1UP writes: "What do you get when you cross arcade bowling with crazy minigolf-style courses in a '50s-TV-meets-drum-n-bass aesthetic? Apparently, a game that just doesn't feel as zany and packed with over-the-top fun as that description would imply.
It isn't that Rocket Bowl's a bad game. A host of outlandish courses blended with simple, easy-to-learn gameplay mechanics make for a great jump-in-and-play experience. The rule of three bowls per frame rather than two serves as constant temptation to attempt trick shots and "Wild Shots" (bowling for frames out of numerical sequence). Tons of power-ups and items are also littered about the course to encourage creative bowling, and the physics engine can serve up some truly wacky pin action."
Justin Mette President of 21-6 and Lead Developer for RocketBowl answers a few questions about the game.
SBG:
"Traditional bowling scoring rules are (mostly) in effect here. Key differences are these: you've got three rolls each frame instead of two, and you can use your roll on frame 6 to go pick up stray pins from frame 2 or play ahead and knock over a few from frame 9.
At the end of the day bowling is more fun in person and zany miniature golf has already been done on the Live Arcade service (3D Ultra Minigolf). Forcing the two concepts together is entertaining for a game or two, but you probably won't be back for more."
Despite the things RocketBowl gets right, most players are more likely to pick up on this thread of general lack of ambition over anything else. The basic mechanics take some interesting directions within the confines of a bowling game, but the game's actual content is just an afterthought, offering only the bare minimum and lacking the depth to keep anyone outside of the devoted from coming back.
