Rocket Arena Review

"Rocket Jumping"

Multiplayer

July 15, 2020 at 3:28am
By Jason Stettner

This is a multiplayer focused shooter where players largely battle it out in 3v3 combat. This is also the sort of experience that’s for all types of audiences since you don’t necessarily die. You just get knocked out, and are drifted back onto the map. A good thing to mention, as while it’s fancy in its combat it is something that can be enjoyed by all. When it comes to playing there are a few options present.

You can jump into a quick casual lobby which rotates game modes, a ranked option and also a cooperative one. The coop mode has players working together against some AI robots, it’s a nice extra to have. I suppose there’s also private matches where you can play against others you invite, or even the AI which is a nice inclusion to have here.

The regular matchmaking is setup specifically for local platform searching, though through the options you can turn on cross-play to compete against other platforms which will certainly assist in keeping this title alive. That’s obviously essential to assist in the longevity of this multiplayer focused experience.

There are a variety of game types when going to play. There’s straight up knock outs; one based on treasure collection, another focusing on capturing a rocket position and even another for moving a ball across the arena. There’s a decent selection; though I would have liked some more, or at least a further change of weighting as repetitive options kept popping up in regards to the map/game type combo.

Gameplay

This features some really excellent visuals, particularly on Xbox One X. There’s a great level of depth within the tight environments, and a nice shine to the large roster of characters. They have an impressive cast here that each have very distinct abilities that can be unleashed while the match is progressing. You level up each of the characters individually, and are able to slightly customize them. The cosmetic aspect is unlocked through progression and in-game earning with an optional microtransaction element being available as well.

It didn’t seem like any content was locked behind that aspect, which is appreciated since this is a premium experience. The characters are generally all quite cool, very unique and have distinct personalities to go alongside that. It was really exciting to see the conflict between various characters during matches, as the roster always felt like it was being mixed up from match to match. There are also artifacts present that further adjust some elements of what the characters can bring to the combative table. When playing matches you might also gather an item or two to assist in combat, a neat addition.

In general you’ll be going around blasting opponents and trying to charge up their knock out bar. You can use dodge to help nullify these hits to a degree, or other abilities as well depending on the character you’ve chosen. It’s about teamwork since the arenas are very tight in design and that it’s heavily objective focused. Matches go by quickly, with excellent pacing quite honestly. I really liked the design of the levels, they’re varied and there are a large quantity of them. They’re smaller as I’ve mentioned, but fit well within the 3v3 style of play.

You get into the action constantly, with particle effects peppering the screen at almost every moment. With those distinct styles, every single match feels completely different. That’s largely due to the roster line-up that feels as though it’s completely unique each time you go to play. When it comes to maps you get everything from ruined overgrown temples, to pristine flying boats. It’s quite a difference, and I wish the weighting was less focused on particular maps since it’s such a rich selection of level options.

The Conclusion

Rocket Arena is a great multiplayer time, featuring a friendly style of play that’s appropriate to all while being generally packed with content. It’s quite fun to play, with pacing that just keeps the action going. The cross-play support is appreciated, and it’s easy to join up with others if you want to compete online or play locally.

It’s got an impressive roster of both characters, and maps to play on. I do wish that there were some more objectives, additionally with a switch weighting to the combinations that pop-up here. It works well, with explosions galore. The rocket based combat is delightful, and truly insane at times. It’s frantic action, that’s always different based on what characters have been chosen.

The abilities are entirely distinct within the roster, and I do suggest trying a bunch out until you find what you like since there are so many stylized individuals. The customization setup is appreciated, and I think they have a fairly great game here. It’s absolutely nuts at times, providing a high octane thrill ride of competitive multiplayer.

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Rocket Arena Review on Xbox One X
Review Code Provided by 47

Rating Overall: 7.7