Part of what makes the Nintendo Switch so exciting is the ability to take your favorite games on the go. Now that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, DOOM and several high quality Nintendo games have released, we’re starting to see that vision become a reality. But, as great as these games are, sometimes you just want to play a really fun game. This is where Rocket League comes into play. With an interesting premise, exclusive Nintendo content and the ability to play it anywhere, is Rocket League on the Switch the definitive version or is it just another place to play it?
There isn’t much to Rocket League, which is part of the charm. Players take control of cars, which are customizable, and attempt to either get an object in a goal or smash rival cars. What makes the Rocket League fun isn’t the variety, though it helps, but the chaos caused by other players.
Regardless of which mode you play, be it soccer, basketball, hockey or dropshot, it isn’t easy to control what your vehicle does, much less where the objective moves to, leading to near misses, lucky shots and other unexpected turn of events. These will change based off the mode, as every mode has different physics and rules. Like basketball requires more jumping and for the ball to get dunked to score; where as the hockey puck is more predictable, leading to more engagements; with dropshot opening goals in places based off where the ball lands, leading to plenty of unexpected events.
These elements make Rocket League cater to a wide variety of players, though that doesn’t automatically make it enjoyable for all. To truly enjoy Rocket League you need to embrace the unpredictable and crazy mechanics. Sometimes you’ll be a super star, where as other times cars will knock you around or you’ll spend the match trying to catch up. This will vary based off your skill in relation to the other players, meaning you need to be okay with this style of play to enjoy everything that Rocket League has to offer. You can also help limit this by going through the tutorial and learning the basic mechanics.
One of the nice things about the title is it might not have a ton of content, though it can be enjoyed with friends, online or with bots under a variety of conditions. So if you want to try your luck against the world, you can do that or you can have a low stress game versus some bots. Or, best of all, you can play with your friends on the go.
Even though Rocket League supports single Joy-Con play, meaning you can take it on the go and always have the ability to challenge someone. Naturally this isn’t the most comfortable way to play, but it’s hard to fault Rocket League for adding the option if you so choose to use it.
As you progress you’ll unlock new items to further customize your vehicle. These include different car bodies, goal effects, hats and much more. These make progressing a little more fun, as there is always something to be excited for. It might not be the item you want or will use, though it might be and that is good enough.
Verdict
Rocket League for the Switch is basically the game many people love on the go. While it isn’t the most exciting single player game around, online will always give you a new challenge and the ability to swap to local multiplayer, even on the go, is a huge advantage. Be it a long trip, unexpected challenge or simply a party, Rocket League offers everything fans could hope for, making it a solid choice for owners and newcomers alike.
