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Lethal League

A game with a very unique premise and a lot of potential for both casual and competitive players. With its high price tag for its lack of content, it's going to be a cult hit among a small number of players but won't go beyond that.
88%Game Brain Score
gameplay, music
story, stability
95% User Score Based on 9,112 reviews
Critic Score 63%Based on 2 reviews

Platforms

LinuxPCMac OSWeb BrowserPlaystation 4Xbox OneXboxSteam DeckPlayStationWindows

About

"Lethal League" is an intense, high-speed ball game where players compete in matches to knock out opponents with a ball that increases in speed each time it's hit. Choose from a diverse cast of characters with unique abilities and playstyles. Compete in local or online multiplayer modes, or practice your skills in the training mode. The objective is to hit your opponents with the ball, but watch out – a direct hit at high speed can mean instant defeat!

Lethal League screenshot
Lethal League screenshot
Lethal League screenshot
Lethal League screenshot
Lethal League screenshot
Lethal League screenshot
Lethal League screenshot
Lethal League screenshot
Lethal League screenshot
Lethal League screenshot
Lethal League screenshot
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95%
Audience ScoreBased on 9,112 reviews
gameplay426 positive mentions
story16 negative mentions

  • Easy to pick up, hard to master gameplay that is fun and engaging, especially with friends.
  • Unique and frantic multiplayer experience with a great soundtrack and vibrant visuals.
  • Each character has distinct abilities, adding depth and variety to the gameplay.
  • Online multiplayer is often dead, making it hard to find matches without friends.
  • Limited character roster and game modes can lead to repetitive gameplay.
  • Connection issues and lag can detract from the overall experience, especially in online matches.
  • gameplay
    1,075 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of Lethal League is characterized by its fast-paced, addictive mechanics that blend elements of dodgeball and fighting games, making it easy to pick up yet challenging to master. Players engage in thrilling matches that require precise timing and strategic thinking, with a high skill ceiling that rewards practice and skill development. While the game excels in multiplayer settings, offering chaotic fun with friends, some players note a lack of depth in single-player modes and a desire for more content variety.

    • “The gameplay is extremely engaging, fast-paced and fluid, while also being easy to pick up and having a high skill ceiling.”
    • “The gameplay revolves around hitting a ball with precise timing to outsmart your opponents, creating thrilling matches filled with strategic plays and quick reflexes.”
    • “With its vibrant visuals and simple yet addictive gameplay, it’s a blast whether you’re playing with friends locally or online.”
    • “I will say, I just didn't mesh well with this game's gameplay.”
    • “The mechanic with the ball is not perfect and the game could probably never have mainstream appeal because of it.”
    • “You can tweak options to mix up some of the mechanics, but ultimately there isn't enough variety in the gameplay to hold your attention indefinitely.”
  • music
    1,068 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its energetic and catchy soundtrack that enhances the gameplay experience. The soundtrack, often compared to the iconic styles of Jet Set Radio and Hotline Miami, features a variety of electronic and funk-inspired tracks that fit the game's fast-paced, chaotic nature. While some players noted that the music might not appeal to everyone, the overall consensus is that it significantly contributes to the game's fun and engaging atmosphere, making it a standout feature.

    • “The soundtrack is among the best in gaming.”
    • “The best part is definitely the soundtrack, made up of nothing but amazing tracks.”
    • “The music is just amazing ❤❤❤❤”
    • “The music is odd and gets annoying after a while.”
    • “The music is annoying the looks aren't the 'indie-pixel' style the game was trying for, they're just bad - and honestly, how much time can you spend hitting a ball at people before going to the dentist sounds like a fun reprieve?”
    • “The music sucks, but the game is fun sometimes when it gets intense.”
  • graphics
    447 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of "Lethal League" are characterized by a vibrant, cartoonish art style reminiscent of early 2000s games, particularly drawing inspiration from titles like Jet Set Radio. While some players appreciate the unique aesthetic and colorful visuals, others criticize the simplistic design and lack of detail in backgrounds, suggesting that the graphics may not appeal to everyone. Overall, the visuals effectively complement the fast-paced gameplay, creating an engaging experience despite some technical limitations.

