Lethal League! It's like Smash Bros. decided to have a baby with baseball/dodgeball. It's an eccentric yet unique 2-D Fighter and definitely one of my most underrated favorites. Players move around a small map, hitting a ball around until it hits another player and knocks them out. Each time the ball is hit, it speeds up, capping at a speed of one million, and yes, it's normal to see the ball reach that speed. As soon as there's only one remaining player (In free for all that is, the classic game mode), all knocked out players respawn for the next "burst." After every match, players earn experience points and level up in order to access unique color palettes for each character. Speaking of characters, you get a selection of (underwhelming) 6 different fighters. Each player has their own special move that can be used after hitting the ball four times without getting knocked out. Starting with the first character (and personally my favorite), we have Raptor. Raptor is a 15 year old boy who uses a metal bat as his choice of weapon. He is able to slide on walls and jump off of them. Raptor is also the shortest of the 6 characters, allowing him to avoid any balls bee-lining straight for him, though, he can also crouch like any other player. When taunting, Raptor points to the sky, shouting "Check this!" to the opponent(s). Raptor's special move allows him to hit the ball twice and quickly send the ball hurling towards any opponent, taking them by surprise. Second we have Switch, a 5 year old robot who uses a skateboard as his choice of weapon. Raptor also moves around on his skateboard, quickly lifting it from his feet when attacking. He is able to ride on the walls and ceiling of maps, giving him full mobility to any map. When taunting, Switch does a quick kickflip on his board, shouting a quick "Yo!" His special move allows him to hit the ball directly underneath him, almost acting like Raptor's special, causing the ball to quickly hurl towards any opponent in it's path. Third we have Candyman (also, personally my least favorite due to how annoying he can be), a 28 year old mutated human, as expressed by his incredibly long fingers and giant yellow head complete with googly eyes. Due to Candyman's ability to tap dance, he spares a cane as his choice of weapon. He jumps the highest of all the characters and falls slowly to the ground, almost as if he were floating. When taunting, Candyman takes his hat off and bows for the audience, letting out a chuckle before getting right back up. His special move causes the ball to take the appearance of his own mutated head and phase through the ground, walls, and ceiling, appearing on the opposite end of the map before returning to it's normal state. Fourth, we have Sonata, a 23 year old, blue haired woman who uses a giant boombox hammer as her choice of weapon. Sonata jumps the lowest of all the characters, and because of this, she's also given the power to double jump, reaching new heights. When taunting, Sonata flips herself backwards, grabbing hold of the shaft of her hammer and posing, letting out a hearty "HEEYA" before getting back into position. Her special move allows her to take control of the ball and choose it's direction twice before it goes hurling around the map again. Fifth, we have Latch, a 20 year old cyborg crocodile (yes I know these characters are sounding more and more ridiculous, but they're really likable) who uses his own mechanical tail in order to attack. Latch is able to climb up and down walls, almost giving him full mobility like Switch, though, he is able to hit the ball while clinging to the wall. When taunting, Latch turns his back to the screen and gives a thumbs up before glaring at the player and then returning to his regular stance. His special move allows him to literally eat the ball and spit it back out whenever he pleases, causing the opponents to never be able to anticipate when the ball will come. Finally, we have Dice, a 19 year old Buddhist who uses a ping pong paddle as his choice of weapon. Dice is able to crouch-jump and is the fastest of all the characters, which is great for dodging. When taunting, Dice will take a squat position and thrust his paddle out directly ahead of him, shouting "Let's Roll!" His special move allows him to hit the ball at a curved arc, where it will launch out in any direction once it reaches a random destination. So what do you think. Game seem interesting enough? It is pretty difficult at first, but you get a feel for it sooner or later!
I always see it around during sales, and it always catches my eye because the logo is cool. I can never remember why I haven't bought it yet, until I go to the store page and realize I hate the artstyle and the animations. I'm shallow :/ My games must look pretty and fluid. The gameplay looks pretty rad tho! I just wish it was attached to a different game lol.
Damn, 95% of the players praise the game for the art style/animations. Guess you aren't there with them
