Rocket League review

What do Hot Wheels cars, rockets, and soccer players have in common? If you guessed “Nothing,” you would normally be correct. But after 2015, everything is different.

Rocket League stands as perhaps the most unusual premise for a competitive sports game in existence. Teams of rocket-powered cars fly around cage-match style arenas and attempt to bump, knock, and otherwise propel a giant ball into the other team’s net. It’s soccer, in effect, but with an infantile pleasure. Matches are fast, frantic, and fun—core traits in a successful eSports game.

When Rocket League released as a pseudo-beta in 2015, it took the industry by storm. Gamers overran Twitch and YouTube, clambering to watch their favorite personalities take on the unusual challenge. Gaming podcasts became Rocket League talk shows. Livestreams became Rocket League channels. No one could get away from the game (and no one wanted to).

For one glorious summer, Rocket League became a veritable pandemic.

I got behind the wheel once the game came to Xbox, and Rocket League quickly became a household favorite. My wife (then-fiancé) became addicted, my siblings were addicted... Heck, everyone who came to my bachelor party got addicted to the game.

(For what it’s worth, my addiction was hit or miss. More on that later.)

Childhood dream

Visually, Rocket League plays like a Tron vehicle battle in a Hot Wheels arena. Teams of cars line up like automotive gladiators, smashing into one another, driving up walls, and flipping across the field in an effort to outscore the opposing team. The game is proud of its cartoony style: goofy “antenna” accessories appear on every car, and rockets spew out mown grass and the sounds of cheering children as the vehicles boost across the field.

But don’t let the childish looks and sounds fool you: Rocket League is competitive, and matches can get ugly fast. The game style allows for a wide field of player skill level, and while the servers do a good job of filtering between pro- and amateur-level players, I still endured some brutally one-sided matches.

This is where my own love-hate relationship begins. I can enjoy a string of fun-but-competitive games. I can even enjoy a good run, broken up by occasional losses. But when a party breaks up and new players rotate in, it’s not uncommon to go on a seven-game losing streak. Rocket League produces great highs, from thrilling moments to last-second victories, but an hour of pummeling at the hands of veteran players can dishearten anyone.

Mechanical masterpiece

Mechanically, Rocket League is a borderline masterpiece. Controls are simple and easy to learn, yet layered with complexities. (Doubly so with the recently-added Mario Kart-esque “Rumble” mode.) New players can enjoy moments of awesomeness, and expert players can take over a match like a demigod among mortals. But gameplay is almost stupidly entertaining, which goes a long way in salvaging the mood after a 5-0 defeat.

Support for Rocket League remains strong. Developer Psyonix continues to release new modes (for free), new cars (as paid DLC), and new accessories (paired with one of the other two options). The developers stay active on social media and seem committed to their product, from system patches to promoting an eSports presence.

Rocket League is now a platform, and as long as new content continues to roll out, I’m not sure I can even put a ceiling on how far the game will go.

In a nutshell

Rocket League isn’t without its flaws, but it thrives as a competitive sports platform. The customization options, comical controls, and frantic action keep every match interesting, and the developer is earning goodwill left and right with new content. The game is absolutely worth the investment, if only as a weekend party game with friends or family. I haven’t had this much fun with a game in a long, long time, and I look forward to seeing how Rocket League continues to evolve in the coming months and years.

Pros

+ Addicting gameplay

+ Unique premise

+ Lots of customization

Cons

- Inconsistent connectivity

- Sketchy opponent pairing