Some games teach the player through explicit tutorials. Others invite the player to experiment. Rocket League SideSwipe leans toward the latter. Presenting the player the basic mechanics in a short tutorial and letting them experiment afterwards. With a strong intuitive physics system and easy to learn, but hard to master mechanics. The game rewards the player throught experimentation. Every mechanic connects with another, rewarding curiosity, muscle memory and strategic thinking. How they made all this complex systems and mechanics work together? Let's put the scalpel in and analyze it.
The king of movement response.
RL SideSwipe is in the need to transfer the movement from their 3D predecessor to the 2D plane in a mobile device. This requires designers to simplify player’s input while maintaining depth. And the results are extraordinary. It maintains the essence from the original game, with a feel of responsiveness and precision. We can differenciate 2 types of movement:
On the ground
Ground movement is simple. A virtual joystick controls the car’s direction and speed. But let’s see in detail what design choices makes the movement so fluent.
- Moving left to right rotates the car smoothly if the joystick is rotated with the botton 180º.
- A quick flick reverses direction and speed almost instantly.
- The car won’t flip over.
- If tilting the joystick within the upper 180º arc, the car rotates around its axis, pointing in that direction. This allows the player to jump in that direction or hit the ball with the front of the car. However, within the lower 180º arc, the car maintains its current orientation and simply moves parallel to the ground, avoiding flips at all costs. This design choice is one of the main reasons the car’s movement feels so smooth.
On the air
While airbone, the car movement obeys momentum, YES SIR!.
- Joystick now rotates the car in 360º degrees, allowing the player to make precise adjustments and incredible shoots.
- Air control is limited. Movement is dictated more by inertia than joystick input.
- The car moves a little with players input, specially when tilting downward, a critical technique for repositioning and refilling boost.
From this simple mechanics, advanced aerial maneuvers emerge naturally.
Basic Mechanics: Flying, the roof is the limit.
The other part of the puzzle, making the movement on air on point is key for a smooth game experience. How can we get the car off the ground? And once it's airbone, how do we let the player control both direction and force? Let’s build on the previous movement system with new mechanics that allow the player to pull off awesome plays.
Jump
The introductory mechanic: tapping the jump button propels the car upward. Basic stuff, but there is some things to take into account.
- The jump maintains the momentum stored in the car.
- This jump can only be used on ground. When the player is airbone, the flip or double jump will activate instead.
Flip or Double Jump
This move is only available while the car is on air. It makes the car rotate 360 degrees and provides a small boost in the direction the player is holding the joystick. If the joystick is in a neutral position, the car will propel in the direction of the roof. Useful for further mechanics, as we’ll see later on. Also handy in different scenarios, from using it to hit the ball to get back to a position faster when out of boost.
Flip Reset
Whenever the bottom part of the car touches a surface, the flip jump will reset. The game indicates this with a white VFX and a sound. Surfaces that reset the jump include the ball, and since this happens frequently, players sometimes won’t even notice they have another flip. Adding another layer of complexity that experienced players will use as an advantage.
This mechanic pairs well with another one we’ll discuss later (little spoiler: Snap Air Roll). The game excels at combining mechanics to create plays that are visually appealing to both players and spectators.
AirRolls
Snap AirRoll
Whenever the player taps the right side of the screen twice, the car will flip 180º. This mechanic might seem non-functional since the car always lands on its wheels, preventing the player from getting stuck or losing game fluency. However, when combined with other mechanics, such as Flip Reset, this ability becomes one of the best techniques in the game for high-level players, allowing for beautifully executed plays. Just look at these awesome plays that I wasn’t able to reproduce myself; this requires a lot of practice and great timing.
There is an in-game option to activate it with just one touch on the right side of the screen, making this mechanic easier to use. This makes me think that, after some testing, the designers realized it was hindering gameplay for new players or those less accustomed to touch devices.
Free Air Roll
For me, this is one of the most interesting mechanics. It’s so interesting not because it changes how the car behaves. The controls remain the same, it doesn’t use less boost, it doesn’t improve car control, and it doesn’t allow you to hit the ball with more force. It literally does nothing different, yet players *feel* different when using it.
It seems like the ball is easier to control, but this might be because players get a clearer view of the hitbox. When the car is rotating, they see a cylinder rather than an irregular car shape. This is fascinating because it proves how animation influences gameplay feel, even though, in terms of physics, the behavior is identical with or without the animation.
And last but not least, it just looks **cool**. Scoring a goal while your car spins like a torpedo feels amazing to watch. Players will use it to show how good at the game they are.
Advanced Techniques: How new gameplay emerges
A great mechanic on its own is fine, but when mechanics interact with each other, a game truly stands out. As we’ve seen, players discover ways to combine mechanics, integrating them into their own gameplay style. These new techniques emerge naturally as skill increases.
Before we talk about shots, I want to highlight some other mechanics combination that players have discovered by themselves.
High Jump
This may be the result of an unintended jump + reset interaction, but it can be useful in certain scenarios. When the car touches the ground, you can increase the force of the jump by timing it correctly, jumping just as the car lands. This allows the player to reach the roof without wasting any boost. It’s difficult to execute, but the reward and satisfaction are high when done successfully. The car retains the momentum from the fall and transfers it into an upward direction.
Turtle
Holding jump upon landing cancels the auto-flip, leaving the car upside down but mobile while maintaining momentum. It’s mostly a stylistic flourish, allowing players to express themselves through movement. It’s fun to watch and can even be used to taunt an opponent.
The art of shot: How to shoot, without a shoot button.
As we have read, all the gameplay emerge from basic car movement. This is what makes this game so great. Mimetic perfectly how would it feel to play football. There is no shoot button, the same as in real life there is no a button that makes you hit the ball, is just a combination of jumping, flexing the knee, positioning the feet perfectly, etc.
So, yes, combining every mechanic that we have seen, we players creates different types of shots.
Regular shot
The simplest, players will use it a lot, specially players with no practice. Just drive into the ball, the shot will inherit the car’s momentum.
Red shot
Timing the double jump to hit the ball with the front part of the car. This sends the ball forward with additional force.
Purple shot
Is the combination of a neutral double jump (jump without moving the joystick) and putting the car with the wheels on the ball. This propels the ball in the direction of the low part of the car. There is a sweet spot where the player can make a strong shot. The closer the ball, the stronger the shot. The result is a balanced mix of power and control.
Gold shot
Executed by flipping away from the ball with the car’s rear near it. Similar to the purple shot, the player has to find the sweet spot to make a strong shot. This is a good mechanic, for offensive and deffensive situations. Hard to calculate and risky. It gives the player style points, thats for sure.
Closing Thoughts
Rocket League Sideswipe’s systems are a masterclass in intuitive design. When designing new mechanics, a good rule of thumb is to see if they interact well with the existing ones. There’s no guarantee that something will work until it’s tested, but strong interactions significantly increase the chances of success. And RL is the king of mechanical interaction.
The mechanics start simple but unfold into a complex web of movement, positioning, and strategy. No mechanic exists in isolation. Every input connects to another, forming a continuous loop of skill expression. The best players aren’t just reacting; they’re predicting, adapting, and refining their control over the game’s physics. And these physics sacrifice realism to give players better control over the car.
A give for you
You made it this far, huh. Here is little give for you. Look at this play at this minute. It's amazing, isn't it? We share this feeling with almost everyone in the comments. And that's what makes this game so special.