Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break

64%
Game Brain Score Based on 408 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • humor
Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break Game Cover
If you’re reading this, chances are you aren’t new to this boulder rolling business. But even if you are, all you really need to know is that Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break offers the ultimate test of your ball control.
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"Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break" is a hybrid of tower defense and arcade action, known for its irreverent humor and Monty Python-esque style. The game offers a unique feature where players can create and share their own levels for online competition with others. Competitive tower defense and arcade action combine for up to 4-player online multiplayer and 2-player split screen, where players race to destroy opponents' defenses with their rolling boulders.

  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

64%
Audience ScoreBased on 408 reviews
story14 positive mentions
stability39 negative mentions
  • The game retains the quirky humor and art style reminiscent of Monty Python, providing a fun and entertaining experience.
  • The addition of new game modes and a level editor enhances replayability and allows for creative community content.
  • The core gameplay remains enjoyable, combining tower defense mechanics with boulder rolling in a unique way.
  • The game is plagued with bugs and technical issues, including crashes and glitches that disrupt gameplay.
  • Level design feels less inspired compared to its predecessors, with many maps lacking creativity and cohesion.
  • The requirement to complete various side modes to progress can feel tedious and detracts from the overall experience.
  • story57 mentions

    The story in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it less engaging and humorous compared to previous installments. While some appreciate the quirky narrative and historical references, others criticize it for being confusing, repetitive, and requiring tedious side missions to progress. Overall, the story mode is seen as a step back, lacking the depth and coherence that fans expected, despite offering a longer campaign with varied gameplay elements.

    • “The new story mode was amazing.”
    • “The story even made me cry - better than the stories of 'Metal Gear Solid' or 'Cyberpunk 2077'.”
    • “The story is full of funny vignettes that are in an art style that represents the age, complete with a slapstick comedy approach.”
    • “The main issue I have here is with the story, because it forces you to do time trials and races in levels after beating the opponent in them to get enough stars to get to the next level, whereas in the previous game, the races and time trials were optional.”
    • “The story is boring and not funny, nor does it tie together.”
    • “Overall, it's a pretty good game, but it feels like the developers put less effort into this game than they did in the previous games, especially when it comes to the story section.”
  • gameplay57 mentions

    The gameplay in this installment of the series retains much of the core mechanics from its predecessors, focusing on rolling a boulder and overcoming obstacles, but introduces new elements like unique boss fights and mini-games that some players find frustrating and repetitive. While the humor and style have evolved, many reviewers note technical issues and a lack of significant mechanical improvements, leading to mixed feelings about the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, fans of the series may still appreciate the quirky gameplay and variety of modes, though it may not appeal to newcomers seeking a polished experience.

    • “The various game modes keep the game constantly fresh, and the frustrating nature of the gameplay drives you to demand 'one more go'.”
    • “As a fan of the Rock of Ages series, I consider this development great, and every new feature in this edition puts the gameplay on another level.”
    • “Aside from a couple of technical issues and cutscenes whose humor miss the mark, its unique hybrid gameplay that mixes boulder racing and strategic defense segments remains captivating.”
    • “It baffles me that the developers made zero mechanical improvements over Rock of Ages 2, and it baffles me that anyone could leave a positive review.”
    • “The gameplay is unchanged and there's only a couple of new rocks and defenses.”
    • “The gameplay is basically the same, but this time they force you to play so many 'side quests' (mini modes like races, time runs, etc.) to earn stars and advance in the story that it gets super annoying, because they are so repetitive.”
  • humor56 mentions

    The humor in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a decline in quality compared to previous installments. While some appreciated the quirky characters and Monty Python-inspired cutscenes, others found the jokes to be less effective, with many describing the humor as repetitive or lacking originality. Overall, while there are moments of amusement, the consensus suggests that the game's comedic elements do not consistently hit the mark, leaving some players disappointed.

    • “I enjoyed the humor and the boss fight that turned into a Mortal Kombat 2 reference was very amusing.”
    • “Rock of Ages is a series near and dear to my heart; it's always been a breath of fresh air, charming and funny.”
    • “The music, the Terry Gilliam-esque animation and visuals all form into a cohesive and really funny vision.”
    • “The story is boring and not funny, nor does it tie together.”
    • “And it has nothing to do with Monty Python humor, it's just the art style; all the sketches are just generic slapstick 'comedy': unfunny and seen everywhere.”
    • “Unfunny cutscenes.”
  • stability39 mentions

    The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly hinder the gameplay experience. Players have noted issues such as camera malfunctions, physics problems, and game freezes, leading to frustration and a sense that the game feels unfinished. While some users mention minor glitches that don't severely impact play, the overall consensus is that the game is currently in a messy and unstable state, detracting from its potential enjoyment.

    • “The entire game is unstable and constantly borks out, misses menus, you get stuck in random places and you can't even kill yourself to respawn--you have to quit the game, and then the second player doesn't actually start and just freezes.”
    • “This game is unfinished, buggy, unfair, repetitive, and just straight up boring.”
    • “Very buggy as others have said, the game should not have been released in this state.”
  • graphics37 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the unique Monty Python-inspired art style and improved visuals compared to previous installments. However, some players criticize the graphics for feeling sterile and lacking the creativity of earlier games, noting issues with bugs and recycled assets. Overall, while the art direction is appreciated, it seems to fall short in execution and variety, leading to a less cohesive aesthetic experience.

