Ordinary Days was a nice chill track, and there are some pretty good ones that fit the mood of the game quite well. The lovely character designs are all graced with some slick trance and EDM-inspired tracks, the standout being Jet Set Radio composer Hideki Naganuma’s Ain’t Nothing LIke a Funky Beat. The characters all have some screentime here, and while they’re only voiced through in-game grunts or taunts, there’s still some personality for each of them.
I found all I needed to know about the characters here, and it ties up the backstory of Lethal League pretty nicely. While a bit lacking in presentation (after all, these are text-only cutscenes), the fact that you can usually play as both sides of a conflict and get the backstory of Shine City is pretty neat. While it’ll only last around an hour or two, it’s a great introduction for those who need a little practice before delving into the other modes.
It’s here that I’ll give a brief shoutout to how adequate the story mode of Lethal League Blaze is. In addition, the boss character Doombox (read: the boombox I talked about earlier) is now officially playable, complete with revamped moveset and a killer special move that makes the ball act as a homing device. From loveable crazy dude Candyman (who wields a pretty neat cane and can allow the ball to move past walls) to newcomer Jet (who can use rockets to float as well as use a bubble to stop the ball in its tracks before popping and continuing its assault on opponents), there’s something to love for everyone. You have a cast of 11 characters, which might sound small, but each contestant is unique in terms of their special moves. The whole game exudes a quirky, distinct aesthetic much like Jet Set Radio or Splatoon, and it fits well with the retro/futuristic narrative the game is aiming for. Luckily, the game’s style matches the pace of the experience. Dodge and hit, that’s all you need to do. Luckily, the controls are sharp and responsive, and you won’t have to worry about an incorrect input with how simple directions are. It’s an interesting core gameplay loop that rewards very risky behavior, and it can get frantic extremely quickly. A lot of these advanced techniques are easy to explain but extremely hard to master, which makes this an unorthodox candidate for a fighting game.
While you can mash buttons to try and make a hit, both you and your opponent can choose to parry, which can negate the effects of a hit if timed properly. However, your opponent can just as easily create their own rally and make the ball faster, which requires some quick thinking and a great strategy. Much like Super Smash Brothers, you’ll have to make decisions on if you should pursue a ball and risk getting hit or play it safe and try to predict where the ball will land. You have a set amount of lives, and health carries over between rounds (known here as bursts). Lethal League Blaze seems simple enough, but it’s the high-stakes buildup that really sets the stage for some crazy matches. Along the way are powerups that can be distributed on the top of the screen sporadically which will cause some crazy things to happen to the ball, whether it be a football that zips around unpredictably or a healing ball that will heal you for as long as you can hold it. Your only defense is by smacking the ball, bunting it, or throwing it, and you can choose your trajectory when you do hit it. With each hit of the ball, it gets faster (as indicated from a boombox at the bottom of the screen), and eventually it will reach a speed where a hit will prove fatal. Your goal is to defeat your opponents with the ball, which is the only thing capable of dealing damage in this game. Players will have to hit a ball as it zips around the stage, with unlucky players getting hit and losing health. Of course, spending any amount of time with it, you understand why: It’s a no-holds barred competition that feels like a modified version of baseball and table tennis on steroids. Due to an incident where someone died, players involved in the sport have to escape from the local authorities to play. Lethal League Blaze is set in a place called Shine City, where an illicit sport called Lethal League is held. While the core gameplay is excellent with a ton of new features, the Switch version of the game might leave a lot to be desired. Enter Team Reptile’s Lethal League Blaze, the long awaited sequel to 2014’s cult hit where baseball meets Smash Bros. The competitive yet simple nature of these titles really makes all the difference, and these experiences are usually seamless in their framerates and technical performance. I’ve been a fan of short but fast-paced games recently, if my review of Duck Game is any indicator.
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