Rocket Arena - Review

There is always something exciting about the release of a new game, with new characters, locations and mechanics, and while Rocket Arena doesn’t have entirely new mechanics, what it does offer is some fun takes on them. But in the age of the hero shooter, does a game built around the idea of rockets only, deliver the explosive punch needed, or is it more of a dud?

Rocket Arena is a multiplayer only title that will test you, in the form of various heroes, to rain supreme in a contest that the entire world gets behind. The 10 different heroes available, at least at launch, all hail from somewhere on planet Crater and strangely enough, each hero calls from a region, similar to how they look. It is a simple concept but provides enough of a reason for there to be so many unique individuals fighting for victory in this unique type of contest. Thankfully, each of the heroes are not just themed to suit a space, they also have a complete backstory, to discover, which is always something I enjoy.

Of course, if we are talking about a game where you shoot rockets at each other, then we need to talk about the gameplay, because if that does not work, then nothing else matters. Thankfully, the gameplay is really fun, featuring a Super Smash Bros type of meter, it gives you plenty of options to keep the fun going. The game is shipping with a few game modes, with more coming down the line and while the ones in there now have different names, they are pretty basic modes. What they call Knockout, is just deathmatch, but with teams of 3 and rockets it kicks it up a notch, the challenge again comes from that Smash style system. That system means that as you get hit with rockets, a meter appears that begins to build up, once it is at max, you are ripe to be blasted out of the arena. The game does give you tools in order to help avoid that, but it takes some getting used to, as there are a few options, depending on who you are playing as and where you are at in terms of the meter being filled.

Each character has a special attack and a secondary attack, in addition to their primary attack, and while most characters will have to reload their primary, Blastbeard the pirate being the exception, everyone’s attacks have cooldowns, so using them at the right time is crucial. Izell was the character that I preferred the most, as her special ability has a grapple hook shoot out, pulling her across the map, or into another player. That special ability is also great for pulling you back into the action, should you get knocked out, but each character has their own, Blastbeard for example unleashes a massive wave of power, which knocks nearby enemies back. Mysteen, the magician is someone who uses illusions and her special attack makes use of that, creating another version of her, but unlike another game that has someone that creates a fake version of themselves, Mysteen can teleport to her doppelganger, which is perfect for getting out of danger. These attacks are things that you need to learn to make the use of them, Izell and her hook can pull herself towards the ball and treasure chests in the specific modes for example, but there is another system in play, that you will want to make use of.

Artefacts are obtained when you level up, and they in turn level up if you have them equipped, and these modify your character in small ways, but the more you use them the more the effects are noticeable. These modifiers can do things like increase your move speed, reduce the time it takes to cool down and as you can have three equipped at once, you can modify your character of choice to improve your chances in battle. This is the only way you can improve your character and you obtain them from playing the game, the in-game coins are only for cosmetics, they will never be for ways to win.

Of course, if you want to play something other than deathmatch, I mean Knockout, you can jump into Rocketball, which is kind of like soccer, but with rockets, the big catch is that you can’t use special abilities if you have the ball, so you have to really work with your team. The other fun mode is Treasure Hunt, and it has two mini modes built in, hold the treasure chest and a coin collection option. What happens here is you hold the chest, or attempt to hold it for about 30 seconds and then it vanishes and the maps fill with coins and the more you collect the more points you earn and surprisingly, there is more chance to win if you don’t get the chest, but collect the coins. The final mode is Mega Rocket, it is basically a control the point mode, the catch is the point moves, as giant rockets come barrelling down onto the map, in a random place each time. The catch with it, is if you are to quick and are standing near the drop zone, you will get blasted out.

Each of the modes has something different to experience and while Knockout is fun, I had more fun with Rocketball, thought if the opposing team is on the ball, pun intended, you can easily get shut out in a 5-0 or 5-1 loss. This highlights a problem with the game, when you are getting shot at, if you have no skills or dodge available to you, you basically just get hammered and if that happens, you are done for. While there are small windows to get away, if you are the focus of the other team, or hit by a special attack, there is little you can do and when you get sent flying, the time it takes to respawn feels that it takes forever. It doesn’t take that that long, it is about normal, but as you are not taken back to a score screen, or such, you just have to watch the game carrying on below you and while interesting, ends up feeling frustrating.

One area that is not frustrating is the character design and the world, there is a charm to everything, looking at the characters, you might get a feeling of Pixar or Dreamworks, with their human characters. The eyes are larger than normal, not in a weird way, but more like an anime approach and because of it, the characters feel more alive, which is great when they emote in the menus. The worlds are also full of colour and character and while the maps are not large, though larger ones are coming, there is still plenty packed in. The Temples of Jaaqua map is very much a Southern American temple/jungle location, complete with ancient statues and deadly traps, but something like The Golden Zephyr is the exact opposite, it combines the look of an early 20th century ship and a zeppelin, and has you bouncing around in the sky.

The number of map sits at 10, but as the game modes make each location feel different and again while larger maps are coming, the size of them now can feel a little restrictive, which is also a downside when you factor in the getting hammered effect. On the sound front, almost everything is polished to an insane level, the maps have a great sense of sound to them, and even though you and five other people are blasting away with rockets for minutes at a time, there is not a constant bombardment of sound from explosions. The mix is actually very well done and while the characters don’t speak during the matches on their own, you can press a button to emote, if you choose not to speak and this causes them to say something, in line with the effect you chose.

Rocket Arena has a tough climb ahead of it, not only is the game a much smaller multiplayer only title, which is a rarity in and of itself, it also has the competition from Apex Legends, also from EA. While both games are offering vastly different experiences, there will naturally be those that refused to want to move away from one and start fresh with the other, but that is the catch, this is a fresh start. Rocket Arena is offering something very new and incredibly fun, you can move around quite quickly, but your only weapon, the rockets, is also used to move with rocket jumps and such. Learning how to balance the use of your rockets, before you reload is crucial, but if you do manage it, that would be something to see. The maps, while small do pack in a lot of charm and the characters all have interesting backstories to learn about, hopefully they start to work on ways for those to be told in a more direct manner.

If you are interested in Rocket Arena, give it a go, the game is removing the need to worry about 99 other players and just going to let you get into the action. While there are some balance issues with getting hammered by rockets to easily and some worries over lengthy return times when blasted out, there is still fun to be had.

The Score

9.0

Review code provided by Electronic Arts

The Pros

+The range of characters are fun, and each have unique and interesting skills to learn

+The map range is great and as you can change up game modes as well, there is plenty to enjoy

The Cons

+Getting pummelled by the other team and not being able to avoid it, happens a lot

+Waiting for your character to return to the fight, seems to just drag on