I have the tendency to post a lot of lazy reviews, usually talking shit about a clearly mediocre movie-to-video-game release, piling onto what has already been accepted as a train wreck, or making an easy joke in an attempt to make one of you folks smile. Like, most of the reviews I post on this site are either "haha yeah this game IS bad" or, if I'm feeling like I have something interestingly critical to contribute, "no, this currently alleged masterpiece is mid actually and here's why", but very rarely do I stick out my neck to openly and proudly declare something excellent, and with a confident five stars.

You can probably tell where I'm going with this.

I'll put it this way: I have been playing Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising almost nonstop since it released a little over five months ago. As a fighting game, it does so much for me. There are the usual issues I expect to run into, like balance issues and mechanical decisions I disagree with, along with a slew of bugs that somehow keep popping up every patch, but I love it all the same. Combo structure makes sense to me. The push and pull of offense and defense is skewed in a way that I understand. I'm finally getting a grasp on Street Fighteresque neutral. It's helping me learn so much about fighting game fundamentals that years of playing Super Smash Bros. Melee never bothered to teach. The art direction is pretty, and I've been having a blast unlocking different colors and weapons to mix and match to make the characters look all nice.

And then I play Lethal League Blaze online with some friends for a few minutes and it blows Granblue out of the stratosphere.

The premise is this: a fighting game, but instead of hitting your opponent, you hit a ball at your opponent, it bounces around faster and faster with every hit, and if you get hit by it when it goes fast enough, you explode.

Every single play session, without fail, I say "god damn this game is good" out loud. The soundtrack rules, the aesthetics are excellent, the push-and-pull of knowing when to bunt, throw, or attack the ball head-on is so simple, yet presents such depth most games don't even try to reach.

It just...fuckin' rocks.

Lethal League Blaze takes such obvious influence from the Super Smash Bros. series, from the "easy to pick up, hard to master" design philosophy of hitting a ball in different ways, to the chaotic multi-player modes featuring power-ups and items. It's straightforward, but leaves room for player expression. The character designs are some of the most fun I've seen in a video game, I mean, look at this boombox dude with giant arms who flies around lookin' like his wardrobe was pulled straight out of Gurren Lagann and tell me he isn't top-tier character design. There's also this baseball guy who is made of baseball. And then this robot rides a skateboard and can ride upside-down on the ceiling. I mean, you've gotta be kidding me with how cool this is.

Also Candyman.

As I get older and I find myself yearning for the old feeling of staying over friends' houses on weekends for birthday parties and staying up way too late eating pizza and playing video games without a care in the world and the dopamine rush of having pure untainted fun, Lethal League Blaze is a strong reminder for me that video games just...rule. It's a perfect package of everything I find fun about the medium. Bright colors, engaging gameplay, and excellent shared experiences among close friends.

Ain't NOTHIN' like a funky beat.

I have the tendency to post a lot of lazy reviews, usually talking shit about a clearly mediocre movie-to-video-game release, piling onto what has already been accepted as a train wreck, or making an easy joke in an attempt to make one of you folks smile. Like, most of the reviews I post on this site are either "haha yeah this game IS bad" or, if I'm feeling like I have something interestingly critical to contribute, "no, this currently alleged masterpiece is mid actually and here's why", but very rarely do I stick out my neck to openly and proudly declare something excellent, and with a confident five stars.

You can probably tell where I'm going with this.

I'll put it this way: I have been playing Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising almost nonstop since it released a little over five months ago. As a fighting game, it does so much for me. There are the usual issues I expect to run into, like balance issues and mechanical decisions I disagree with, along with a slew of bugs that somehow keep popping up every patch, but I love it all the same. Combo structure makes sense to me. The push and pull of offense and defense is skewed in a way that I understand. I'm finally getting a grasp on Street Fighteresque neutral. It's helping me learn so much about fighting game fundamentals that years of playing Super Smash Bros. Melee never bothered to teach. The art direction is pretty, and I've been having a blast unlocking different colors and weapons to mix and match to make the characters look all nice.

And then I play Lethal League Blaze online with some friends for a few minutes and it blows Granblue out of the stratosphere.

The premise is this: a fighting game, but instead of hitting your opponent, you hit a ball at your opponent, it bounces around faster and faster with every hit, and if you get hit by it when it goes fast enough, you explode.

Every single play session, without fail, I say "god damn this game is good" out loud. The soundtrack rules, the aesthetics are excellent, the push-and-pull of knowing when to bunt, throw, or attack the ball head-on is so simple, yet presents such depth most games don't even try to reach.

It just...fuckin' rocks.

Lethal League Blaze takes such obvious influence from the Super Smash Bros. series, from the "easy to pick up, hard to master" design philosophy of hitting a ball in different ways, to the chaotic multi-player modes featuring power-ups and items. It's straightforward, but leaves room for player expression. The character designs are some of the most fun I've seen in a video game, I mean, look at this boombox dude with giant arms who flies around lookin' like his wardrobe was pulled straight out of Gurren Lagann and tell me he isn't top-tier character design. There's also this baseball guy who is made of baseball. And then this robot rides a skateboard and can ride upside-down on the ceiling. I mean, you've gotta be kidding me with how cool this is.

Also Candyman.

As I get older and I find myself yearning for the old feeling of staying over friends' houses on weekends for birthday parties and staying up way too late eating pizza and playing video games without a care in the world and the dopamine rush of having pure untainted fun, Lethal League Blaze is a strong reminder for me that video games just...rule. It's a perfect package of everything I find fun about the medium. Bright colors, engaging gameplay, and excellent shared experiences among close friends.

Ain't NOTHIN' like a funky beat.