Shine City. A place packed with funky beats, colorful characters, and an illegal underground ball game known as the Lethal League. Originally, Lethal League released as a 2D tug-of-war speedball game in August 2014. It immediately secured a rabid following for its high energy gameplay and sold relatively well. Fans have wanted more ever since, and in September, the sequel was announced. Now, Lethal League is back, not with a simple spark, but with a Blaze. Check out the trailer for Lethal League Blaze and some first impressions below:
The Sequel Is Out!
Lethal League Blaze just dropped today and, after playing it, I’ll just say that I haven’t sweat from tension this badly since the Bomb Rally mini-game in Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland. The reviews for Lethal League Blaze are already “very positive” according to its Steam page. This is in no small part due to the game’s stellar soundtrack, with tracks composed by the amazing Hideki Naganuma — you know, from Jet Set Radio? Developer Team Reptile must be fans of Arc System Works, too, because they’ve also effortlessly blurred the line between 2D and 3D with their models.
What’s New This Time Around?
Lethal League Blaze is a fighting game sequel through and through. It’s essentially the same base game but upgraded, in both a positive and negative way. In this fresh addition to the franchise, there are new game types, playable characters, musical tracks, a story mode, and mechanical changes. Still, the game does almost feel like a “definitive edition” of the first title. They managed to work magic with their 3D models and make it look like the original game… but that’s also a bit of a detriment. New fans will fall in love with the amazing soundtrack and gorgeous 3D flair, but old fans might feel like the game isn’t different enough.
The characters, stages, and backgrounds have all been translated to 3D exceptionally well. If you loved the way the original game looked and played, have no fear: Blaze is still faithful to its predecessor and the game is still primarily played from a straight on, 2D angle. In fact, the core gameplay is still mostly the same. The biggest change comes from the health bars that have been added on top of the stock system. The 3D is there mostly for effect. For example, now every rally ends with an amazing flourish where the camera fully rotates around the ball as it decimates your opponent.
Based on what I’ve played, Lethal League Blaze is worth a look, especially if you enjoy playing competitive games with a group of friends. And as an added little bonus, it’s only $20.
Lethal League Blaze is now available on Steam.
