Rocket League, the indie hit from Psyonix, is finally on the Nintendo Switch. Check out our review of the new game at Kidzworld!
By: Max Cannon
It's an understatement to say that Rocket League was a big deal when it first released back in July of 2015. This indie sequel to Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars became one of the most popular games on PlayStation 4 and PC when it was first released, and while Xbox players got their chance to try the game, Switch players have been eagerly awaiting this release.
Rocket-Powered Soccer on Switch
The gameplay of Rocket League is surprisingly simple for how fun the game is. It's exactly what it looks like, soccer with rocket-powered cars. There are a handful of different modes in the game but I found most of my time spent on the standard 3 vs 3 game type. Controls are pretty simple, acceleration, braking, and reversing are tied to the triggers, like most driving controls, but the face buttons allow for a boost and jump to really make the most of those rockets on your car. Driving over boost pads will charge up your car to briefly increase your speed to ride and combining them with your car's jump will let you pull off some of the craziest goals and saves.
The detailed grass in other versions of Rocket League isn't present on the Switch.
Customization is your reward when playing Rocket League. At the end of every round, you'll earn a new unlockable to add some style your car whether you've won or lost the match. Colorful toppers for your car include hats, antennas, and flags or you can add some flair to your boost by changing the color shooting out of the back of your car. This Nintendo Switch version of the game includes some Nintendo themed vehicles including a pair of Mario and Luigi themed cars and a Metroid styled battle-car that looks like Samus. The only noticeable problem with these cars are their colors because if you're playing on the blue team you'll be in a blue car and an orange car for the orange team, when driving the Mario themed car you won't have a color swap on either team so it's easy to get confused about who is on what team when everyone is driving as Mario.
The blue on Nintendo's cars cause a problem when identifying teammates.
The Cost of the Switch
The ability to play Rocket League on the go is the best part of the Switch release but that comes at a cost. The 60 frames per second that players have come to expect on other platforms is still present on the Switch but the resolution takes a significant dip in quality. Certain stadiums render out in different resolutions and most of them are below the standard of 720p and come across incredibly blurry. Having gotten used to playing on PlayStation 4, the Switch version's visual inferiority is problematic but luckily the gameplay is so top-notch it doesn't change that this will be my new main console to play Rocket League on.
The smaller stadiums deliver a clearer picture.
I think the biggest surprise is how well the servers of Rocket League perform on the Switch. Aside from a problem when I walked too far away from my wireless router, my time playing Rocket League on the Switch was as smooth as I'd expect on my PS4 or Xbox One.
Rocket League on Switch - Kidzworld Weekly News
Final Thoughts
Resolution aside, Rocket League feels perfect on the Nintendo Switch. This is a game so well-designed it seems like Nintendo themselves should've made it. If you really care about the visuals of the game than I'd suggest picking the game up on a different console or on PC but if you don't mind a slightly blurrier experience then the Nintendo Switch is the new home for Rocket League.
Pros
- Great gameplay
- Smooth online experience
- Perfect game to pick up and play
Cons
- Low resolution
- Confusing visuals with the Mario car
Rocket League Game Rating:
Rocket League Key Art
Available for PS4, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch.
Have Your Say!
Have you tried Rocket League? Will you be playing the game on the Nintendo Switch? Share your thoughts below!
