Insider's Look: Early Impressions On 2XKO So Far
August 16, 2024
As someone who has spent the majority of their life playing League of Legends and classic fighting games, 2XKO's announcement back in 2021 felt like a love letter to people like me. The world of Runeterra combined with the gameplay loop of other tag fighters like Marvel vs. Capcom — it's a great concept that seems to be paying dividends already as many people are sharing their positive experiences. Alpha Labs, the test server for 2XKO, has just finished rolling out its last wave of invites so anyone lucky enough to receive one can dive into 2XKO from August 10-19th on their platform of choice.
Reigniting the Meaning of Tag Team
The core identity of 2XKO revolves around a 2v2 slugfest with a player either controlling both characters or two players controlling their own character. This means that you can partner up with a friend or a random player to fight against the opposing team which could also be controlled by either one or two players. In the middle of battle, players can call their assists, which are one of two moves from the character that is not currently being controlled. This serves as a combo starter or as an extension or even as one of 2XKO's many unique mechanics, a handshake tag.
While the other character is called out during their assist, they can be swapped in at any point and the player will now control that character instead; that results in a handshake tag. Once players are familiarized with all of the team mechanics the game has to offer, then the game really opens up with the amount of different combos and routes you can do. That leads to eye-popping and frantic battles, reminiscent to team fights in League of Legends.
Controls and Mechanics of 2XKO
2XKO has the standard light, medium, and heavy attack inputs, two special attack inputs (S1 and S2), and the team input (T). If you want to be the best that you can be, start by getting familiar with the controls and customize it to different bindings, if needed. After choosing your two characters, you also have to choose a fuse, which is essentially a modifier for your team that drastically changes the playstyle depending on what you choose. There are five different fuses available currently: pulse, 2x assist, double down, freestyle, and fury. Here's what you need to know about each of them:
- Pulse Fuse: Allows single button combos, similar to modern controls from Street Fighter 6
- 2x Assist: Can perform two team assist actions in one sequence
- Double Down: Makes it possible for your partner to perform a level 1 or 2 special after your own
- Freestyle: Enables two handshake tags in one sequence
- Fury: Damage boost and one-time special dash cancel after being dropped to 40% HP
The pulse fuse is the best option for casual or new players that want to perform cool combos without spending hours on the practice mode. However, if you are looking to elevate your game, the other fuses are much more viable because they allow for longer combos or help set-up opportunities that normally wouldn't be possible. The fuse that has the highest skill-ceiling is definitely freestyle as the constant swapping of point characters makes it hard to block against players that can optimally utilize the handshake tags. As for viability, it is too early to say which fuse is the strongest so I suggest just picking a fuse that feels the best for you.
Another important mechanic introduced in the game is a combo breaker called Dynamic Save, which knocks the other player away while they are attacking you. This uses a separate resource found underneath the health bar which is not reset between rounds, so managing when to use the Dynamic Save is key to winning games.
Character Designs and the Transition from MOBA to Fighter
Currently, there are six available characters to choose from and more will be added closer to the game's official launch. All of the characters have a distinct playstyle and their own stat distribution, making them even more distinct. Darius, for example, is classified as a bruiser which has higher than average health and hard-hitting attacks. Ahri, in contrast, sacrifices health for greater agility, granting her access to a great mix-up game that can make it hard to block against.
Every character has access to a few unique attacks as well as signature abilities that may sound very familiar. Ekko's Chronobreak, Yasuo's Wind Wall, and Ahri's Orb of Deception have been redesigned to make them more fitting for a fighting game. And, well, it totally works. While the genre has shifted entirely, each character retains their identity and playstyle from League of Legends. Braum still has supportive capabilities with the ability to raise his shield and block a certain number of attacks, Illaoi can play at a distance or get up close with her tentacles, and Yasuo is very much the rushdown and combo heavy character he always has been. Seeing these iconic abilities transitioned into an entirely new and different game is somehow both very nostalgic and very refreshing.
Monetization and What To Expect
2XKO will be free on launch which can understandably be worrisome but not when it comes to Riot Games. The success of League of Legends and Valorant proves that free-to-play games can be great — so long as the gameplay loop is fun and the monetization is not predatory. Other fighting games create new characters as DLC to buy with real money, but 2XKO has confirmed that future characters will be earnable through some in-game grinding.
This means that the primary form of monetization in 2XKO will be cosmetics and the battle pass system that can already be found in the latest Alpha Labs test. The confirmed types of cosmetics so far are avatar customization options, character recolors, and entirely new character costumes. There will be no gameplay-altering monetization, so don't expect a player to be able to purchase extra power or anything of the sort.
My Gripes With 2XKO
Again, 2XKO is not officially released yet so anything can happen between now and up until it launches. However, it should be noted that there are some issues I have with the game personally. The tutorial system is very barebones right now and either needs a complete overhaul or more tutorials that can be broken down into different skill levels. At its current iteration, the tutorial system does not cover anything about wake up options (getting off the ground), the parry system, or the retreating and push block guards that are very essential to understand. If you want to know more about these mechanics, you will have to go into the command list, read the properties and input command, and then make the training bot perform an action in which you can finally utilize either of the systems not covered in the tutorial. It might not sound like a lot of work, but if Riot wants to make a strong impression on both casual and hardcore players, then easing them into gradually more complex tutorials is important for longevity.
Additionally, one thing that I really appreciate in other fighting game titles is combo trials. Basically, each character has a list of combos that you have to replicate which helps you get a feel for how the character plays. 2XKO currently does not have this feature, but it is certainly a possibility that Riot introduces this later down the line; it would help players find their main characters much easier.
My final nitpick with the game is related to the character introductions that occur as you load into the match. Each character has only one voice line as they jump into the battle and it becomes rather boring after hearing it the first couple of times. Having more unique voice lines based on characters' relationships with one another would help the characters feel more alive; 2XKO really needs to add that in. Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a great example of introductions done correctly where each character has a unique line for the opposing character, like Dante to Vergil or Spider-Man to Morrigan.
Although slated for a 2025 release date, 2XKO at its current form feels very good to play. Coupled with a great netcode, anti-cheat measures, and decent polish, I can confidently say that 2XKO will stand alongside the other giants in the fighting game industry. There is still much more content to add into the game, and, hopefully, some form of offline gameplay in the vein of World Tour in Street Fighter 6 can make it to the full release. The core gameplay is there, but there needs to be much more content as it stands now. It's a great time to be a fighting game fan and 2XKO is just one more addition to the already stacked lineup that fans are already super happy with.
