Slam a Ball in your Opponent’s Face in Lethal League

Putting a ball between two fighters in a more or less traditional 2D format doesn’t sound like a great idea — but oh wait, it is.

Lethal League is doing it right, making this a diametrically-different fighting experience.

Characters in the game hold baseball bats, and the goal is to knock out the opponent with the ball. (They can’t hit each other directly.) The ball bounces off the edges of the screen, gaining speed with each bat swing, until it reaches unreasonable velocity, with the screen dramatically pausing. All it takes is one headshot and BOOOM, all set to street corner-esque hip hop beats. Swag is key in this game, and the futuristic, “worse” parts of town make it easy to get into Lethal League ‘s rhythm.

The game was originally shown at UFGT 9 (Ultimate Fighting Game Tournament) as a Mystery Game, and the fighting game community appreciated it. A fighting game afficionado myself, I can see why, as Lethal League works great in action, requiring reflex, guile, and dexterity.

I highly recommend playing the prototypein your browser, but hold your hype. A fully-fledged version of the game is set to release on Steam during the third quarter of this year. It will feature various characters who have special abilities, along with new stages, the ability to crouch, and online play via the GGPO system.

Check back with IGM for a longer preview, because I will surely be keeping an eye on this “competitive projectile fighting game” by Reptile.