He drifts! He boosts! HE SCOOOOORES!!!

It isn’t a stretch to say that competitive games, including sports games, have become quite complicated. To succeed in Battlefield 4, you need to understand an overwhelming amount of on-screen icons, learn the layouts of a dozen maps, master any number of ever-so-slightly different weapons (and their respective bullet-drop-rates), and decipher the chaos of the 64-player battle unfolding in front of you. To be competitive at an EA Sports title like Madden, not only must you come to the table with a solid level of football IQ, but you also need to memorize the ever-changing controller layout, which is different when you are on offense, on defense, on special teams, changing the play at the line of scrimmage, and so forth. And don’t even get me started on the popular MOBAs of the day–their learning curves are so steep, I don’t even dare approach them.

That is why I am so glad about the resurgence of simple competitive games that have cropped up as of late. Games like Towerfall Ascension, #IDARB, Nidhogg, and Sportsfriends feature highly competitive gameplay, with deep strategies to master and impeccable balance, all tied together by straightforward systems and uncomplicated controls. However, the only issue some may take with the aforementioned titles is that they all take place on a 2D plane and utilize old-school pixel art graphics. Now, this doesn’t bother me one bit; but for some, this prevents these games from feeling like true “sports”–or at the very least, sports games. And that is where Rocket League absolutely shines. By marrying modern, HD graphics with deep-yet-simple gameplay that transpires on three planes of movement, Rocket League has something for both audiences, with a fun-factor that cannot be denied. Even in the short time I’ve spent with the beta, Rocket League has rocketed (#natch) to the top of the list of my favorite sports games. And I use the word “sport” quite definitively.

But first, a little background. Developed by Psyonix, Rocket League is the follow-up to Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars (SARPBC, for short), a download-only PS3 exclusive that received a lukewarm critical response, but which developed a small but dedicated (obsessive?) cult fanbase. SARPBC itself was based off of a popular Unreal Tournament mod called “CarBall”. Unfortunately, I never played either of the originals, so I can’t comment on what, from a gameplay perspective, has changed in Rocket League, but the general framework is the same. The basic idea is soccer + cars = fun (a mathematical constant I can now attest to). Diving a bit deeper, matches can be played 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, or 4v4, and play out on a large, walled-in soccer pitch. Each player controls a rocket-powered stunt car, and the two teams drive around the field (including up the walls), trying to hit a futuristic over-sized soccer ball into the opposing team’s net, while preventing the same ball from making its way into theirs. Players can fill their boost meters by driving across glowing pads on the floor, and can use their boosts to chase down the ball, add power to their shots, or demolish the opposing players’ cars, causing them to respawn back by their goal after a short delay.

I know what you are thinking: I thought you said this game was simple! Well, while the above description may sound crazy and complicated, Rocket League is actually quite accessible thanks to a simple, straightforward control scheme. Like most modern racers, players steer their car using the left stick, accelerate with R2, and brake/reverse with L2. Circle activates the aforementioned boost, Square is used to drift, and Triangle toggles the two different camera modes–one that points the camera in the direction your car is facing, and one that keeps the ball in the center of the frame at all times. See? Simple, right?

Well, there is one additional, critical mechanic–jumping and “dodging.” Pressing the X button once will launch your car into the air, allowing your car to “jump” to hit an airborne or bouncing ball. However, while airborne, you can hit X again, along with a direction on the left stick, to pull off a maneuver the game calls “dodging,” but which in reality can be better described as a car-based kick. The dodge propels your car in the direction you are pointing while also making your car flip end-over-end or side-over-side based on your trajectory. This allows your car to pull off soccer-like moves that would otherwise be impossible by a car, assuming you can learn the proper timing. For example, a front-flip can make for a powerful kick, as the tail of the car crashes into the ball with much force. A backward flip can be used as a bicycle kick-type trick shot. And side-dodges can make for nice defense plays, or can be used for a soft touch on a cross to set up your teammate for a one-timer. In a sport with a ball that bounces sky-high and cars that are otherwise stuck to the floor, jumping and “dodging” are integral skills that change the game from chaos into a skill-based challenge that rewards accuracy, timing, and finesse.

And boy, did my team and I learn this the hard way. I was lucky enough to spend my 3 or so hours with the beta under what I consider to be perfect playing conditions–alongside a team of actual friends. However, even with that “advantage”, the three of us got consistently destroyed during our early attempts–presumably by teams of random people who were not communicating like we were. It was then that we discovered that there was way more to Rocket League than the simple mechanics outlined above. It is not just a silly arcade title; it is a sports game through-and-through.

