Updated on February 28, 1:51 p.m. (GMT+8): Updated to official game name, improved relevancy.
Riot Games’ highly anticipated fighting game title, 2XKO, is on the horizon.
Executive producer Tom Cannon and game director Shaun “Unconkable” Rivera shared the roster development of champions, how Illaoi is coming along, as well as some of the 2XKO tag systems and basic mechanics of this fighting game set in Runeterra.
Illaoi’s fighting style and basic gameplay development
Illaoi was still in the DNA phase of development when she was first announced in August 2022, and over the past months, their team’s concept of Illaoi has finally taken a playable form.
She’s now live in their internal playtest, and her gameplay appears to be anchored in her identity as a “big body brawler” who utilizes tentacle attacks.
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2XKO tag systems and basic movement
Riot’s goal is to achieve gameplay that has quick, fluid movement at its core.
Some staple fighting game mechanics that the game developers have adopted include walk, run, dash, chain dash, jump, long jump, and super jump, said Unconkable.
These may not be new to regular 2D fighter fans, but it does give players the freedom to maneuver their champions more easily. Some champions will have more options to move in mid-air, like Ahri, he added.
What makes the Riot Games fighter even more exciting for players is that they decided to transform it into a tag team assist-based fighter as opposed to its original 1v1 format.
“We really felt like it gave us more space to create hype moments where our champions could live up to their fantasies,” said Unconkable. “And I mean, who doesn’t love a good team fight?”
The 2XKO tag systems mentioned include Assist Actions, Handshake Tag, and Dynamic Save, which are still subject to change in the future.
Assist Actions are your team’s bread and butter, according to Rivera. Each champ has two that can be performed from off-screen, and input can be held down to get a Charge Assist.
Handshake Tag lets you swap your champion for the other as long as both of them are on screen. It can be combined with Assist Actions to perform pressure sequences to keep your opponent on edge, it can also be used as a combo extension.
Looking at how the 2XKO tag systems were used in the video, it potentially sets the combo cheese factor really high.
The Dynamic Save is the Riot fighter’s combo breaker, the most awesome of the 2XKO tag systems yet.
Players will have access to this ability at the start of each match. It lets you call your Assist champion to potentially save your on-screen champion from being pummeled by the opponent.
However, it has to be timed properly, since it could be countered if the opponent predicts your move.
Project L will be free-to-play. For more information regarding 2XKO, check out their 2024 in year preview.
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