2XKO Early Access Gameplay Impressions: League of Left Jabs

From one look at 2XKO, you're probably going to be impressed if not certainly intrigued. The vibrant look of the characters, the quick combat, and the flashy effects are meant to draw the eye, and while I've been interested since the first character reveal trailers started coming out, the question remained of how much of a fighting game was there underneath a wash of gorgeous paint. How many hours will you want to put into this game? How deep do the systems go? Will it be at EVO in five years' time, or remain a font of wasted potential?

It's early days to decide any of that, really. That's why you won't see a score here, or any definitive remarks. The game's been out for a day, after all, and while I meant have spent almost all of Tuesday evening putting my main team of Blitzcrank and Ahri to the test against hordes of other players, it'll take months to come to a full conclusion on 2XKO. So, what can we determine right now?

First off, this game is fast. Really fast. A fighting game for the TikTok generation if I've seen one. Despite there being two health bars to chunk through each round, you can quickly end up flat-backed on the floor if you fall victim to just a few enemy combos. This speed fits the flashy visuals and cartoonish style of 2XKO perfectly, and while it might take some time to get used to its sixth-gear pace, once you're there fights feel like a duel between two equally deadly opponents (or four, if you're playing in a duo). Combos are precise and powerful, and you best be ready to react quickly if you manage to open your opponent up to one.

The game boils down to three basic attacks, assigned to your face buttons, specials on your triggers, and an assist button as your remaining face button (A on Xbox, X on PS). Hold back to block, with a crouch block preventing you from being hit from low attacks. You've also got a super meter which can bolster your specials or give you access to an ultimate ability. If you've played something like Guilty Gear, or any fighting game really, you'll probably be able to get used to the controls rather quickly. To really get the most out of 2XKO, though, you'll need to stop ignoring your teammate and bring them in for assists with combos or even help in starting a sequence. Blitzcrank's assist grabbing foes from afar, for example, works wonders at taking them by surprise and opening up for combos.

Without getting too bogged down in the details of frames and strategies, 2XKO's combat is fun. Simple, flashy fun, made even simpler by the use of Pulse Combos, which effectively are a button-masher's dream, as you can just chain a combo that automatically ends in a super move if you press a button enough. My only real gripe is that it can feel like grabs (on everyone except Blitzcrank) have an incredibly short range but a massive punish window, meaning that even if you're standing next to an opponent doing nothing but blocking, you might not hit your throw and be forced to eat a return combo. Pulse Combos also can make the game feel more like a show than a deep fighter. Something to play and have fun with friends, but not a game you want to sink dozens of hours into. I had to turn them off as it simply felt like there wasn't enough of me in my wins and losses.

Countering my current dissatisfaction with throwing and Pulse Combos, I have to highlight the combo breaks for praise. Unlike something like Mortal Kombat 11, where you can see multiple breaks in a single round and rarely get a sense of momentum, you really have to pick your moment to stop your opponent from battering you in 2XKO as the recovery time is so long. It makes fights feel more dangerous, where you might want to go for the flash and pomp of constant offence, but a well-timed counter can lead you to lose a character or round with ease.

2XKO also lays a great foundation in feeling like a fighter that pays attention to the overall player experience, not just the pace and fluidity of the fighting action itself. You can customise your own little chibi avatar, and matchmaking doesn't just see you stare at a main menu screen until an opponent is found. You can roam around an actual lobby, modeled in the style of an arcade, with big screens, cabinets, and more. It's not much, but that little bit of flavour lets us know that Riot is looking for a little more than another way to squeeze profits from League of Legends.

Still, overall the game feels very small in terms of content right now. There are just 11 characters, most of which you need to unlock through playing or paying. In a tag fighter especially, that can make the roster feel small, but we will be getting more in time, meaning I don't mind there being a low number now. What I would like in the future, alongside more characters, is more content outside of constant online battling. Fighting games need more than just constant PvP matchups, and while you can hone your skills in training, a ladder mode or some kind of story mode would be an incredibly welcome addition to 2XKO down the road. Riot loves making cinematics, and Arcane showed people want more of a narrative focus from this world. It almost makes me wish this game was not a free-to-play, but a premium experience. If Riot is going to mug people £80 for Arcane skins in the ultimate starter edition, they may as well add something outside of cosmetics that makes that money worth it.

There are some qualms to be had with 2XKO, but at the same time I'd be lying if I said I wasn't itching to get back into the lab. With 2XKO and Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls on the horizon, things are looking pretty good for fighting gamers right now if both can stick their landings. The Early Access road may be a long one, but by the end of it 2XKO could do the impossible: make a good League of Legends game.