| 2XKO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Closed Beta Review | Early Access Review |
Everything We Know About 2XKO
2XKO Plot
2XKO is based on League of Legends’ lore and, as of writing, does not feature any specific story of the MOBA classic. However, the game will have unique dialogue and interaction among champions during their character intros in-game, which will give players some insight into 2XKO’s overall setting.
2XKO Gameplay
2XKO is a competitive 2v2 tag-team fighting game where players strategically manage an active "Point" character and a supporting "Assist" character to defeat their opponents. This involves utilizing character-specific attacks, special moves, and supers, along with strategic tag-ins and assist calls to extend combos or escape pressure.
It also includes an accessible control scheme, designed to lower the barrier to entry for new fighting game players, and the unique "Fuse System" which allows players to select specific mechanic variations that greatly alter gameplay strategies before a match. The game boasts a robust rollback netcode for smooth online experiences and a "Juggle Limit System" to prevent overly extended combos.
While 2XKO does not feature a traditional single-player story mode, it focuses on the competitive aspects of fighting games: mastering individual champion kits, understanding complex team synergies and counter-play, adapting to diverse opponent playstyles, and climbing the ranks in its competitive ladders and tournaments.
2XKO Release Date
2XKO is set to fully release in 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via the Riot Games client. Although there have been no official announcements, the game could also launch on Epic Games, similar to other Riot Games titles such as Valorant and League of Legends.
As of now, 2XKO will be available in Closed Beta for PC only until the game is fully released. Beta keys may be earned from other players who were invited to the Closed Beta or from other content creators and official Riot accounts.
2XKO Review (Closed Beta)
It’s no secret that Riot Games has been developing a fighting game. It might actually be the worst-kept secret at this point, as it was revealed back in 2016 and has shown some progress in bits and pieces throughout the years. It might actually be best described as a rollercoaster, since the game has had various ups and downs of anticipation and silence, respectively.
Today, however, Riot Games finally decided that it’s time to open the gates, at least to a select few. As a fighting game enthusiast who’s put in tons of hours in fighting games such as Tekken, Street Fighter, Guilty Gear, and most importantly, Marvel vs. Capcom, I knew I had to give it a go, especially since I’ve played my fair share of League of Legends as well.
Well-Adapted From Source
In terms of how the game looks, 2XKO looks great. The cel-shaded animated style, paired with the Runeterra art direction that League of Legends was known for, is a great choice to showcase the characters in the game. Character designs are top-notch, and while it took a while, they really did a great job in translating characters from a MOBA into a fighting game. The animation in the game is a thing of beauty, and I would go so far as to say that all of the characters have great animations showcasing each of their abilities.
For context, Yasuo is known for his wind-wielding abilities, as well as his mobility and his swordplay. In 2XKO, they showcase this perfectly, as he can set up wind walls to stop projectiles and use the same wind wall to create a tornado to stop anyone from approaching. Not only that, they highlight his quickness by having moves that involve him dashing around and slashing his opponents from various angles, making him a force to be reckoned with.
Well-Polished and Well-Thought-Of Features
Let’s get the most obvious thing out of the way. Yes, for a game that’s been in development for a long time, the polish of the game is apparent and noticeable. For a game in a beta state, the number of mechanics that it has is more than what you’d expect. One thing in particular is 2XKO’s unique Fuse System, which allows for different variations and strategies that cater to different playstyles.
For example, players who aren’t comfortable with playing two characters can opt to pick the Juggernaut fuse and simply buff their point character to essentially be strong enough to go 2v1. On the other hand, those who want to embrace the tag mechanics of the game entirely can choose the Freestyle fuse and have the ability to tag multiple times in a combo or a sequence.
Another thing to note is that the game has an offline mode that makes it playable and unlocks everything without an internet connection. While it seems like a common-sense type of problem for games, this is an underrated feature, especially for those running local tournaments. The game even has a working online lobby system with a great online netcode, which is a requirement for any fighting game to succeed nowadays.
