Last time we got an update from RIOT Games on Project L, the fighting game based on League of Legends, Tony Cannon said we would be getting another update by the end of 2022, and it’s finally here with an update revealing the game’s basic solo, and tag mechanics!
Project L is shaping up to be a fun free-to-play fighting game aimed at helping casual players learn with loads of tools and a high skill ceiling for players itching for more depth. The update previews many mechanics you’d expect from a tag fighter, with a few new additions and change including a burst mechanic that relies on your off-screen tag character, an instant swap to your tag partner while they’re doing their assist attack, and more!
Project L currently has no release date.
▍Project L Gameplay Basics and Tag Dev Diary
▍Project L Gameplay
The lead gameplay director and designer Shaun Rivera led us through the game’s various mechanics and a look at the core mechanics, let’s check out what what shown off during the dev diary!
■ Illaoi
While it was brief, we got a look at Illaoi who is said to be “30% done”. Illaoi is meant to be a heavy brawler-type character, and that’s shown with her gigantic normal attacks, and her signature passive ability the Prophet of an Elder God from the MOBA.
When Illaoi performs certain actions, she leaves a ghost tentacle on the floor, and when struck by certain special moves and attacks, the tentacle will attack the opponent with a variety of swings and ranges depending on which attack was used to trigger it. This lets Illaoi set up pressure on knockdown or at a distance to make for devastating sequences and mixups.
■ Movement
Movement is a huge part of Project L, as characters have access to a wide array of movement options from run, dashing, wave dashing, jump, long jump, super jumps, and even air dashing depending on the champions.
This variety of movement options will be familiar to players of Guilty Gear and other Arc System Works titles, as those games have historically had characters with different movement abilities exclusive to certain characters that you can play with, or need to work around.
■ Offense
It isn’t a fighting game unless you’re fighting. While we didn’t get a lot of details in how each move works aside from what was shown in the trailer, it looks like interactions will lead into huge comboes and big damage opportunities, making each hit very rewarding in this game and possibly lead to fairly explosive, or short matches if the right hits land at the right time.
■ Defense
Shaun also did emphasize how the team is working on a multitude of defensive options. Push-Blocking, normal blocking, and movement seem to be a big emphasis on the game’s defense, on top of the new tag-exclusive burst mechanic.
■ Tag Systems
What was originally a 1v1 fighting game, Project L evolved into a tag-based fighter a few years ago. The goal is to help unlock player freedom, and it helps match with the team aspect of League of Legends.
Off-screen characters can jump in to perform one of two unique tag attacks depending on what kind of pressure or combo you’re going for, and you can even swap into a character during, or after their tag attack to extend combos, save lower-health characters, or get back into a better position in Neutral while dishing out pain.
One unique mechanic shown here is the tentatively named “Dynamic Save”. This is similar to Burst mechanics from other fighting games, but it is done by swapping into your tag character. If the move hits the opponent, you will be saved from the combo and send your opponent flying. If it is blocked however, you’ll be sent in a knock-back state and be open to a painful reset from the opponent.
