One of the characters is an inline skater called Jet – a nod to the shredding graffiti artists from Jet Set Radio, perhaps?Lethal League Blaze
PREPARE TO BALL YOUR EYES OUT (OR, PREFERABLY, SOMEBODY ELSE’S) LUKE KEMP
PUBLISHER TEAM REPTILE / DEVELOPER TEAM REPTILE / RELEASE DATE OUT NOW / COST £16.74/$19.99
Ah, yes, the speed increases.
The ball’s momentum ramps up with
successive hits and, while it starts
off floating along at a leisurely pace,
it can reach truly terrifying speeds.
This is when it becomes wise to
observe the meter at the bottom of
the screen, which tells you when the
ball will be released. Time it just right,
and you can catch and return a foe’s
supersonic serve, instantly knocking
them out with an immensely satisfying
parry if they fail to time their own
counter correctly.Ball busters
Hitting the ball also builds up an
energy meter, which will probably
dictate your character of choice.
Once this meter is full, said character
can unleash their signature move.
One creates portals for the ball to
travel through, another can hold
onto the deadly orb and move for a
few seconds before releasing it, yet
another throws it on a chain before
retrieving it... timing can be crucial
(although as the move is activated
by double tapping the button forThis game is rooted
in two fundamental
facets of the human
condition: the urge
to hit things, and the
urge to bonk other
people on the head. It’s even wrapped
up in pretty colours. Perfect! It’s a
cross between dodgeball, squash and
the Thunderdome, with two to four
players batting a deadly ball between
them until only one is left standing.
There are two ‘how to play’ tutorials,
which do an amazingly bad job of
explaining how the game works. They
make it clear that the aim is to hit
your opponents with the ball until
they stop getting back up, but little
else is revealed. For example, the 11
characters all have subtle differences.
The skateboarding robot (yup) can
ride up the walls of each single-
screen arena, for instance, whereas
characters with jets have the ability
to fly in place of a double jump. This is
the kind of thing you’ll likely discover
entirely by accident.
It’s a shame that people could
potentially be put off by the apparent
simplicity of it all, as Lethal League
Blaze has a hidden depth that’s only
revealed by getting stuck in and
experimenting. The ball changes
colour according to the last player
who hit it, and it’s not possible to
receive damage while the ball is your
colour. This opens up the opportunity
for some mind games and feints,
whereby you act as though you’re
going to hit the ball again to change
its direction or increase its speed, but
let it carry on to hit your opponent in
their stupid face instead.
an ordinary hit, expect plenty of
accidental triggers). It is, however,
difficult to keep an eye on this meter
in the middle of a fast-paced match.
There are two other modes aside
from the standard one – Strikers,
which provides two ‘goals’ to hit,
and Lethal Volley, which is basically
volleyball – but these are, while fun
distractions, not enough to drag you
from the main event for long. This is
probably why the story mode ignores
them, and nobody seems to be playing
them online. All the more bizarre is
that these modes, like four of the
characters, must be unlocked by
spending credits earned through play.
Very few people are playing any^
mode online at time of writing, which
is a real shame, as this is enormous
fun when played with others (and still
a great solo experience, too, in short
bursts). Fortunately, local multiplayer
is supported, so convince a few
friends or family members to give it a
go with you. They won’t regret it. Qshort
cutWHAT IS IT?
A future sport, with
Jet Set Radio vibes
and no regard for
health and safety.
WHAT’S IT LIKE?
If baseball and pinball
had a baby, and if
that small child was
trying to kill you.
WHO’S IT FOR?
People that are sick
and tired of safety
regulations (and the
lack of robots) in
today’s sports.“The ball’s
momentum
ramps up with
successive hits”
OXM VERDICT
Fast-paced
murderous squash,
with a surprising
amount of depth
and funky beats.8
LEFT The
eye-popping art
is reminiscent
of Jet Set Radio,
and the
soundtrack even
counts Hideki
Naganuma amongst
its artistsMore Xbox news at gamesradar.com/oxm THE OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE 087REVIEW