The mobile version of Rocket League promises to be packed with fun. Does the game succeed in convincing us of its potential? Answer in this test.
You have surely already played Rocket league on consoles or PC. It is one of the free-to-play titles that we play at least once, just to test, whether we stick to the universe or not. For those who do not know, this is a multiplayer game in which you play as a car playing football on a terrain as horizontal as it is vertical (yes yes). A concept that is not trivial but has attracted a loyal following in recent years.
In order to share its universe with more people, Psyonix, bought by Epic Games, has decided to extend Rocket league to the world of mobiles. This is how was born Rocket League Sideswipe, the adaptation – and not the porting – of the famous game on iOS and Android. After several hours spent feeling the touch screen, we deliver our verdict. So, between the goal and the red card, Rocket League Sideswipe does he manage to hit the nail on the head?
A real shot on target
Like its counterpart on other media, Rocket League Sideswipe lets you play as a rather agile car in soccer and even 1v1 or 2v2 basketball matches. Until then, players can easily find their bearings. The visual identity is also the same, down to the details of the arenas or even the vehicles. The game therefore benefits from the electric, colorful and ultra fun atmosphere that we know at Rocket league. We even find the same musical atmosphere as in the original game.
In terms of gameplay, we also start on the same bases. To help you score, you can lightly use the boost to propel yourself at lightning speed and the jumps to help you reach the cages. If you use the two features intelligently, you will be able to perform various antics and other incredible tricks defying all the fundamental laws of physics. That’s all we love. If it is a little hard to take in hand at the start, we quickly take the fold and we manage rather quickly to adopt a sharp technique which will really make the difference in a match.
Now let’s talk about an essential aspect in Rocket League Sideswipe, namely the personalization of vehicles. Directly in the personalization parameters, you can choose the color of your car, influence its shine and its material. But you can also decorate it with accessories each more ridiculous than the next, such as mariachi hats or an exhaust that produces soap bubbles.
The (almost) endless possibilities for customization are yours. Note all the same that the accessories are not taken into account in the playability of the title. This therefore means that if you put on a top hat, it will not help you hit the ball earlier and therefore give you an advantage over a vehicle that does not have any accessories. Worse yet, it could even disrupt your in-game perception which is definitely not a benefit if this happens to you.
A Rocket League, in simpler form
The big difference between Rocket League Sideswipe and its PC and console version, that’s the point of view of the camera. Indeed, the game has less perception and therefore goes from 3D to 2D, which is much easier to use. We no longer have to think about the camera angle, which always confused us on the original game and therefore takes a huge weight off our shoulders.
In terms of controls, orders are also reduced to a minimum. On the left of the screen, you control the direction of your vehicle, and on the right you control the jumps as well as the boost. On this side, we find that the touch controls are a real success. Coupled with 2D gameplay, the gameplay is very accessible and fluid as a whole. On a mid-range smartphone, with a sample rate of 576 Hz, we found everything to be very responsive.
The tactile controls are therefore the perfect ally for those who want to play between two metro stations, facilitated by ultra-fast games, or for those who do not want to bother with a controller. On the other hand, you always have the option of connecting one, which should make the gameplay easier for the regulars. Be careful though, the controller support is limited to parts only, and will not work to navigate in the application.
Not a portage but an adaptation
Contrary to what one might think, Rocket League Sideswipe is not a port of the original game, but a version adapted for mobile. You will therefore not have the possibility to play in cross-play, or even to do cross-progression. However, we find more or less the same system of season and battle pass, which is not synchronized with the other versions of the game.
In Sideswipe, the battle pass is completely free. Contrary to the prejudices that we had of the game, it does not have any micro-transactions, at least for the moment. It is therefore very pleasant to navigate on a mobile game which is not full of advertisements or which does not encourage consumption to advance in the season. It’s quite simple, if you don’t have enough virtual money to buy yourself an accessory, then you will have to earn some.
For this, you must climb the ranks and climb the rankings to hope to grab some gold coins. Alternatively, you can disassemble the accessories that you don’t use, or that you find ugly, to earn an average of 70 to 80 gold, which is not negligible when you consider that a mystery item costs barely 100 pieces. You can also complete objectives, which are renewed every season or every week.
The only thing that we regret is the poverty in terms of game modes. The games are extremely fast, which means that we quickly toured the possibilities after a few hours on the game. The only way to make a profit the game (in terms of interest / time of use) is to hang on to the competitive part of Rocket league, in our opinion not highlighted enough at this stage.
