Fortnite: Rocket Racing Review – Psyonix Brings Rocket League Racing to Epic’s Metaverse

By now, Fortnite needs no introduction. Since bursting onto the scene in 2017, Epic Games’ cartoony shooter-looter has become a genuine gaming juggernaut. And over the years, Epic has continued to shake things up, expanding Fortnite far beyond its battle royale roots. There’s creative modes, story events, and even entire video games being built inside this dynamo of a metaverse.

Rocket Racing is one such expansion. Developed by Psyonix – yes, the masterminds behind Rocket League – it injects high-octane, nitro-charged racing action into Fortnite’s growing universe. Drawing from Psyonix’s signature car-based athletics, Rocket Racing has you blazing around futuristic tracks in customizable speedsters. Powerslides, gravity-defying stunts and boost dashes all play critical roles as you jostle 12 players for pole position.

It’s an intriguing concept, essentially merging elements of Wipeout, Trackmania and Mario Kart into one white-knuckle racer. And being built on Fortnite’s robust infrastructure means seamless cross-platform competition right out the gate. So whether you’re a grizzled veteran or fresh meat off the Battle Bus, strap in for this trial by fire. Things are about to get bumpy!

White-Knuckle Racing With A Twist

At its core, Rocket Racing sticks to the straightforward formula of most arcade racers. Across 26 visually distinct tracks, 12 souped-up speedsters fight tooth and nail to blaze past the checkered flag first. Standard stuff so far.

But in racing these high-tech Hot Wheels, mastering your boost meter is critical. Executing long, sweeping drifts fills your nitrous tanks, allowing brief bursts of breakneck speed. Time them wisely after sharp turns and you can rocket past opponents. Mistime them into a wall however, and…well, boom goes the dynamite.

It’s a risk-reward gambit about car control. Long-time Mario Kart fans will instantly grasp the drift-or-die imperative. But Psyonix doubles down on Rocket League’s gravity-defying DNA, adding jumping, air-dodging and surface clinging to your wheelhouse of high-speed tricks. Strings of stunts let you bypass obstacles, find shortcuts and generally shake things up. Having this verticality keeps the racing feeling fresh, like a fusion of Trackmania’s off-the-wall traversing and Wipeout’s battle-racing.

Yet some of the boost mechanics feel unintuitive. Supposedly nailing the timing of the opening green light grants a bigger launch boost. But even with perfect reactions, it rarely seems to top 40% – odd for a skill-tester. And while trailing racers get moderate catch-up boosts to keep contests close, runaway leaders will inexplicably have speed sap once holding commanding leads. Whether for accessibility or entertainment, it dampens skill gaps more than expected.

Between transparent walls, electrical zappers and abrupt falls, the breakneck courses themselves supply plenty of chaotic fun. But overall, opaque game design sees Rocket Racing’s risk/reward balancing feeling less about talent, more blind luck. It’s an accessible, level playing field sure – but in racing games, skill expression gives longevity. Hopefully some tuning adjustments will better reward precision drivers for pushing boundaries.

A Need For Speed(sters)

Across its 26 tracks, Rocket Racing splits raceways into Novice, Advanced and Expert difficulty tiers. It’s a welcome option for both casual and hardcore players, letting racers ease into the nuances or dive right into the deep end.

However, at present, Novice tracks feel severely underbaked. As simpler point A-to-B runs, they lean heavily on drifting as the primary mechanic rather than integrating Rocket Racing’s more creative tools. Without enhanced mobility or shortcuts, these barebones courses grow repetitive quick. It leaves first hours feeling like a stripped back tutorial rather than a proper showcase of skill.

Conversely, the stunt-heavy Expert tracks deliver CLUTCH. Imbued with death-defying corkscrews, transparent tube sections and Escher-esque architecture, they squeeze every ounce of personality from your souped-up Hot Wheel. Stringing airs dodges between walls, ceilings and boost pads racks up speed while testing coordination. The white-knuckle chaos of barely landing that final jump before the finish line gets the blood pumping like few racers can.

Yet at present, both track visuals and cosmetics Customization feels very homogenized between courses. Beyond a icy, sandy and forested skins, everything adopts a generic sci-fi vibe akin to Rocket League. And with all cars handling identically, picking your ride feels inconsequential too. Different hitboxes and stats could bolster driving diversity.

Thankfully, more engaging content looks on the horizon. With user-generated tracks, fresh cosmetics and car performance tuning slated down the roadmap, Rocket Racing shows glimmers of brilliance beneath its humdrum shell. Giving creative players the tools to shape their own breakneck circuits should bait the hook for speed freaks tempted by this unconventional racer.

We just need wheeled warriors to stick around until the game’s first pit stop.

Pedal To The Metal – No Hardware Left Behind

As a pillar of Fortnite’s DNA, accessibility sits at the core of Rocket Racing’s ethos. Leveraging its flagship game’s robust infrastructure and performance versatility means barrier-free competition across devices.

