2XKO First Impressions: Riot's Fighting Game Could Be the Best of the Year

In addition to what's already mentioned, it's worth noting that 2XKO has its own unique characteristics. Riot Games' fighting title is known for its 2v2 gameplay. Of course, you can enjoy it solo, but it's even better when you team up with a friend and battle against another duo!

This strategy was excellent for attracting the company's fans, already accustomed to team-based games like League and Valorant, and also brought a unique twist to the game—avoiding the idea of ​​being a mere copycat of other titles in the market.

Same champions in a new style

However, 2XKO's greatest asset is its roster, straight from the League of Legends universe. Riot has masterfully leveraged the immense appeal of its champions, iconic characters who have won over millions of fans. This familiarity creates an immediate connection: what League player hasn't imagined controlling Yasuo, Ahri, or Darius in a sort of "Mortal Kombat"? Even those who aren't avid MOBA fans have probably tried it at least once and may be intrigued by learning more about these characters from a different perspective.

Reusing the roster doesn't mean a lack of innovation; the company took care to bring new animations, voice lines, and abilities to the characters—not to mention a redesign with a more cartoonish style—while still respecting the origins and core characteristics of each character.

But there are some points to consider. Starting with the voice actors, who aren't the same as those from the original game. They're great, but they can be confusing for those who enter 2XKO expecting the same voices they've heard for years in League of Legends. Another factor is the limited number of characters; the closed beta offers nine fighters, while games in this niche typically feature 20, 30, or even more at launch.

Of course, there are still months of development until the game's full release, so let's hope Riot adds at least five or six more options. Since League of Legends has been a robust title for over a decade, we know the potential this world can bring to 2XKO's roster.

2XKO is Beginner Friendly

It's incredible how Riot Games has treated beginners to this type of game. As soon as you log in, you'll be redirected to a comprehensive and well-crafted tutorial.

It will guide you from the very beginning and the most basic mechanics to combos, shield breaks, and Ultimates—special attacks with unique animations! The best part is that you can review any of these lessons at any time by navigating to the Learning tab in the main menu.

You can also enter Training mode to test attack combinations and new features against a Bot that doesn't move.

The Fights

Moving on to the gameplay itself, it has everything it needs to stand out and capture a niche, especially the more casual market. Even though it's free, 2XKO maintains the high quality of Riot Games. When you enter a battle, you'll have a range of attacks at your disposal—and all are executed fluidly, making you feel increasingly immersed as you land or take a hit.

Performing combos and witnessing each of your champions' abilities is truly satisfying, especially when you already know them and can now see them from a different perspective.

Still, we have other resources available to make combat more interesting. The main one among them is the Fusion mechanism—which essentially functions like a "Rune"—giving you new possibilities to experiment with a wide variety of fighting styles. You can learn more about each of these in the tutorials, see below.

Additionally, you can call on your second champion to pressure your opponent, break free from their combo, or simply replace them and change your strategy, not to mention some passives that fighters like Jinx and Blitzcrank possess.

I'd also like to point out that the difficulty is just right. The controls are quite simple, and you'll be up and running in a few minutes, but it's still a competitive online game, meaning there's always room for improvement if you want to stand out on the server.

Customization is a key theme in 2XKO. As with other titles in this niche, you'll have an Avatar to represent you when entering game lobbies. You can edit your clothing and body with various options.

The best part is that you'll be able to use the outfits and traits of all the champions in the game! You can completely replicate your favorite character or simply create your own combinations. See some examples below:

Other collectibles that add even more personality to your gameplay are emotes. These are essentially stickers that follow the same pattern as in League—champions conveying emotions—like Braum smiling and giving a thumbs-up or Yasuo crying after taking a few hits. It's worth mentioning that some of them are animated!

Emotes also complement expressions. These are gestures your avatar will perform—also useful for conveying emotions in the lobby.

Finally, we'll have some Player Cards and Titles to further enhance your profile.

The most observant will have already noticed, in the photo above, that we should receive a Mastery system as well as the ranked mode in the official launch.

It would be unfair to criticize a game that hasn't even been released, so consider this thread as suggestions for 2XKO's official arrival—not as criticism.

The main opportunities I see for 2XKO are three: new game modes, more champions, and skins. I'm sure all of these will come to the game over time, but it's important to mention.

Currently, it's possible to play in various ways, from a Casual Lobby—against random players from the server—to a closed Lobby to enjoy with friends or a local Versus to enjoy matches against bots or other players connected to the same device as you.

However, these are simply different ways to enjoy the same game mode—bringing more freshness to the gameplay will be essential in the long run. One suggestion is a short chapter that tells the story of each character, covering memorable battles that took place in Runeterra.

We've already discussed champions, but I'd just like to emphasize that there's a lot of potential in League of Legends' more than 150 characters.

Regarding skins, we currently have some chromas, which serve as a simple recolor of the fighter - the ideal is to enjoy entirely different styles for each of them.

Another factor that Riot Games rarely fails to deliver. The champions look beautiful, and they wield abilities with just the right amount of eye-catching animations!

I also had no trouble pointing out the interface. Everything is easy to navigate when going through the screens, without visual clutter or information overload.

The Main Menu theme also perfectly captures the feeling of being in a fighting game. Combined with the good voice acting and battle sound effects, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

It's impossible to know how the game will run on every device. But considering the configuration mentioned at the beginning of the article, I can say that I didn't experience any bugs, frame drops, or crashes - my hours of gameplay were smooth even with the graphics at high quality.

It's hard to say that 2XKO is a pleasant surprise, as most of the community was already expecting a game of this tremendous quality. Of course, it's still a beta and a production-as-a-service, intended to last for years, but it's important to already have a positive sample to attract even more fans for the game's official launch—which is expected later this year!

I hope you enjoyed this article. I'm available if you have any questions or suggestions!