2018
I really can't stress how great this game is - easily the most underrated fighting game of the modern era. In a just world, Lethal League Blaze would be mainstage at Evo, but instead we thrive in the shadows of grassroots events.
LLB strikes a perfect balance between being easy to pick up and have fun, while at the highest skill bracket being one of the most mechanically demanding and rewarding experiences of any fighting game ever.
The freeform nature of combat via the ball promotes a huge range of viable playstyles. Likewise, LLB has a great balance between creative offensive opportunities through angles, specials, and parrybaits, while maintaining rich defensive options accentuated through positioning and movement.
The diverse roster of characters has fostered new competitive discoveries even 5 years after the initial release, while the focus on system mechanics ensures that the cast is extremely well balanced. It's particularly
The community for this game is deeply passionate, primarily found on the LLB Stadium Discord, where we continue to host tournaments and other events while official support for the game has long moved on. It's still very easy to learn the game with the monthly new player tournaments and mentorship programmes, while the top level continues to evolve even after 1000s of hours of playtime logged.
If you want to see the top level of this game in action, you can find the VOD from Combo Breaker (commentated by me!)
If you want to learn more about the mechanics I'd recommend Desselie's Toxic Guide, even as a character specific guide it covers loads of fundamentals for all characters.
Please play this game and join the community, it changed my life for the better.
Just don't play the single player modes, they suck!
LLB strikes a perfect balance between being easy to pick up and have fun, while at the highest skill bracket being one of the most mechanically demanding and rewarding experiences of any fighting game ever.
The freeform nature of combat via the ball promotes a huge range of viable playstyles. Likewise, LLB has a great balance between creative offensive opportunities through angles, specials, and parrybaits, while maintaining rich defensive options accentuated through positioning and movement.
The diverse roster of characters has fostered new competitive discoveries even 5 years after the initial release, while the focus on system mechanics ensures that the cast is extremely well balanced. It's particularly
The community for this game is deeply passionate, primarily found on the LLB Stadium Discord, where we continue to host tournaments and other events while official support for the game has long moved on. It's still very easy to learn the game with the monthly new player tournaments and mentorship programmes, while the top level continues to evolve even after 1000s of hours of playtime logged.
If you want to see the top level of this game in action, you can find the VOD from Combo Breaker (commentated by me!)
If you want to learn more about the mechanics I'd recommend Desselie's Toxic Guide, even as a character specific guide it covers loads of fundamentals for all characters.
Please play this game and join the community, it changed my life for the better.
Just don't play the single player modes, they suck!
2021
A great premise, and very enjoyable, but sadly has issues with frame rate, performance, and environment traversal. The more action oriented sections (from its roots as a Skyrim mod) are particularly badly designed.
Has elements of the genius of a game like The Outer Wilds, but with none of the soul. Definitely worth playing!
Has elements of the genius of a game like The Outer Wilds, but with none of the soul. Definitely worth playing!
2021
Rolled Out! is very early access, but the actual gameplay is so tight already that I feel confident in recommending it even at this early stage. All the levels I've played have embraced Super Monkey Ball's approach to encouraging shortcut taking and gameplay optimisation, and actually controlling the ball (both and low and high speed) feels fantastic.
I'm particularly looking forward to seeing what people do with the stage creation features, especially if the development team are able to cultivate a strong community of content creators and modders. This was one of my favourite things about the SMB community (albeit unofficially).
The major downside at this point is that the UI/UX is extremely lacklustre, so I'm looking forward to seeing the features that will be added moving forward in the game's development. In my opinion essential additions including leaderboards, custom level browsers, stat tracking and more would push this game beyond its predecessors and transform it into a true cult classic.
Has the potential to be my game of the year, but no promises just yet. Definitely still worth your money, especially for any diehard SMB1 or 2 fans.
I'm particularly looking forward to seeing what people do with the stage creation features, especially if the development team are able to cultivate a strong community of content creators and modders. This was one of my favourite things about the SMB community (albeit unofficially).
The major downside at this point is that the UI/UX is extremely lacklustre, so I'm looking forward to seeing the features that will be added moving forward in the game's development. In my opinion essential additions including leaderboards, custom level browsers, stat tracking and more would push this game beyond its predecessors and transform it into a true cult classic.
Has the potential to be my game of the year, but no promises just yet. Definitely still worth your money, especially for any diehard SMB1 or 2 fans.