Rocket League review

Intro

In Rocket League you control a rocket-boosted car and your goal is to push a large ball into the opponent’s goal. You can achieve this by driving or jumping into the ball. Matches take 5 minutes and are played by two teams of 1 to 4 players per team.

Rocket League was first released in July 2015 for Windows and Playstation 4 and got later released on XBox One and Nintendo Switch. In September 2020, the game became free to play which was a perfect reason for me to give it a go.

Gameplay

There’s quite some depth to the gameplay. You can simply drive around and jump against the ball, but when you combine this with a double jump and boost you can really do crazy things. And timing is key. Jump or boost a split second too early (or too late) and you’ll miss the ball giving your opponents the chance to smash the ball towards your goal. It’s easy to learn, but very hard to master.

Teamplay

Also, continuously and mindlessly rushing at the ball won’t get you very far in general. You need to figure out some tactics with your team. At least someone should stand back a little to defend the goal. This can be quite problematic, however, when playing with strangers. There are basic communication methods with default text messages like “I got it!” and “Defending…” but in general they are only used to apologize, compliment or curse.

When playing with friends over voice chat, the game really opens up. You can then curse together when receiving a goal by the opponents. Also, you can discuss who does the defending and attacking. And because speaking is much faster than text messages, you can alert each other about incoming passes and counter attacks.

Multiplayer

Rocket League supports online and offline multiplayer. Online also supports cross-play allowing you to play with or against people on other gaming platforms. You can add your Playstation/XBox/Switch/PC friends to your Epic account so you can play with them on any platform.

Old skool split-screen is also supported. Just hook-up another controller and you can play the game with a friend on one screen! You can then play offline against bots or go online as a team and challenge other players.

Challenges

To add an extra layer to the gameplay, weekly and seasonal challenges can be completed for cosmetic rewards. These vary from playing a given number of online matches to scoring a number of goals in one match. Some award you with experience points while others may give you a random cosmetic item.

I really like this part of the game since it gives you an extra purpose to play. Even when you lose a match, you can still complete a challenge.

Extra modes

I’ve mostly played the default 3 versus 3 matches in ranked and unranked mode but there are some extra modes for the variety. There are special limited events which change every few weeks and modes which are always available.

The special events differ from ice hockey (where the ball is a puck) and some form of tennis where each single hit propels the ball towards the opponent’s goal.

The basketball mode and 3 vs 3 power-ups mode which are always available deserve a special mention. These modes force you to play in a whole different way which can be a welcoming change sometimes.

Winning and losing streaks

There is something strange about this game regarding winning and losing matches. I don’t know if it’s coincidence but every time I play this game, I end up in either a winning streak or a losing streak. One day, I win everything and reach the gold rank easily in the competitive mode and the other day, I lose everything and get demoted to low silver.

I can’t put my finger on it and I wonder if I’m the only one noticing this but I find it worth mentioning here.

Gameplay rating: 9

Graphics

Graphics are not very important in this game, it’s all about the action. However, Psyonix did a great job of creating the perfect environment for smashing a ball with rocket-boosted toy-like cars. The different stages all bring their own atmosphere and the cars really got the attention they deserved. Every car can be modified with different decals, colors, wheels and boosts so no two cars look the same.

The graphics are downgraded when you play the game in handheld mode on the Nintendo Switch. This is not so bad since you play on a smaller screen but due to the lower resolution, I sometimes had some trouble keeping up with the action when the ball was on the other side of the field.

Graphics rating: 8

Audio

Contrary to the graphics, audio really is important because it makes the action come alive. And thankfully, Psyonix also did the job here. It starts with the upbeat music in the menu’s and continues in the inciting countdown before starting a match. A cheering crowd and an announcer shouting “What a save!” add up to the excitement before the definitive and satisfying explosion sound of a goal rings through your speakers (unless the goal is for the opposing team of course…).

Audio rating: 9

In-game shop

Since Rocket League is free to play, Psyonix’ business model is to make you spend money on cosmetic items or a season pass (which also is all about cosmetic items, but on a monthly base). And I applaud them for this, since it actually only is about cosmetic changes. You can buy new cars, decals and goal animations, but none of these affect the way you play the game. There is no pay to win.

Nintendo Switch vs the rest

I frequently switch (pun intended) from my Playstation 4 to my Nintendo Switch and aside from the visual downgrade in handheld mode, there is no difference. The gameplay is as smooth as on any other platform and the Epic friend list integration makes playing with friends really easy. The only downside of the Switch is that it doesn’t support voice chat so I use the Playstation app for that.

Conclusion

Rocket League is the perfect game for a quick play between other games. There is no story or other form of progression so is doesn’t matter how often or how long you play this game. The game’s easy to pick up and anyone can play this game, but the fun really starts when you start mastering your skills and team up with friends.

Mostly played on the Playstation 4 and a few times on the Nintendo Switch in handheld mode.