Slapshot: Rebound

About

"Slapshot: Rebound is a free-to-play, 3v3 hockey game with physics-based mechanics that emphasizes skill and teamwork. Play with friends or join others online in matchmaking, with training modes available to improve your skills. Compete to climb the leaderboards and participate in leagues around the world."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 15,890 reviews

gameplay280 positive mentions

story12 negative mentions

The humor and chaotic physics lead to countless hilarious moments, especially when playing with friends.
The gameplay is fast-paced and engaging, with a balance of fun and skill that encourages creativity.
The game has high replayability, making it a great choice for casual gaming sessions and competitive play.

The game has a steep learning curve, with controls and mechanics that can be challenging for new players.
There are significant stability and performance issues, including bugs, crashes, and lag spikes, particularly on European servers.
The monetization model, while generally non-predatory, includes intrusive advertisements that detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
710 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
53%
7%
The gameplay of "Slapshot: Rebound" is characterized by a steep learning curve, with mechanics that are initially challenging but rewarding once mastered. Players appreciate the physics-based gameplay and the creativity it encourages, drawing comparisons to games like Rocket League, though some express frustration with controls and matchmaking issues. Overall, while the game offers fast-paced and engaging matches, it requires dedication to fully grasp its mechanics and excel in competitive play.
- “The gameplay is a masterclass in balancing fun with skill.”
- “The mechanics encourage creativity, with moments of brilliance emerging from a perfect pass, a well-timed shot, or a last-second save.”
- “Slapshot: rebound delivers a hat-trick of fun with its fast-paced gameplay, intense matches, and vibrant community.”
- “It's just hard to learn the mechanics.”
- “While the gameplay balance is solid, there’s a noticeable skill gap that can be tough to overcome for new players.”
- “Firstly, the controls and mechanics are pretty much impossible for someone who has just started the game.”
humor
262 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in this game is widely praised, with players highlighting its chaotic and silly physics that lead to countless hilarious moments, especially when playing with friends. Many reviews note that the game's simplistic controls contribute to its comedic value, resulting in funny mishaps and unexpected outcomes during matches. Overall, it is described as a fun and entertaining experience that guarantees laughter, making it a great choice for casual gaming sessions with friends.
- “Every flick of the stick, every scramble in the crease, every hilarious moment where you collide with your teammate instead of the puck—all screaming: game of the year.”
- “Ridiculous and hilarious, a great game to play with friends for some casual fun.”
- “When I first played with my friends I was crying laughing at how stupid it looked skating around and failing to hit the puck.”
graphics
134 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
54%
7%
The graphics of "Slapshot: Rebound" receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the clean aesthetic and improved visuals compared to its predecessor, while others criticize the overall graphical quality as underwhelming or simplistic. The game is noted for its smooth performance on low-end devices and a fun, cartoonish art style that enhances the gameplay experience, though some players feel it lacks the depth and polish found in other titles. Overall, while the graphics may not be groundbreaking, they contribute positively to the game's enjoyable and engaging atmosphere.
- “The clean graphics and fluid animations keep the focus on the gameplay, while the soundtrack and sound effects add a layer of immersion that pulls you in.”
- “The visual design of the arenas and cosmetics is well done, with a clean aesthetic that enhances the overall experience.”
- “The game's graphics are visually stunning.”
- “However, it falls short on graphical quality.”
- “Gey devs milking the cosmetic items for a cash grab instead of improving the game, the graphics suck.”
- “Graphics, lighting, sounds... everything is giving away a very cheap, low-effort, mobile, pay-to-win feel.”
story
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
76%
13%
The reviews present a mixed perspective on the game's story, with some players finding it deeply impactful and emotionally resonant, while others criticize it for lacking depth or being non-existent. Notably, one player claims the story changed their life, while others mention it as a minor aspect overshadowed by gameplay. Overall, the narrative experience varies significantly among players, with some praising its depth and others dismissing it entirely.
- “I wasn't prepared to actually love the lore and story behind a game like this; hell, even reflect on my own life and personal struggles through the main character.”
- “Very interesting and touching story with a lot of depth into the characters.”
- “All around great game with an amazing story, 12/10.”
- “This game has no story.”
- “There is no story, but most of the game is focused on gameplay.”
- “Only gameplay, doesn't include a story.”
monetization
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
34%
59%
The game's monetization primarily revolves around cosmetic microtransactions, which are generally viewed as non-predatory and not essential for gameplay. While some players appreciate the anti-greed sentiment and the ability to earn in-game currency through play, others criticize the presence of intrusive advertisements, particularly military-themed ones, and express disappointment over the reliance on microtransactions. Overall, the monetization model is seen as friendly for a free-to-play game, but the advertising approach has drawn mixed reactions.
- “This game's monetization strategy also gives off a strong anti-greed sentiment that I can get behind.”
- “For a free-to-play game, there's not much more you could ask for in terms of their monetization strategy, since the only things you can buy are cosmetics, and if you play the game enough, you'll just earn enough currency to get them without paying.”
- “It’s free to play, with a non-predatory monetization model.”
- “Game is full of advertisements, community is very toxic to new players.”