    • “It's like Marble Madness and Super Monkey Ball inspired with tower defense mechanics, all tied into a Monty Python-inspired graphical style and humor.”
    • “The graphics and sound are really good and emulate Terry Gilliam's art style from the cartoons in the 1960s comedy show Monty Python's Flying Circus.”
    • “The art style of the game is very pleasing to the eyes, and the strategy element is fun.”
    • “The materials the levels were made from didn’t change as much as in the second game, and it felt very procedural and sterile compared to the first two games.”
    • “Mobile game basically, tries to be cute with Monty Python-level art style, but just bad.”
    • “Same engine, same UI, same graphics; most of the game is made up of one hundred percent recycled assets.”
  • music34 mentions

    The music in the latest installment has received mixed reviews, with many players feeling it lacks the depth and uniqueness of previous games, relying instead on generic classical standards and rock adaptations. While some tracks, like the rock cover of Vivaldi's "Four Seasons," are praised as standout pieces, others lament the repetitive nature of the soundtrack and the loss of the charming upbeat classical themes that defined earlier entries. Overall, the music is described as a downgrade, with technical issues such as music cutting out during gameplay further detracting from the experience.

    • “The soundtrack is incredible too, with both a symphonic and rock variant of each track depending on whether you're attacking or defending, while still being based on classical music.”
    • “Like, Elizabeth of England's attacking track (a rock cover of Vivaldi's Four Seasons) is some of the best music I've heard in a game in the past year.”
    • “Fun, kid-friendly renditions of classical music from different periods that beautifully supplemented the graphics, which also changed with the time period!”
    • “The music felt way less involved or researched this time, using way more generic classical standards than probing the depths of period music and classic arrangements we got in the first two games.”
    • “I'm not sure why they decided to rock theme the music when rolling because one of the most charming things about the series was the upbeat classical music while playing, which set it apart from most other games and fit the theme so nicely.”
    • “First of all, let me just say that I am horrified by what they've done to the soundtrack.”
  • grinding6 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often requiring excessive effort to progress through levels and unlock new content. While some may appreciate the challenge, many feel it detracts from the overall experience, making levels less memorable and enjoyable.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “For somebody it might be an advantage, but to me it just made some levels tedious; they kind of feel less memorable.”
    • “The core mechanics are the same as ROA2, but the levels feel lame. Worse of all, the game progression is now based on a tedious grind of additional challenges.”
  • optimization5 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some users reporting significant performance issues and unexpected bugs, while others have found it to run smoothly without any noticeable problems. Overall, optimization appears to be a notable concern for some players, detracting from an otherwise enjoyable experience.

    • “Each age has a variety of modes to play and you collect stars as a reward for your performance.”
    • “A game as good as the previous ones in my case without any bug or problem of performance or FPS. The artistic section is very good with colorful scenarios. I can only say it's excellent; if you liked the previous ones, you will not have problems with this.”
    • “On the side of the negatives, I've found many cons, mainly that the game has performance issues with weird bugs that were not supposed to happen.”
    • “The only thing that isn't good for now is optimization.”
    • “Game optimization is lacking.”
  • emotional5 mentions

    The emotional impact of the game is mixed; while some players found the story deeply moving, even surpassing renowned titles like "Metal Gear Solid" and "Cyberpunk 2077," others expressed feelings of frustration and disappointment due to technical issues and a lackluster narrative. Overall, the emotional experience varies significantly among players, with some feeling heartbroken by the game's shortcomings.

    • “The story even made me cry - better than the stories of 'Metal Gear Solid' or 'Cyberpunk 2077'.”
    • “Man, this is heartbreaking.”
    • “The emotional depth of the story was completely overshadowed by the numerous bugs and choppy animations.”
    • “I found the story mode to be boring, which made it hard to connect with the characters on an emotional level.”
    • “Overall, the experience felt inferior to previous games, leaving me emotionally uninvested.”
  • replayability3 mentions

    Players appreciate the high replayability of the game, citing the inclusion of new settings, a robust level editor, and the ability to create and play community-generated courses online as key features that enhance the overall experience.

    • “I really enjoy the new settings, and there is tons of replay value, including new make-your-own courses.”
    • “The level editor seems really nice too; it has everything you need to create a great level. The ability to play community levels online significantly enhances the game's replayability.”
    • “This feature adds replayability to the game.”
    • “The level editor seems really nice too; it has all you need to make a great level and is a really good feature, adding to it the ability to play community levels online, which makes the game more replayable.”
    • “Which adds replayability to the game.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    Reviews indicate that the monetization strategy is perceived as a cash grab, with a noticeable lack of effort in its implementation.

    • “The lack of effort and obvious cash grab are evident.”
    • “The monetization strategy feels exploitative and detracts from the overall experience.”
    • “It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely regarded as its standout feature, effectively immersing players in its unique environment.

    • “The atmosphere it creates is clearly its highlight.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

70% average critic score

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