What do you get when you combine a giant marble run, a wrecking ball, a tower defense game, high school history lessons, and Monty Python? Right, Rock of Ages! Rock of Ages is one of those games that is just as bizarre as it sounds, but that’s exactly what makes the game so much fun. We are now ready for the third part of the Rock of Ages saga. Is Modus Games’ Rock of Ages 3 as good as Def Leppard’s classic hit from 1983, or is the game more like the 2012 movie of the same name starring Tom Cruise? Here is my Rock of Ages 3 review on PC.
THEY SEE ME ROLLIN’
Yes, Rock of Ages is really as absurd as I described in the intro. However, the game also just has a story mode. After a brief introduction, you will have the opportunity to travel across the world and through time via a world map that acts as a kind of hub. This timeline consists of about twenty different levels that take you all the way from the beginning of time to the near future.
Each level takes place in a different era and a unique part of the world. By completing the levels you can earn stars. You need these stars to unlock additional levels, rocks, and new units. Each level also consists of fresh challenges, such as a Time Trial, with which you can earn even more stars.
As the name of Modus Games’ Rock of Ages 3 suggests, you actually assume the role of a stone that travels through time. This stone helps settle the battle between different historical figures and parties by waltzing into the enemy’s castle and turning the enemy into a pancake. However, this is a lot more complicated than it seems.
Each level is a very long marble track with obstacles, sharp turns, and jumps. As an attacking party, you are therefore a large stone that has to find its way through the marble track to eventually end up at the enemy’s castle. If you manage to smash down the gate of the castle, you can roll into rollover your enemy. However, your enemy can place various obstacles along the entire length of the track.
You have to avoid these obstacles, as they can damage your stone, or slow you down, causing less damage to the gate. You do exactly the same the other way around. As a kind of tower defense game, you also have the option of scattering different defensive units around the track, in the hope that you can stop the opponent’s stone. All of this is happening in real-time and simultaneously, so be prepared for a lot of chaos.
STILL ROLLIN’ ONWARDS
As an attacking party, Modus Games’ title plays like a kind of racing game. Before you start on a level, you can choose from different types of stones, each with its own special properties. For example, the inflated cow is very light and the square stone does much more damage.
By playing levels, you unlock more and more stones, so you can experiment with which stone works best for you. If, like me, you play the game on a PC, I can recommend that you play the game with a controller. Controlling your stone is quite difficult and is certainly not easy with a keyboard and mouse. In addition, there are a number of annoying bugs in the game regarding rolling.
Sometimes the physics are incredibly unpredictable, where you end up flying through the corner or fly over your target when you slowly roll on a trampoline. You also occasionally just fall through the map, or you even get stuck between two pillars without being able to do anything about it. I am convinced that they will patch these issues from the game, but it is now a big damper on your gameplay experience.
On the other hand, you also have to defend your own castle. Like most tower defense games, you do this by placing various obstacles on the track that you can purchase on a limited budget. You will gradually unlock more units, including catapults, and winged bulls. While the game’s racing mode suffers from several bugs and quite tricky controls, the Tower Defense mode is unfortunately not much better.
The GUI is quite unclear, as the map is very large and your opponent is already rolling in real-time when you are building. In addition, the AI is just as unpredictable as the control of your own rock. Every now and then it seems that the AI is able to roll against every obstacle that you have put down, and the other time it manages to roll past everything like a true ninja.
Also, especially in the earlier levels of the story mode, the AI has many more different unit types than you. It’s not really fair when the enemy has a full arsenal of ingenious things to make your life miserable when you have to make do with a wall and an elephant.
KEEP ROLLIN ‘ROLLIN’ ROLLIN ‘ROLLIN’
Well, after reading the previous section, you might think that there is nothing entertaining about Modus Games’ Rock of Ages 3. Nothing could be further from the truth. You can really enjoy yourself with Rock of Ages 3. This latest installment in the Rock of Ages series gives you the opportunity to build your own levels and share them with the community.
So you can put together your own absurd marble track to torment other players. This level editor is very well put together and gives you enough options to create interesting and unique levels. According to the developer, they used the level editor to make the levels of the game themselves. In addition, the absurdity and humor also play an enormous role in the game.
The entire game is designed in Monty Python style, with creepy 2D figures that are animated hilariously. The cutscenes that precede the different levels are a joy to watch. That is, if you like absurd humor. It’s all a bit bland and above all very bizarre. However, that is what Rock of Ages is mainly about and that is no different in part three.
Do you want to try Modus Games’ Rock of Ages 3? What do you think of my Rock of Ages 3 review on PC? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below. Are you interested in more recently released games? Check out our reviews for Kill it with Fire, Ghost of Tsushima, Synergia, Command & Conquer Remastered Collection, and Maid of Sker.
The Review
Rock of Ages 3
Rock of Ages 3 does some things well, but some things not. The strange mixture of different genres ensures that each part falls just a bit short in itself, however, the absurd humor and the Monty Python-like style of the game also makes up for a lot.
PROS
- Level editor
- Local and online multiplayer
- Absurd humor
- Monty Python
CONS
- Stone is difficult to control
- Loads of bugs
- Tower Defense lacks strategic depth