Also, did I mention that locked characters are usable in offline modes and training mode? This is probably the biggest feature that many fighting games should have. Street Fighter 6 allows you to rent
a character for a few hours, but 2XKO straight up allows you to use them as much as you want.
Free-to-Play, But Microtransactions Aren’t
One major thing about 2XKO that surprises me the most is that it’s completely free-to-play. But of course, there’s a catch. It’s a live-service model fighting game, which means that it will feature microtransactions in the form of cosmetics and even characters. At the moment, six out of nine characters are available to pick for online matchmaking, but in the future, this number will easily grow.
It’s not as if it’s impossible to buy these characters, as doing quests and other tasks will net you character tokens and points to purchase cosmetics and characters, but it’s a problem nonetheless.
Sure, the cosmetics and skins just serve as eye candy, but pricing new characters will be tricky to maintain. The total number of characters could easily bloat to match the number of champions that exist in League of Legends, and just thinking of the amount of currency you have to spend to buy all of them is horrifying, to say the least.
Disappointing Amount of Characters
Tag fighters are often known for the amount of variety that it has with their character pool. Sadly, 2XKO only has nine of them. Yes, they’re all animated and presented amazingly well, to the point where I’d say that they’re perfect representations of their MOBA counterparts, but the total number is still laughably low.
The Fuse system is there to add more variety, but essentially, you’re just choosing a different flavor of the system mechanics and not the character. Riot Games has teased that there’s still one more character to reveal, but even then, a tag fighter roster of 10 is still less than desired.
Obvious Flaws, But Nothing Serious
So is the game perfect? No, definitely not.
One thing in particular is the camera, specifically when a player uses Break. The camera zooms out to display all of the characters on the screen and remains fixed until the tag character leaves. The perspective suddenly changes, and moving feels awkward when it happens.
The change of perspective will catch you off guard when you haven’t grown accustomed to it yet. This may just be a skill issue, and maybe I’ll grow to appreciate it as I play more, but it’s definitely got me in trouble more times than I would like to admit.
Another issue is the game’s default button layout. As it stands, the game’s layout has the Team button mapped to the X or A button on a controller. It’s very easy to make a mistake and call an assist at the wrong time and get massively punished for doing so. Not only that, but the rest of the buttons, like the Special 1 and Special 2 buttons, are awkwardly placed and don’t feel natural at all.
Speaking of the attack buttons, another clear issue is the lack of satisfaction in execution. Fighting games have progressed into having controls that have you do special moves with a single button, and 2XKO suffers from that because it doesn’t feel satisfying to execute certain things. This isn’t to say that there aren’t any hard combos in the game or maybe I'm just biased to motion inputs, but it’s not exactly the most rewarding thing to have a 50% combo where all I did was a basic chain of light, medium, heavy, followed by a special move into a super.
Riot Finally Steps Into The Ring
Despite the long wait, 2XKO is finally here. It’s definitely shown that it has the qualities of what makes a good fighting game from its presentation and, most of all, its gameplay. It even goes out of its way to have features that fighting game fans ask for, like being able to play newly released characters outside of competitive matchmaking, a kitted-out training mode, and even an offline mode that unlocks all of the content necessary for a tournament to run.
The lack of characters on release
is still disappointing, and there are some things that will take some getting used to, but it’s a live-service free-to-play game that will only get better with time, even if it already had more than enough in its development. Hey, at least the game’s actually here now, right? Now, if they could just add in Hecarim, Kayn, and Jhin, please.
Game8 Reviews
You may also like...
2XKO Product Information
 |
|
| Title | 2XKO |
|---|---|
| Release Date | 2025 |
| Developer | Riot Games |
| Publisher | Riot Games |
| Supported Platforms | PC (Riot Client), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S |
| Genre | Fighting |
| Number of Players | 1-4 (Local, Online) |
| ESRB Rating | RP |
| Official Website | 2XKO Official Website |
