When Rocket League was released on July 7 I had actually never heard of the game, however as it was one of July’s Free PlayStation+ games, I downloaded it to give it a go. Once the game’s menu opened up, I knew I was in for a good time, as it revealed the game is the spiritual successor to Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars, a fantastic PS3 game.
The premise of the game is simple; it’s football. Unlike FIFA and PES, however, you play in a car equipped with a rocket boost and double jump while hitting an oversized football. To accommodate the automotive players, the pitch has been turned into a dome, allowing players to drive along the walls like any normal surface. This ignorance of gravity does not extend to the roof, oddly enough; you can stay on the walls as long as you like but once you drive onto the roof you just fall back to earth with around 5 seconds to get your car the right way up or you’ll crash roof first into the ground.
There are 11 car bodies for players to choose from, which all have a slight effect on how you play. The larger the car the slower you go, but the more car you have to hit the ball with and indeed other players. Collide with another player while driving the van and you’ll send them flying across the field. And, of course, at the opposite end of the scale you can pick a low slung sports car and be the fastest on the pitch, but if you’re anything like me you’ll spend a lot of time driving under the ball before you get the hang of the car.
The customisation extends beyond this in the form of wheels, paint jobs, rocket trails and more. The customisations tend to lean towards the silly side, currently my car spits out money in place of exhaust fumes. It’s worth noting that all of the customisation options other than car body are entirely cosmetic, so you can simply choose the rocket trail and tyres you think look the best without worrying about it slowing you down.
The mechanics of the game are very simple and very solid; driving works the same as it has worked in most games of recent times. R2 will accelerate you, L2 will reverse and square will trigger your handbrake, all while using the left thumb stick to steer. Beyond this, however, you will need to make a lot of use of the jump mechanic. For times when you need a lot of height, the game allows you to do a simple double jump, but for any moments where you feel you need to put a bit of an extra oomph into your shot, the left thumb stick allows you to manipulate your car in the air. Time a flip just right and you can hit the ball with the tail end of your car for a very long shot. Mastering these controls is no easy matter, but learning them enough to play is simple. One or two games and you’ll have found your feet with most of them.
The sound design in the game is also very impressive; the music is great and always encourages me to turn my speakers up a bit. The sound effects are what really stand out to me, though; the sound when you connect with the ball just right is wonderfully satisfying. Along with the lovely attention to detail with rocket trails. Is your rocket trail just fire? Then you’ll hear fire. Is it a spray of money? Then you’ll hear coins clinking as you boost around the field.
The game features a number of modes, the standard ones being 1v1 up to 4v4 while there are various special modes such as 3v1. I’ve played quite a bit in all the modes and I think 3v3 is probably the best. 2v2 is a bit too sparse on the field and leaves you feeling like you’ve not got a second to stay outside of the fray for a few seconds and make a plan, while 4v4 is more chaotic and a bit too insane for me, as it often leaves at least one player who gets very little time near the ball. 3v3 matches, however, get the balance just right for me, as there’s a distinct role for everyone. One player is our goalie, one is our goal scorer and the final player tries to set up the shots. Swapping roles every point ensures everyone gets a good bit of the action and stops the game getting very messy with your own team.
The game is brilliant fun with friends online, or for a quick bit of excitement, when your mates are round with its four players split sceen functionality. Though don’t despair if none of your friends are available, as the game also allows you to play with bots that may be easily beaten on their lowest level, but once you increase their AI you’ll find yourself quickly getting a good run for your money.
Overall, Rocket League is a brilliant game filled with frantic fun and surprisingly deep controls that was mired slightly by server troubles at its release. However, those have been almost completely ironed out and now there is very little. I can find fault with Rocket League, but I would recommend the game heartily, so if you’re a PlayStation+ member, make sure to grab it before month’s end and if not, it’s well worth the money if you have a few friends willing to jump on board with you.
