by Jamie Lambert
With the majority of triple-A developers releasing sequel after sequel of copy-pasted lazy drivel, you generally have to go for indie developers for some truly fresh and unique games. One such game is Lethal League, a “Projectile Fighting Game” by Dutch developer Team Reptile. The gameplay is similar to most fighting games in it’s single-screen one on one (or two on two) layout, however what sets it apart is the “Projectile” part of “Projectile Fighting”.
With the majority of triple-A developers releasing sequel after sequel of copy-pasted lazy drivel, you generally have to go for indie developers for some truly fresh and unique games. One such game is Lethal League, a “Projectile Fighting Game” by Dutch developer Team Reptile. The gameplay is similar to most fighting games in it’s single-screen one on one (or two on two) layout, however what sets it apart is the “Projectile” part of “Projectile Fighting”.
A baseball-like object (currently a festive bauble due to seasonal updates) is used as a weapon, and players must hit one another using the ball to score points or take stock. Each time the ball is hit, it moves faster than it already was. If you hit the ball straight, it goes slightly faster, and if the ball is angled the speed doubles.
The gameplay itself feels very solid. Each character has a unique special move which may be automatically activated when the special meter is full. The special meter has four bars, and each time you hit the ball a bar is filled. As the ball moves faster, the impact on hit is more powerful and frankly more satisfying. Once the ball reaches a certain speed the entire game freezes for a second whenever a player hits it, and beyond that the screen turns inverted. It’s quite a challenge to get the ball to a high enough speed to do this, especially being as though the faster the ball is moving the more likely it is to hit another player. Getting to this point is insanely satisfying though it ends far too quickly when the other player is hit and the ball resets.
The ball changes colour (or is “tagged”) when hit depending on who the last person to hit it was, meaning that you cannot get hit by a ball that you just walloped. This is a welcome feature to the game, after the prototype demo had you taken out by the ball whoever last hit it.
The gameplay itself feels very solid. Each character has a unique special move which may be automatically activated when the special meter is full. The special meter has four bars, and each time you hit the ball a bar is filled. As the ball moves faster, the impact on hit is more powerful and frankly more satisfying. Once the ball reaches a certain speed the entire game freezes for a second whenever a player hits it, and beyond that the screen turns inverted. It’s quite a challenge to get the ball to a high enough speed to do this, especially being as though the faster the ball is moving the more likely it is to hit another player. Getting to this point is insanely satisfying though it ends far too quickly when the other player is hit and the ball resets.
The ball changes colour (or is “tagged”) when hit depending on who the last person to hit it was, meaning that you cannot get hit by a ball that you just walloped. This is a welcome feature to the game, after the prototype demo had you taken out by the ball whoever last hit it.
There are three main gameplay options from the menu: Online, Versus and Challenge. Online and Versus are both standard fights, with the latter being local multiplayer. These fights can be set to one of three game modes: Free for all, Team, and Strikers.
Free for all does exactly what is says on the tin; one to four players fight it out, with a set amount of stock (lives) each. Team is two-on-two or two-on-one fights, where players cannot get hit by a teammates tagged ball. Finally, strikers is a team game where two targets are placed, one on either side of the stage. In Strikers mode, the players cannot get hit by the ball, and must focus on defending their target and making sure it isn’t hit. Hitting the other team’s target gives you a point, and ten points wins the game. Finally, Challenge mode is the single-player mode, which has you fight against a series of other characters with only three continues. The AI is brutal, so this will take some time to master and finish. The graphics go for a cel-shaded, sprite-based art style, which fits the game to a tee. The sprites are gorgeous, and the animations are smooth, work well and make it obvious and clear when movements are made and hits make contact. The sound design is spot on, with an absolutely amazing soundtrack.
Free for all does exactly what is says on the tin; one to four players fight it out, with a set amount of stock (lives) each. Team is two-on-two or two-on-one fights, where players cannot get hit by a teammates tagged ball. Finally, strikers is a team game where two targets are placed, one on either side of the stage. In Strikers mode, the players cannot get hit by the ball, and must focus on defending their target and making sure it isn’t hit. Hitting the other team’s target gives you a point, and ten points wins the game. Finally, Challenge mode is the single-player mode, which has you fight against a series of other characters with only three continues. The AI is brutal, so this will take some time to master and finish. The graphics go for a cel-shaded, sprite-based art style, which fits the game to a tee. The sprites are gorgeous, and the animations are smooth, work well and make it obvious and clear when movements are made and hits make contact. The sound design is spot on, with an absolutely amazing soundtrack.
A League of its own
All in all, the game feels really solid and natural to play, though getting used to the sheer speed of the fights may take a while. It’s definitely worth a try, and you can get the full game on steam fairly cheap. If you aren’t convinced already, you can play the prototype demo on the lethalleague.com website for free.
If you have played the game or are thinking about it, let us know in the comments below!
If you have played the game or are thinking about it, let us know in the comments below!
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