    • “That combined with a cast of characters full of charm and personality, awesome visuals in general and just banger after banger in the soundtrack makes this game a must for people looking for fun couch-versus games (but it also runs perfectly online).”
    • “With the jet set radio art style and music from Hideki, this game just oozes style.”
    • “The graphics are much more readable than many other fighting games, an important aspect when the game is as simple as Lethal League.”
    • “The graphics and character sprites are trashy, especially when the level background interferes with seeing the ball.”
    • “Graphics are not too nice, particularly backgrounds, and I'm so tired of the 'pixel' 'retro' crap as an excuse for lack of graphics quality.”
    • “Another thing is that the graphical fidelity leaves a lot to be desired.”
  • humor
    186 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is widely praised, with players highlighting its ability to generate laughter through chaotic gameplay and funny character interactions, especially when played with friends. Many reviews emphasize that the game's comedic moments are amplified in multiplayer settings, leading to intense and hilarious experiences that often result in uncontrollable laughter. While solo play may lack some of the excitement, the overall consensus is that the game is a riotous good time, particularly in a group setting.

    • “We absolutely rolled laughing and tensing up trying not to get our asses beat by a baseball going mach 10.”
    • “Me and my friends had so much fun and were laughing so hard for so long we had to take a break for water because all of our throats were dead from screaming.”
    • “Somehow they made hitting a ball back-and-forth tense, exciting, and even hilarious.”
  • story
    116 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its absence, with many players expressing disappointment over the lack of a substantial narrative or character development. While the story mode offers a challenging experience, it is seen as insufficient, leading to calls for additional content or updates that could introduce a more engaging storyline. Overall, the consensus suggests that the game would benefit significantly from a well-developed story to complement its appealing graphics and gameplay.

    • “Also the style of the game is really awesome, graphically, story-wise, characters, and music.”
    • “I'd say if this game had a story mode with dialogue and lore, this game would be a real treat. I would love to see more of their universe, in my opinion.”
    • “Overall, I give Lethal League a respectable 7.5/10 - a real blast, but leaves the door open for more content and/or some kind of story to give justification for the otherwise very attractive visual style.”
    • “There is no larger-scale tournament/'story' mode or anything else, just free-for-all or team rounds in essentially 5-minute bursts.”
    • “The story is non-existent in this game, but the characters you get to play as and the stages you play in are really interesting and have a very unique style reminiscent of something like Jet Set Radio.”
    • “However the game is truly lacking on the single-player content, there's only a mode where you play against the CPU and a pretty barebones 'challenge mode' (arcade mode) so there really isn't much outside of playing it against other people.”
  • replayability
    72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with many players praising its high replay value and enjoyment that increases with skill, particularly in competitive modes. However, some reviews highlight limitations due to a lack of content, such as a small character roster and few levels, which can diminish replayability over time. Overall, while the game offers significant replay potential, especially in multiplayer settings, it could benefit from additional characters and variety to enhance long-term engagement.

    • “Its replayability is awesome and gets more enjoyable the better you get at the game.”
    • “It's a simple concept perfected; needless to say, it has lots of replayability.”
    • “If you want a local multiplayer game to blow you away with an insane amount of replayability and fun, buy it.”
    • “With only six characters to choose from, there's very little replay value in the same session, let alone over multiple ones, so like many other Steam games that fill a super specific niche, get this one on sale.”
    • “Great gameplay, no replay value.”
    • “I would give this game a solid 8/10 with the only thing holding it back being the replay value since it relies so much on one type of gameplay some people may get bored fairly quickly.”
  • character development
    54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is highlighted by its vibrant and unique character designs, which are often praised for their distinctiveness and creativity. While some reviews note that the character design may not be revolutionary, they contribute to an engaging gameplay experience that is complemented by a strong soundtrack and intuitive controls. Overall, players appreciate the visual appeal and personality of the characters, enhancing the game's fast-paced and exhilarating nature.

