![]() ![]() Still, a full push to free-to-play might be what it needs. Considering Rocket Arena already has the premium currency and seasonal battle pass plans of a free-to-play game, a small buy-in makes way more sense. The niche appeal of Rocket Arena is bound to limit its potential player base as it is, so it's good that EA is reacting by making the game cheaper, at least for the time being. At the time of writing, the standard edition is available on Origin for $5 (on sale at 83% off), while Steam is still listing the old price. It used to be a lot harder to recommend Rocket Arena at its launch price of $30, but you can already get it much cheaper. Getting outnumbered and endlessly juggled by enemies is even worse when there's no primary objective to worry about. The one mode I consistently hated was standard deathmatch (called Knockout). You can jump into Ranked if you really want to sweat, but I've had all of my fun in the Social playlist that cycles through objective modes like the conquest-style Mega Rocket or Rocketball, a CTF mode with heavy Grifball vibes. The new price has helped Rocket Arena become the low-stakes shooter that I'm enjoying, but I’m worried that it could be too late. Partly I’m looking for something to do during the long queue times, but I’m also having enough fun to want a fashionable loadout. ![]() I'm surprised by how much I'm revisiting the cosmetic section to pick up new outfits or trailing effects for megablasts. As I was playing hoverboard riding and minigun-toting Rev, I could've sworn I'd fallen back into Bleeding Edge.Ī few designs stand out, though, like the definitely-not-Sam-Elliot Topnotch and Mysteen, whose magician suit looks so rad that I dropped a lot of in-game currency on her skins. It has a cutesy fantasy-tech look that's starting to blend together into a lot of hero games. I dig how each of the 10 launch characters distinguish themselves in action, but on the whole, Rocket Arena looks forgettable. It's often faster to just fall out of bounds and reset. Right now, follow-up shots in midiar are so punishing that trying to recover feels like a waste of time. The entire combat dynamic could be more interesting with more skill-based ways to avoid fire. You can dodge rockets with a well-timed press of Q (again, very similar to air dodging in Super Smash Bros), but the cooldown is so long that it rarely feels useful. Her mobility sticks out especially because it's so easy to get juggled by multiple enemies without a good chance of recovery. Some movement abilities feel overpowered, like Rev's freeform flight ability that lets her quickly reposition in any direction or recover from a near-knockout better than anyone. The random item pickups can grant you a small speed boost or throwable bomb in a pinch, but they don't hand you the fight. It’s a chaotic team game you functionally play solo.Combat is (slightly) deepened by unique secondary attacks, movement abilities, item pickups, and simple upgrades equipped out of game. A lot of the time you won’t even notice if or when others use their skills, and the game is too fast-paced to consider much strategy yourself. ![]() However, characters’ abilities don't complement one another like in Overwatch or Dota 2, so there isn't much - or practically any - point in team coordination. For example, Kayi's Snow Globe slows incoming projectiles while enhancing her own, Mysteen’s Phantasm lets her create and swap places with a double, and Amphora’s Hydro Form allows her to speed about as a manta ray-shaped blob of water, getting beneath enemies and sending them airborne. Rocket Arena will have a roster of 10 cartoonish heroes at launch, with more to be added down the track, each with different abilities. ![]() Even setting form aside, most weapons just didn't have that satisfying, heavy rocket feel, losing much of the appeal of a rocket shooter. I also hesitate to even call some of the characters’ weapons "rockets." Straight-shooting hero Jayto appealed to me the most, having the most traditional rocketry and being quick to pick up, but the arcing trajectory of Blastbeard’s projectiles made his firearm seem more like a grenade launcher than a rocket launcher, and Mysteen straight up flung cards. ![]()
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