Lethal League

Lethal League is a unique 2D fighting game that manages to appeal to fans of both casual and hardcore fighting games. Visually, the game has a definite style that, while not the best looking in terms of raw graphical quality, fits the gameplay very well. It’s a bright, colorful game with simple animations that is more concerned with conveying gameplay information than it is with being beautiful. The graphics are much more readable than many other fighting games, an important aspect when the game is as simple as Lethal League. The heart of Lethal League is bouncing a ball in an enclosed space until someone gets hit with it. The more subtle mechanics of the game help turn this seemingly boring concept into a great game. Each character has a different ability that lets them hit the ball in a special way, and the ball increases speed with each hit. This creates a rising tension throughout the game as players get locked in extremely fast back-and-forth hits, requiring perfect timing to keep the streak alive. It gets even more intense when you introduce a third or fourth player. As hit streaks build, the sound design does a lot of heavy lifting with regards to building tension. Lethal League has some of the best audio/visual effect combinations I’ve seen in a game. The sound effects get more and more intense as your streak builds, while the visuals increase in magnitude as well. It does a great job of using cues to signal the hit is coming, preventing the game from feeling like random chance. Lethal League is the rare fighting game that is fun for all skill levels. Most of the fun comes from the game itself, rather than winning. It never feels bad to lose, because it’s all a part of the game. The fast-paced rounds that can be over in a second make the game feel like anyone can win. The simplicity of Lethal League actually adds to the experience, rather than taking away from it. Highly recommended to fans of fighting or party games. 9/10