Rocket League Sideswipe Review for iOS 2021

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Rocket League Sideswipe, a mobile game that debuted in pre-season earlier this month, is now available to iOS and Android users worldwide. The side-scrolling auto soccer game was released earlier this year as a mobile, 2D version of Rocket League that allows you to play solo or in teams of two against two.

Rocket League Sideswipe Review for iOS 2021

Rocket League solved a simple, odd question: What if go-karts played soccer? This resulted in one of the best sports games of the modern period, one that's simple enough to be a zany arcade hit while yet offering enough depth for competitive esports activity. Rocket League Sideswipe is a free smartphone spin-off, a companion game aimed to augment rather than replace the original. Sacrifices were made to make Sideswipe a great mobile experience, but Rocket League's unique charm comes out.

Rocket League Sideswipe Review for iOS 2021

Handheld Horsepower

If you haven't played the original Rocket League, I recommend starting elsewhere before moving on to Sideswipe. It's free, it's wonderful, and you can already play it on the go with the Nintendo Switch. Sideswipe, on the other hand, should captivate existing Rocket League fans due to how it streamlines the traditional formula for Android and iOS devices (I played on an iPhone 12 mini). It's almost like a demake, a fan effort in which current games are pared down and re-translated for older systems.

The overall goal of Sideswipe stays the same. To score points in the enemy team's goals or hoop, ram your vehicle into the massive ball. Having said that, the presentation is very different. Rather than driving around an expansive 3D landscape, you drive back and forth on a small 2D screen. Instead of 3v3 conflicts, the two-minute matches feature 2v2 battles and 1v1 duels.

The different viewpoint also affects how you drive. For a limited time after boosting, you can freely soar in the air. Make incredible interceptions or blast onto the roof with this. It transforms your car into something resembling a rocket ship. Meanwhile, you can hop and dodge in different directions, just like in the original game.

Because Sideswipe retains the finely tuned physics system that gives Rocket League its famed learning curve, these tactics are required. You must shoot at the proper angle and with just enough force to get the ball exactly where you want it. You'll make a lot of mistakes, but when you hit a shot, it's exhilarating. Sideswipe had my heart beating like a real Rocket League battle within minutes. More than anything, the requirement for finesse keeps Sideswipe feeling like Rocket League rather than, say, Lethal League, Rayman's Kung Foot, or some generic 2D arcade sports game.

Surprisingly, but not unexpectedly, the touch controls cannot always keep up with the action. Because you utilize virtual joysticks and buttons to execute moves, your thumbs may fumble when attempting to execute high-level maneuvers. It's not a dealbreaker, as the game's condensed style makes it incredibly playable on mobile, but it's the same issue we experienced with League of Legends: Wild Rift, another esports mobile conversion. At the very least, you can change parameters such as joystick size and button locking.

Rocket League Sideswipe Review for iOS 2021

Off to the Races

Psyonix, the developer of Rocket League, was acquired by Epic Games following the game's huge popularity. For better or worse, Rocket League Sideswipe seems like a game from the obscenely wealthy firm behind Fortnite. Given the ongoing Fortnite legal battle, I'm almost amazed Apple allowed it in the App Store.

To begin with, Sideswipe looks and sounds fantastic. I adore my car's gleaming chassis. The three distinct areas are highlighted by brilliant neon decorations and vivid explosions. Chunky sound effects transport you to the pitch, while upbeat music including licensed artists creates the sense that there is an actual sport taking place someplace.

Competitors will also discover a plethora of convenient solutions. You can, for example, communicate with teammates on the field by utilizing emotes or rapid chat. Whenever a teammate scored on our own goal, they were quick to apologize. You can also change the latency, input buffering, and force feedback settings. Leaderboards show you who is preventing you from becoming number one.

Because Rocket League Sideswipe is a free-to-play game, it contains all of the usual (but no less unpleasant) hooks designed to drain your bank account. You can buy cosmetics, lust for mysterious items, or subscribe to a combat pass. Connecting to your Epic Games account allows you to transfer experience points between Sideswipe and normal Rocket League to accomplish tasks faster. This immerses you even further in ecology. Inventory items, on the other hand, remained exclusive to their individual games. If I unlock a llama topper, aero mage wheels, and bubble boost in Sideswipe, I can only use them there. Because Rocket League and Sideswipe are different games with different ranking systems, wins, losses, and other stats do not sync. Fortunately, you can play Sideswipe against bots offline.

Get Ready for Liftoff

Rocket League Sideswipe is reflective of the days when publishers created mobile spin-offs of their AAA successes. Whereas the majority of those games felt like clumsy knock-offs, Rocket League Sideswipe delivers a lot of Rocket League flavor in a 2D mobile format. It's a free-to-play mobile game with the usual control and monetization difficulties, but it's comforting to know that Rocket League reigns supreme regardless of platform.

The Final Word

Although it cannot replace the original, Rocket League Sideswipe transforms the excellent arcade sports game into an amusing smartphone companion.

Source: PCMag