With over 75 million players, several popular esports leagues, a takeover by Epic Games and going free-to-play, things have come a long way since Psyonix’s Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars from 2008.
Now, the popular football-with-cars game will be coming to mobile devices with a new spin-off game entitled Rocket League Sideswipe.
To be clear, this isn’t a port of the existing game which is on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch, but a standalone title built specifically for mobile platforms. This is most likely a good thing, the last thing we’d want to see for RL is a sloppy motion-controlled version.
As the name suggests, gameplay takes place from a side-on perspective, as opposed to a third-person view from behind the vehicle. Matches will have small teams, with 1v1 or 2v2 modes, and bouts will last for two minutes. You can play online and there will be a ranking system. On the surface at least, it seems to be aimed at those who are short of time and want a quick blast of Rocket League when out and about.
The basic aim seems to be the same – score more goals than your opponents. But, the goals are now of a portrait alignment and placed off the ground, with further emphasis on your jumping and flying abilities. The basketball-aping mode looks to have made the transition too.
It wouldn’t be a Rocket League title without customisation, so Sideswipe will include a plethora of visual changes for your vehicle and if we were to speculate, this is how the game will recoup its costs.
There is a limited-time Alpha test for Android users in Australia and New Zealand available today, while the full game will release later this year on both iOS and Android for all. Will you be downloading this to give it a try? Let us know on social media.