Partying up with friends is a cinch regardless of platform allegiance. Despite appearing on everything from Switch handhelds to stout gaming PCs, visually and mechanically Rocket Racing scarcely misses a beat transitioning between hardware. Even pitted against beefier rigs, underpowered players won’t find themselves totally outgunned. It eludes the imbalance pitfall ensnaring most cross-play titles.

Smooth framerates and consistent controls means Inferno IV races play identically on an Xbox as an Android phone. And beside minor intermittent latency, once that starting light clicks green, it’s pedal to the metal til the winner’s podium. Whether grinding solo Daily Challenges or playfully jostling in full 12-player lobbies, reliably stable netcode keeps the headaches at bay.

Alas, while modern online connectivity offers a seamless experience, Rocket Racing omits offline local multiplayer – a tragic casualty of modern game development. Couch play creates fond memories that even the best netcode struggles rivaling. Having friends shoulder to shoulder, joycons in hand as you trade japes through hairpin slides simply hits different. Hopefully splitscreen gets reinstated down the roadmap to really bring that nostalgic Mario Kart magic.

But for now, anyone lacking local buds or hunting for quick-fix competition escapes can rest easy knowing Fortnite’s multiplayer mastery carries Rocket Racing too. Outgunned outcomes feel mostly reduced to skill differentials rather than inferior hardware. And that accessibility will be the nitrous oxide powering this eccentric racer’s lasting playerbase.

The Need For Speed Doesn’t Come Cheap

As with any Fortnite expansion, progression integration aims to incentivize player investment across modes. Leveling up in Rocket Racing tallies XP towards Battle Royale, granting access to its 100 tier cosmetic Battle Pass rewards. Having your grinding contribute multiple ways causes less fatigue than isolated systems.

But obtaining most cosmetics requires either exorbitant grinding or expensive real money purchases. Currently, Rocket Racing lacks unique progression systems beyond paltry Daily Challenges. Even its Battle Pass sees racing content not appearing until level 82 – an extreme time commitment for niche unlocks.

Clearly Rocket Racing wants to funnel curious players back into Fortnite proper after sampling the racing. But with no dedicated Battle Pass or reasonable car unlock criteria, getting players personally invested feels an uphill battle.

Not helping matters, vehicle microtransactions carry ludicrous price tags. Single car skins cost up to $20 worth of “V-Bucks” – the premium currency – despite minimal visual distinctions between nearly identical chassis. Compared to Fortnite’s character skins boasting wild designs and aesthetic diversity, the streamlined cars struggle justifying their astronomical costs.

It presents a convoluted catch-22: Rocket Racing hopes using Fortnite’s progression draws eyes to the racing, but doesn’t respect racing fans enough to provide decent garages or customization incentives tailored for them. Dangling superior unlocks just out of reach while expecting heavy grind or paywalls feels at odds with its casual racing appeal.

Should Rocket Racing receive bespoke progression systems down the road – leaderboards, seasons, reasonable unlocks – it has serious potential. But currently, the monetization strangles the experience for passion projects sake.

A Pit Stop, Not the Finish Line

At its heart, Rocket Racing executes brilliantly on a long awaited concept: Finally bringing Rocket League’s unconventional sports action into an arcade racer. Psyonix melds their signature car control model seamlessly into breakneck competitions, complemented by the over-the-top course designs only Fortnite can provide. There’s an infectious, simple joy boosting between transparent tube sections hundreds of feet in the air while friends wipeout meters behind.

And being strategically built atop Fortnite’s robust infrastructure means quality-of-life considerations feel uniformly excellent too. Crossplay matchmaking, visual parity across platforms and intuitive handling translates Rocket Racing’s zany racing into reliable fun with friends, no strings attached. As usual, Epic’s under-the-hood mastery delivers.

Yet as a complete package, Rocket Racing feels more akin to proof of concept than a fully realized contender to Mario Kart’s throne. Streamlined progression systems, homogenized car selection and passable as opposed to memorable level aesthetic leaves the experience feeling more like Rocket League DLC than something wholly its own. There’s a foundation of brilliance, but not enough pieces to make the machine feel whole.

Thankfully, this seems less a finished product than Version 1.0 of something greater. With more cosmetic options, bespoke progression pathways, a track creator and open mod support slated down the roadmap, Rocket Racing shows glimmers of brilliance beneath its humdrum shell. Giving creative players the tools to shape their own breakneck circuits should give this unconventional racer room to grow into something grander: the definitive realization of Rocket League finally spreading its high-octane wings.

But only time will tell if Epic gives Rocket Racing the necessary TLC to reach those lofty heights. For now, it remains little more than a glorified mini-game inside Fortnite’s ever expanding empire. Albeit one oozing with untapped potential.