The Long Game
Progress reports on the games we just can’t quit, featuring free-wheeling Rocket League
Developer/publisher Psyonix Format PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One Release 2015
There’s perhaps no greater indignity in gaming than Rocket League’s simple button prompt: “What A Save!” Sure, being on the wrong side of a Perfect KO in Street Fighter may sting, but at least Ryu and co have the good grace not to bang on about it. Make a mistake in Rocket League and you can expect to see your screen overflow with sarcastic taunts.
Yet it’s a testament to the longevity of the concept of this excellent sports racer mash-up that those messages don’t frustrate for long – thank goodness, as Psyonix is opening up Rocket League by making it freeto-play. It’s a shrewd move, allowing the San Diego developer an opportunity to rebuild momentum as the current generation slowly begins to fade behind the bright lights and haptic feedback of the next one. And, while it’s yet to be confirmed, the move to PS5 and Xbox Series X could give a whole new generation of players a chance to discover its rhythms.
After all, what made those early days so inviting was a community that was making sense of this engaging concept as it went along. But while those days might be long gone, there’s still something to be said for falling back into the game’s grooves; the galvanizing sensation of gliding through the air and feeling the thud of a successful shot or hitting the perfect angle to just shape a pass towards the goal and, let’s be honest, quoting Partridge as the ball hits the back of the net.
Psyonix is using this shift to implement wideranging changes to the game’s structure. Tournaments will receive a greater focus, allowing more committed players to take part in esport-esque bracketed competitions no matter their rank, and this should allow the more competitive (read: horrid) players a place away from fresh faces who aren’t get emotionally numb to the onslaughts of “What A Save!” It’s another smart idea, building a natural progression path for the players who fancy more than just a quick knockabout.
Off the pitch, though, this move to a free-to-play model has really been in the works since its debut on PS Plus. For years, Rocket League has put its focus on a number of different ways for players to unlock cosmetics, from a Rocket Pass to the introduction of Blueprints at the end of 2019, and all have been served up with unnecessary complexity. Considering the game’s on-field simplicity is one of the strongest in multiplayer gaming, the off-field convolution is one lesson we wish it didn’t learn from the Premier League.
And yet, much like those messages you invariably see fill your screen, in the end it doesn’t matter. As soon as you’re back on the field, Rocket League’s action feels just as relevant as it did in 2015. With a thin next-gen launch lineup and a new structure that caters to fresh, veteran and lapsed fans alike, it also might have found the perfect time to reintroduce itself.