ll receive one random cosmetic upgrade. Those range from new car bodies, paint schemes, wheels, ornaments or even skid marks when you use nitro. The points that you earn during the match are converted into XP that is simply a symbol of your time with the game, while the matchmaking is determined by you skill calculation (in case you play ranked).
The game might not have many different game modes outside the standard football-like, but it’s very flexible when it comes to how you may play it. From 1v1 to 4v4, in split-screen with up to three friends that don’t even have to be in the same team, and online added to all that. So for example, you can join with another player locally on split-screen, then connect with third teammate online and then all of you together can clash against opponents from all over the world. And if this wasn’t enough, developers have spiced it all up with cross-platform support for PC and PS4 players, so there will never be a shortage of players. In an age when racing games lack even a basic split-screen capability, it’s great to see a developer that cares for those of us that enjoy playing with others on the same computer or console.
Even at first glance on the main menu it will be clearly obvious how much at the forefront is playing with other players and playing online. Solo player content has been reduced to minimum – exhibition matches against computer controlled vehicles with three difficulty settings, and season, which is basically the same but with themed AI teams. While the AI is fairly functional as a replacement for a player (and a great alternative for teams that are short on them), in an arena that’s full of them you’ll often feel like you’re playing alone against a horde of drunk-driving wasps. It’s not even an unlikely occurrence for your AI teammate to launch the ball in the back of his net for no apparent reason. We are also saddened that there seems to be only one arena layout including even the nitro-refuel points, with only the visual theme separating them. A recent patch brought us a smaller Ancient Greece themed stadium, although even that one is basically the same, only on a smaller scale. The developers have justified this move by claiming that it’s so we can get accustomed to the game’s mechanics first, and that they will bring out wackier arenas in later free patches.
If we had to give a short-hand description of Rocket League, we think it would be best to describe it as “just right”. From it’s looks, down to the roar of the crowd during matches and the simplicity of controls, Rocket League was created with extraordinary care by people that clearly knew how to make a game that’s simple enough for anyone to learn, while having the potential for complexity for the competitive players. There is so much that’s done right in this game, that it would be a sin to look for faults. Therefore, even what was stated in the “minus” category shouldn’t be regarded as issues with the game, but rather as our suggestions to the developers on how to turn this fantastic game from a 9 to a solid 10. This has been the most pleasant surprise of the year and a game that we will be keeping installed and playing often. And it all comes down to one thing – it feels great to play it. Which beggars our final question – why aren’t you playing Rocket League right now?
Author: Bojan Jovanović
Rocket League
Pros:
- The feel while driving, control responsiveness
- Spectacular presentation
- Split-screen & other connection options
Cons:
- Solo players will be disappointed
- Little difference between the arenas
