On April 18, the second alpha test phase for 2XKO will start. However, Europe is left out in the cold: the test will only take place in the USA, Canada and Brazil. The game is scheduled to be released for PC and consoles this year.
Fighting games have long been a closed society at the top. Riot Games now wants to change that. With 2XKO, the developer of League of Legends (LoL) is taking on well-known classics such as Tekken or Street Fighter and bringing new tactics to the fighting game segment.
The creators have set their sights high, because 2XKO is set to redefine the beat’em up format. With a focus on cooperation and innovative skills, the developers are bringing team play from League of Legends into the ring and shaking up the foundations of the game category.
Gaming tradition with weaknesses
Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat were an integral part of youth bedrooms and arcade halls in the 1990s. Two fighters, pixel graphics, precision – whoever mastered the combos dominated.
With Tekken 8, the genre tried to make the leap into modern eSports. However, the big breakthrough failed to materialize: despite tournaments and a hardcore community, the Steam playerbase hovers at around 7,000 concurrent players.
Compared to Valorant or LoL, it’s a shadowy existence. That’s because if you want to be at the forefront of fighting games, you have to memorize combos and moves and beat the arena alone. Team play? Not an option. And that’s exactly where 2XKO comes in.
At the heart of 2XKO is the 2v2 mode. One fights, the other supports – or takes over at the right moment. Classic 2D arena, but with LoL-like skills, blocks, ultimates – and a new feature called Fuses.
Fuses as meta engine
The new Fuse system lets you customize fighters before the round begins, personalize combos, and change strategies. The “Companion” Fuse, for example, allows you to consistently play with one character instead of constantly changing the main fighter.
The team partner only helps passively, with reinforcing abilities. “Wrathbreaker”, on the other hand, temporarily increases damage and resistance, making the upgrade ideal for aggressive phases of combat.
Seven champions and numerous fuses together provide a wide range of combinations. The selectable upgrades also bring another advantage. Regular updates make it possible to change the meta of the game. This is intended to keep matches fresh and open up space for a constantly changing gaming experience.
In addition to the selectable improvements, there will be a ranking system. The best in each region will receive the title “Challenger” – similar to LoL. You can play in either duo mode or alone against two opponents.
Riot is generous
In the current test phase, every player gets free access to the Battle Pass and coins to unlock cosmetic content. Riot had recently significantly reduced the free content in LoL, but for the time being, the developers at 2XKO seem to be more generous again.
A monetization model is still pending, but there is much to suggest that – as with Valorant – a free-to-play model with paid battle passes and cosmetic content will be used. Whether cross-play between PC and console will be possible is also still open at this time.
