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Rocket Arena gameplay interview: Family-friendly FPS

Shacknews gets the inside scoop on Rocket Arena, the family-friendly 3-on-3 arena-based FPS with a heavy emphasis on rocket-propelled munitions.

Kevin Tucker

May 28, 2019 4:35 PM

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For gamers, first-person shooters and rocket-based weaponry make for an intoxicating brew. It worked for classic FPS releases, and as Rocket Arena is setting out to prove, it's still a deliriously fun combination today — even for impressionable young gamers.

Shacknews was recently able to chat with Lawrence Metten, design director at Final Strike Games, at E3 2019 Judge's Week to learn more about Rocket Arena's new take on the classic rocket-blasting formula. Check out our full interview in the video embed below.

The whole of Rocket Arena looks to be a blend of gameplay types. The team was keen to make a game that does something not often seen on the market, and the result is an arena-based shooter with inspiration taken from brawlers.

"We wanted to provide an experience that we hadn't really seen in the shooter space before," Metten said. "We took a lot of inspiration from brawlers — we looked at Smash Bros. [and wondered] how would something like that map to a shooter."

The way that the game works is based on a Smash Bros.-styled principle where players are increasingly knocked back further after sustaining more damage: "Every time you're hitting an opponent you're filling their blast meter, each hit does more and more knockback, [sending] them flying further and further into the air. And if you're able to send them out of the environment or off the arena, you'll get a K.O."

Aside from the gameplay hook, the main draw to Rocket Arena otherwise is the game's family-friendly approach. Far from the gore and gibs of other FPS releases, Rocket Arena has a clean cartoon-inspired style that should satisfy both children and parents. It's also worth noting that in-game characters don't die, despite the constant flood of incoming rocket fire.

Rocket Arena is soon to host a beta test, and players can find more information on that through the Rocket Arena Steam page. The game is planned to release for PC and Xbox One, with a PlayStation 4 launch planned for sometime in the future. For more in-depth developer interviews, be sure to check otu Shacknews as well asGamerHubTV over on YouTube.

Kevin Tucker

Guides Editor

Kevin Tucker is a core component of Shacknews' powerful guide development team. For questions, concerns, tips, or to share constructive criticism, he can be reached on Twitter @dukeofgnar or through e-mail at kevin.tucker@shacknews.com.