I recently got my hands a review code from the folks at 505 Games and Roll7 for their arcade style multiplayer game, Laser League. Right off the bat, Laser League looks like the type of sport people would be playing in movies based on the future like Demolition Man and Starship Troopers. You’ll be able to play online in intense 2 on 2 and 3 on 3 matches with friends and strangers to see who the best of the best is!
It’s the year 2150 and you’re competing in the arena to see who the best at controlling lasers is. There is so much more to it than that but on the surface, that’s the basic idea of the sport, compete to control lasers and eliminate the opposing team. You will need to be quick on your feet if you expect to capture the nodes in certain spots as well as trap your opponents. Most online games like this are to too complicated for the players at times but Laser League is very simple to play right off the bat and won’t take too much time to master either. You will need to be implement strategy to defeat your opponents and that will take some mastering but if you’ve played any sport games online, you’ll be able to master your skills in Laser League.
The controls are simple enough the play right off the bat, like I mentioned earlier, but the different strategies to be a champion will be put to the test. Different areas have different hazards that you have to watch out for. One of the areas has the nodes moving in a circle in the center of the playing field. The two teams will need to take over the center and guard that area as well as other areas to keep it their color so their laser knocks out the opposing team. One thing you will have to master is wall warping and this will become very useful during matches. One thing I didn’t like during said matches was when you got a little too close to the wall, you would go right through it, even if you didn’t want to warp through it. There were times where I didn’t want to warp through a wall and then got too close to the wall and jumped and was sliced by an enemy laser attack.
Not to worry though, you’ll be able to play as one of six types of players and I suggest playing as the Shock type. You’ll learn pretty quick what each type of player can do in the area. For example, Blade types can attack with a giant blade so you’ll have to learn which type of player suits you in combat quickly or it will be curtains for you quickly. The game also has abilities/power-ups in the area as well that can help turn the match in your favor as well. You might be losing the match and the terrain advantage but with a power up like the switch ability you’ll switch control of lasers and that could be the chance you need to win. Another interesting power up is the pause power up that stops the lasers from moving and this could be the time you need to revive teammates that have fallen in battle or devise new match strategy.
Laser League allows you to modify your profile that other see online with several custom features that you can unlock during matches as well as collecting XP during matches. Customs range from different portraits for your player profile, different emojis for your profile, or different color schemes. The more you do during matches, the more XP you’ll collect and the more stuff you’ll get!
You’ll need to work together during matches if you want to have any success against the opponent. Each player will need to use their ability perfectly if your team expects to win! Controls are simplistic but addictive and its these reasons that I’m giving Laser League for the PlayStation 4 an 8.5/10. I would like to thank 505 Games and Roll7 for the review code.