Review: Rocket Racing, Halfbrick Do It Again

by Dillon Andrews - September 7, 2009

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We all love a light, casual experience to put on when in the presence of friends. Halfbrick Fridays’ latest release, Rocket Racing is just that experience, and believe it or not, it’s an Xbox Indie release which costs a mere 240 MS points.

Rocket Racing is a 2D title in which you control one of four color rocket ships. Using the default control scheme, you control your rocket by providing fuel to the left, right or both engines. It sounds simplistic, but it takes much practice to master. You provide power to the engines by pressing down on the left and/or right triggers, both of which are pressure sensitive. If you are uncomfortable with the default layout (deemed by many to be somewhat awkward with a steep learning curve), there are 2 alternative control layouts for you to test out. Definitely play through a set of tracks under each condition to see which suits you best.

There are approximately 40 environments, each specifically designed for replay value. The environments themselves are rather basic in their design. Their appearance alters slightly for each set, but in the end there are arching roads, straight-aways and circular tracks which makes navigation not only complicated at times, but also addictive. In Rocket Racing it’s not so much about making it to the end of the course—it’s impossible not to. There are no damage gauges, no weaponry and nothing to cause you to ‘lose’. This game is all about you versus the clock, or you versus your friends.

To ensure that you end up with the fastest time on a given course, you will need to treat each environment differently. Strategizing not only becomes important, it is the key factor in how well you will do on the levels. Sticking close to walls ensures the rockets get pushed at a greater speed, however if you connect with the wall you are given a 1 second punishment. Upon first glance, the repercussions of 1 second punishments seems laughable, but as you advance in the game, you are quick to see that one second can mean all the differences from a silver medal to a gold, or where it matters most, a distinct win against a friend. (Nothing beats gloating to friends!)

Of course to make the game more interesting, there are your average racing game clichés. There are green areas which give your rocket an additional boost, and the dreaded purple sludge that brings your rocket to a slow speed—if not a stop.
With local multiplayer, up to four people can take control of one of the ‘rocket racers’ and race against their friends on screen. This fun competition is barely had in many modern titles, and few get it done as well as Rocket Racing.

So it’s all gold right? Not quite, I have a few issues with the game. The main dent in the title is the menu systems and ease of navigation. When playing single player mode I would often complete a particular set of levels, but instead of being given an “advance to next set”, you are simply given a “Retry” or “Quit” option. It doesn’t make sense to me that I constantly have to quit out of the session to then go back in and select my new unlocked tracks.

A simple solution to this would be congratulation screens, or even an option for advancement upon completing the last level in a track set. This is a minor complaint, but it takes down the games highly polished feel. But then again, it is an indie title and its price point is highly flattering.

This title leaves me anticipating more work from HalfBrick Studios, and I’d highly recommend it to any Xbox Live user who’s wondering what game they can get to fulfill their arcade needs. In what may be the most fun, addictive racer on Xbox Live Arcade, I can’t resist giving this game the highest of praise. Please support these games so we can see more elaborate expansions in the future!