Our revelations were many and it was a bit of a slow burn. First it was each of us individually mastering the different controls and getting comfortable with the camera (personally, the ball-view mode was my preference, while my teammates still preferred toggling between the two). Once we were all boosting and drifting in style, we started getting a better feel for the game’s physics. The ball is subject to somewhat Moon-like gravity, so knowing when to jump and when to kick was key to winning battles with the other team when stuck along the wall or in the corners, or for landing a perfectly timed clear or one-timer. However, even with that knowledge, our team play was totally disorganized, so we started to focus on developing a higher level of spatial awareness. After all, having the three of us all attacking the ball in the same spot on offense left us vulnerable and out of position. We learned that, much like soccer, spacing is key–thus we determined it was important to have one player digging the ball out of the corner, one posted in front of the net to field any crosses, and one hanging back a bit further to try and keep the ball in the offensive zone, and to get back quicker on defense. Next, we began developing a better understanding of what sets Rocket League apart from soccer (you know, in addition to the cars). Unlike soccer, Rocket League has a heavy emphasis on board play–perhaps much more like hockey. The entire arena is walled in and there is no “out of bounds.” Discovering how to use these walls to our advantage, both on offense and defense, was the last piece of the puzzle. And whereas we started out a disorganized mess, by the end of the night, we were playing as a team, with well-defined roles, improved vision on the field, and a number of fancy off-the-boards goals, set-ups, and defensive plays. Below you will find a video of the final match we played–which capped off a 7 or 8 game winning streak. Goals 1 and 3 are good examples of the board-play I am describing.

And when the night came to a close and we went out on the above high note, it was well past midnight, my palms and shirt were sweaty, my heart was racing, I was full of adrenaline, and there was a big, goofy smile stricken across my face. The feeling of going from zero to hero in just a few hours was incredibly rewarding. Like in any sport, as I practiced, I could tangibly see and feel my own skills developing over time. I certainly have a long, LONG way to go before I am able to achieve an expert level of play, but based on my experience so far, that road will be a damn fun one to travel, and incredibly rewarding at that.

The feeling of reward that Rocket League engenders does not stop and start with the development of your own skills and the mastering of strong team play. There is also a built-in rewards system. As you play, not only does your team score goals, but you individually earn points for playing well. Pulling off a goal, an assist, a crossing pass, a clear, a save, or a shot on goal all award you with points. You also got points for special moves like “bullet hits”, bicycle kicks, scoring for a distance or while going in reverse, and for exploding other players with a well-timed boost. Visual feedback for these achievements is instantaneous, and you can track how other players are earning points thanks to a handy ticker on the top right of the screen. At the end of the game, the player on the winning team with the most points is dubbed “MVP.” Now, in the beta, these points are largely meaningless. However, in the final game, they will likely tie into the car customization system, and could impact rankings and matchmaking. But regardless, when I pulled off an epic clear or set-up an excellent cross in front of the net, I appreciated the game knowing I did something right and giving me the immediate visual feedback congratulating me as such. It was also nice to know that contributing to the team in ways other than scoring goals is encouraged and would show up on the end-of-match scoreboard–there were often times when the leading goal scorer did not finish first in points.

One other important point about the Rocket League beta before I close things out–I found that performance, for the most part, was silky smooth. Matchmaking took mere seconds, load times were fast, and partying up with my friends was similarly flawless. The game’s framerate never dipped, and I only experience one weird visual glitch (which had no impact on gameplay, but just resulted in the walls missing textures in some spots). I only experienced one instance where the game got hung up while entering a new match, and we were forced to reset. But after that, we were right back into the action, as the beta took very little time to boot up.

In short, if you haven’t requested access to the Rocket League closed beta, stop what you are doing, and click over to Psyonix’s website now–while invites are limited, my acceptance into the beta was near-instantaneous when I applied. Once you are in, spend some time in the tutorials to get a feel for the controls, and then dive into competitive play. It may take a good 5 or 10 matches before you really start to get into the zone, but once you do, you will find a surprisingly deep, visceral sports game that rewards equal parts tenacity, risk-taking, thoughtfulness, and precision. A perfect marriage of simplicity and complexity, of speed and finesse, and of, well, soccer and race cars, Rocket League is not an experience to miss. So grab some teammates, play the beta, and then wait with bated breath for the full release like I will be doing.