MLB The Show 2019’s Road to The Show (RTTS) mode has been a staple in the best-selling baseball series for years, allowing you to create the player of your dreams and take them from minor league ball to the major leagues or “The Show,” while letting you customize them with a selection of options that gets more bountiful each year.
2019’s RTTS is the best iteration of the mode yet. Combining the gameplay that MLB The Show is known for with strategic RPG elements creates an engaging, immersive experience that hasn’t been available in any baseball game I’ve played thus far.
There is a lot that has remained true through previous iterations, including the archetype system, which allows you to select the type of player you’d like to become. Choose from a speedster, power hitter, all-around utility player, or others to bring your player to life. Attributes are distributed accordingly based on your choice and really have an effect on your overall play-style as you develop.
Throughout the RTTS 2019, you’re presented with opportunities to commit your player to a certain lifestyle and demeanor. You can choose between a combination of personas: the Lightning Rod, Maverick, Heart & Soul, and Captain. These allow you to advance certain attributes at a faster clip. You’ll be able to interact with teammates, create specific rivalries with opposing players, and speak with management and media in the way that you choose. Your stats and attributes will be affected as a result. You truly build your character from the ground up with choices that matter.
Another great aspect of RTTS 2019 is that attribute caps aren’t a problem anymore, so it’s possible to max out your attributes and become the world’s best baseballer, though it’ll take a while. Because you’re likely committing to a specific persona — say, the “Captain” — most of your interactions will advance those related skills, while skills related to one you didn’t pick will advance at a slower pace. This really isn’t an issue though, because there are a few archetypes that give you a distinct advantage, mainly the “Anomaly.” a speedy, powerful specimen that, in my opinion, might be the easiest to max out in the long run.
Dynamic challenges are another new feature that present themselves in key moments throughout your career, like specific at-bats, challenges from teammates, and more. These challenge you to get a specific streak, hit in a run, and other fun things. This really brings weight to certain situations and pushes you to perform, much like a professional baseball player would have to, under extreme pressure. You’re presented with three options in these situations, and you can choose which one you’d like to try for. Each option has a percentage value that shows how much of a boost you’ll get to your stats by achieving it. For example, you’re up at bat with two runners in scoring position and you’re down by two runs. The first option may be to drive in a run for a 75% boost, the second to drive in two runs for a 125% boost, and the third option would be to drive in those runs in the first three pitches. You simply choose which option to go for and then try to do it.
You can also take an active part in your training. So far I’ve only done a few of them. They’re mostly “hit this button at the right time” types of mini-games, but they add a bit of entertainment to a part of the game that was pretty boring in past iterations. The Pilates one, in particular, is a headache, with buttons streaming by on the screen almost too fast to keep up with. So, just like in real life, I don’t like Pilates.
All in all, MLB The Show 2019’s RTTS is the best version of the mode so far. Improved strategy, RPG, and relationship elements coupled with excellent gameplay and physics make this a complete and fulfilling game mode that keeps getting better every year. If you’ve played it, let us know what you think in the comments!
Note: Biff Bam Pop! received a review copy of MLB The Show 2019 from Sony Interactive Entertainment Canada.
