Roll7, the culprits of Olli Olli and Not a Hero , return with a proposal of the most interesting concepts . Laser League, after a time in Early Access, finally arrived on May 10 to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC .
Credits
Laser League places us in a strange indeterminate future that really matters little . The only important thing is that it seems that in this time line there is a sport capable of making any other shade: Laser League, a strange fusion between rollerblading of the 80s, a nightclub late at night and an eSport. It sounds weird, right? Well, it's the only complicated thing around LAser League.
The British study has earned, in its own right, that we all pay attention to its new proposals. Always able to get the most out of the minimum mechanical Roll7 continues to refine its design philosophy . When you think of a sport game you can not avoid thinking about new and complicated rules, new mechanics and complex button mapping to make each and every one of the new moves. You will not find any of this in the Laser League that we could summarize, without wanting too much, that it is as if Fumito Ueda had designed a sports game .
We speak, before anyone lights the torches, of the Ueda more designer and not of the artist Ueda. The philosophy of design by subtraction that so much likes the Japanese designer is crossed here with the idea of Anna Anthropy to design around a verb whenever possible. Laser League is a sport that is played with a single button but that will have hours attached to its psychedelic aesthetics.
Gameplay
The rules are simple ; the teams (2v2 or 3v3 of entrance) face in small stadiums whose walls are connected to the purest Pac-Man style. The objective is simple; eliminate all members of the opposing team. The best of three rounds of three matches wins. No trap or cardboard.
To eliminate the players of the opposing team we must get them to hit a laser of our color ... did not you know? Laser League already gives us a clue in its name. Each of the stadiums (more than two dozen start) will have a series of nodes, mobile or fixed, that will activate lasers of our color if we pass over them. The duration will vary according to the laser and the stadium but we will have to always be aware of having the greatest possible number of lasers of the color of our side. If we touch a laser wall of the opposing team we are out of the game until a teammate passes over us. If all the members of a team are out of the game, it's over.
The theory is clear and to start playing Laser League is the most simple and on the go you can stand up for your team. However, in spite of this lack, very positive, of convoluted rules, there are two things that every good Laser League player should know: what power ups do and what does our player do or, perhaps more importantly, what does the player of the game do? opposing team .
To speed up the games each Laser League stadium has a series of power ups that will appear throughout the game and that will modify the flow of the game . From dividing the light beams into pieces to change the color of all the activated lasers or accelerate, and much, the speed of movement of the nodes. Take the right power up at the right time can be the salvation for your team but wrong ... well, let's say it would not be the first time a team loses by unwittingly activated the power up that changes color all active lasers .
The second question has a more complex answer and derived from the hours of play. When starting a match each team member chooses a class or type of player among the initial six. Each of these classes marks our role in the game and our only special ability that can be modified by two specializations. For example, an Ethereal is able to become invulnerable for a few seconds which makes it the perfect doctor to be able to resurrect companions even among lasers and you can modify your ability by slightly extending the time it lasts or causing it to recharge when you resuscitate someone.
In addition to the aforementioned Ethereal we can play as Edge , armed with a laser sword capable of eliminating enemies, Shock that incapacitates the opposite a few seconds, Shot , which fires a laser capable of eliminating the contrary, Thief and his ability to steal nodes on the contrary or Assault who can push opponents with his shield. When a team loses a round of three games it will have the possibility to revise its strategy and modify the classes of its players.
Although these skills are going to roughly mark our way of playing the truth is that Roll7 has left room for inventiveness and, for example, an Ethereal can use its invulnerability to activate nodes between the enemy ranks. The player will quickly feel more or less comfortable with certain functions but being fast games of two or three per band and taking into account that it is very common to play with a fallen member, each player is expected to have the ability to improvise.
Game Design
Roll7 shines by having designed a complex game whose rules are, literally, two sentences and that can be enjoyed in just a few minutes. Its design by subtraction has eliminated any impediment of other sports games by letting all we need is our ability and a single button on the remote. Within a few minutes of playing, one is surprised by devising different ways to exploit our skill or use the opponent's one in our favor or combine our players. And this is something that we have seen since the first games in their earliest versions.
Laser League has been refined to its minimum expression thus achieving an exponential multiplication of possibilities . This is the true interest of a game that, on the other hand, will require the commitment of its players to be purely online. We do not know what plans the studio has for attacking the podium of the eSports but the certain thing is that Laser League has, on paper, all of becoming a more than worthy aspirant. Its simplicity means that, at a glance, even the most lazy person knows what is happening on the screen at all times and what the objective of the game is. His aesthetic and the colorful aspect of his visual proposal makes him, sincerely, very pleasant to see and the short duration, except for exceptions, of his games makes it a show in constant change.
However, like any game with such a strong multiplayer component, you can only wait to see how it evolves over time. Our advance in Laser League is limited to unlocking all kinds of cosmetic objects that will make us shine on the most novice players. However, there is a lot of room for the studio to add new types of players, scenarios or particularities to them. At the moment it is more than enough to jump to the field next May 10 on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
Conclusion
Laser League is a game debugged to the smallest detail that will delight lovers of competitive multiplayer. Roll7 has polished to the maximum its mechanics to allow the possibilities to be numerous with the least possible number of them. Undoubtedly, a more than decent gap can be made in the heart of many eSport lovers.
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