    • “Leathal League offers brilliant character design, and each character is unique in their own way. This game is one of the few exhilarating battle games I have played in a while.”
    • “They each have a distinct character design and personality that you can easily recognize.”
    • “The art is gorgeous, and the character design is pretty wonderful.”
    • “The character design is a bit uninspired, and the animation at points is a bit less than what you would expect, but all that doesn't really matter when you're having such a brilliant time.”
    • “While I do love the art direction, character design, and the music that plays within the game, it stops getting great after like an hour or two.”
    • “The character design might not be the most revolutionary, but the level design is solid, with small changes in room dimensions to, once again, change the pace of every encounter.”
  • stability
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability has been widely criticized, with users reporting frequent glitches, crashes, and connectivity issues, particularly in multiplayer modes. While some players noted improvements over time, many still experienced significant bugs that detracted from the overall enjoyment. Despite these issues, some users found the game fun once it was functioning properly, suggesting that stability may vary depending on the platform and individual experiences.

    • “Runs great with almost no lag.”
    • “I stopped playing because it was being buggy on my Mac laptop, and oftentimes wouldn't let me connect with friends for more than one round.”
    • “Fun game but ruined by glitches and crashes; also the multiplayer connections are shaky.”
    • “Starting out, Lethal League was a bumpy ride of glitches, crashes, and other little oddities that slowly matured into a stable game, even as the player population continued to drop.”
  • atmosphere
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its seamless integration of music, visuals, and animations, creating a captivating cyberpunk experience. The well-crafted music enhances each stage, while the pixel art style and unique character designs contribute to a nostalgic yet refreshing arcade feel. Overall, the game's atmosphere is described as slick and immersive, appealing even to those who may not typically enjoy fighting games.

    • “The music, atmosphere, and visuals of the game gel together really well to make a damn cool experience.”
    • “The gameplay is great and all, but what I think really deserves praise is the music and art. Tim and Dion did a great job with the game's art style, which really fits the game—a sort of pixel art of future streetscapes and urban environments that adds to the feel of the game's atmosphere.”
    • “Atmosphere wise, the game is slick.”
    • “The gameplay is great and all, but what I think really deserves praise is the music and art. Tim and Dion did a great job with the game art; the style really fits the game. A sort of pixel art of future streetscapes and urban environments really adds to the feel of the game's atmosphere.”
    • “Animations are really well done and backgrounds are just as simple as fitting to create a futuristic (cyberpunk) atmosphere.”
  • optimization
    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players report smooth performance with no major issues, others highlight significant problems, including poor optimization that leads to serious gameplay disruptions. Many agree that the game could benefit from further optimization to eliminate occasional slowdowns and enhance the overall experience.

    • “The game runs smoothly consistently; i.e., no sudden frame drops, no visual tearing, etc.”
    • “Well optimized, weird controls.”
    • “It still needs a bit of optimization; it runs pretty flawlessly, but sometimes you can notice tiny slowdowns which definitely define a life or death situation.”
    • “Everything about this game is perfectly fine, but the performance is absolutely god-awful.”
    • “Extremely poor optimization or whatever it's called.”
    • “Cons: it still needs a bit of optimization; it runs pretty flawlessly, but sometimes you can notice tiny slowdowns which definitely define a life or death situation.”
  • emotional
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players report a profound emotional impact from the game, with many expressing feelings of anger, loneliness, and catharsis, often leading to tears. The game is praised as an "emotional masterpiece," capable of evoking strong reactions and making players feel deeply connected to their experiences. Overall, it has garnered high ratings for its ability to elicit intense emotions.

    • “11/10, emotional masterpiece of the year.”
    • “10/10 would cry again.”
    • “Gotta say, 10/10 made me feel less lonely for 10 seconds!”
  • grinding
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be quite challenging and time-consuming, particularly in the single-player challenge mode, which is noted for its difficulty. While the leveling system is described as grindy, it does offer rewards such as new color palettes and gameplay variations, which can help alleviate some of the tedium. Overall, the grind is seen as a significant part of the experience, requiring dedication to progress.

    • “Brilliantly simple controls - no tedious combos to memorize.”
    • “There is also a single-player challenge mode, but it's very hard and very grindy, so you're unlikely to get much more out of it.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Really grindy level-up system (at least you get rewards for every level in the form of color palettes and different balls which change up gameplay).”
  • monetization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization strategy of the game appears to be minimal, as users note a lack of advertisement, which may contribute to its obscurity in players' libraries. This suggests that the game relies less on aggressive monetization tactics and more on organic discovery.

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7h Median play time
35h Average play time
4-20h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 22 analyzed playthroughs
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