- “Gey devs milking the cosmetic items for a cash grab instead of improving the game, the graphics suck.”
- “Being one of the only hockey games on Steam, it's disappointing that this game has fallen to the fate of microtransactions and endless toxicity in the playerbase.”
music
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
48%
7%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the main menu soundtrack and finding it immersive, while others note a lack of background music during gameplay. Many suggest that adding more music during matches would enhance the experience, although some players have found ways to improve their enjoyment by playing their own music alongside the game. Overall, the music is seen as a decent but underutilized aspect, with a rating around 3.5/5.
- “The clean graphics and fluid animations keep the focus on the gameplay, while the soundtrack and sound effects add a layer of immersion that pulls you in.”
- “Best game I have ever played, even the music slaps.”
- “Also, the main menu music is awesome.”
- “🔲 Just filling noises/no music.”
- “It needs a bit of background music during the game, but otherwise totally worth the time.”
- “After I got on YouTube and started playing the NHL 99 soundtrack, the experience improved immensely.”
grinding
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
43%
53%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be quite extensive, often requiring significant time investment, with some humorously suggesting it feels like needing multiple lives to keep up. While many acknowledge the grind can be tedious, they also express that it contributes to the overall enjoyment and satisfaction of improving skills and unlocking cosmetics. Overall, the grind is seen as a double-edged sword—challenging yet rewarding for those who embrace it.
- “A bit grindy... sometimes.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “There is a lot of grinding though!”
- “Gaining in-game coins to purchase cosmetics for your player can be a bit grindy, but that's my only complaint.”
emotional
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highly praised, with many players expressing profound connections to its story and characters, often leading to tears and personal reflections. Users describe the game as transformative, with some claiming it has significantly impacted their lives and mental health. However, there are mixed feelings about gameplay experiences, with some players expressing frustration that detracts from the overall emotional journey.
- “I cried.”
- “Tears embrace its highs and lows, a testament to its emotional journey.”
- “Very interesting and touching story with a lot of depth into the characters.”
optimization
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
14%
57%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering, lag spikes, and poor controls, particularly affecting those with higher ping. While some users noted smooth performance on certain systems, the overall consensus highlights a lack of effective optimization, leading to a frustrating experience in multiplayer settings. Improvements in specific gameplay mechanics were acknowledged, but the persistent technical problems overshadowed these advancements.
- “The game runs smoothly without any lag or glitches and feels well-optimized.”
- “Runs smoothly on my laptop.”
- “It improves on the original in almost every way with better stick handling and puck physics (including the ability to raise the puck, which is a complete game changer!), a vastly improved new player experience (including fantastic offline practice modes and extremely customizable private lobbies), and impressive performance options for an indie game.”
- “Frequently seeing massive spikes and stuttering for all or some players in a lobby.”
- “That said, this is the laggiest game I've played for this long in my life. If you have more than 40/50 ping, you are at a huge disadvantage. 50 ping here is not like other games; you have so much input lag that it feels like you wait almost a full second before your input goes through. On top of that, the game has lag spikes and stuttering every other minute, so it doesn't matter how good you become, there's always going to be a player with 10 ping that makes you wonder why you are even here.”
- “And playing with friends makes it nice, but the controls are terrible, and the frame rate needs to be fixed, as well as performance issues with the mouse control being out of whack.”
stability
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting frequent bugs, crashes, and freezing issues, particularly during tutorials and on European servers. While some players have experienced smooth gameplay without glitches, the overall consensus highlights significant stability problems that detract from the gaming experience.
- “Lots of crashes, glitches, auto-ban system (you can get banned for just people reporting you, without any warning)”
- “Sometimes the game even freezes at times making games unplayable in Euro servers for me in Britain.”
- “But currently too many bugs and glitches.”
replayability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
31%
19%
Overall, the game is praised for its high replayability, with many users noting it as "infinitely replayable" or "almost" so, thanks to its engaging gameplay and skill gaps. However, some players express frustration with inconsistent server performance, particularly on weekends, which can hinder the experience. Improvements to controls could further enhance its playability.
- “Awesome game with endless replayability.”
- “🔲 infinitely replayable (or almost)”
- “Fun with high level skill gaps makes for entertaining and replayable game.”
- “In order to make this game far more playable, the developers should have made the controls such that when you move in a direction, your character faces that direction.”
- “Weekends are still a nightmare to get consistent servers that are playable.”
- “5/15 game time / replayability”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game's atmosphere is described as fun and engaging, making it ideal for casual competition among friends while also catering to a more serious competitive audience. Players appreciate the combination of enjoyable mechanics and a vibrant style that enhances the overall experience.
- “On the surface, the mechanics coupled with the fun atmosphere make this game look like a perfect fun time for anyone looking to have a casual competition with friends or other players, while also filling the role of a high-level competitive sports game.”
- “The game itself is quite fun; I like its atmosphere and style.”