Override 2: Super Mech League Review

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Fast Facts

Override 2: Super Mech League

Developer: Modus Games Brazil
Publisher: Modus Games Brazil
Website: https://modusgames.com/override-2-super-mech-league/
Genre(s): Fighting, Mech
Platform: Nintendo Switch (Also available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series S/X and Xbox One)
Age Rating: PEGI 7
Release Date: 22/12/2020
Price: £24.99

A code was provided for review purposes.

Override 2: Super Mech League is a pretty straightforward mech fighting game where players can play offline against A.I. bots or attempt their luck by going online, head-to-head (to-head-to-head). Right off the bat, it’s unfortunate because it’s a missed shot at creating an interesting story mode with a protagonist fighting their way up the ranks of the Mech Leagues. While it’s been done with other licenses, I don’t believe it would’ve hurt if Modus had created a story mode with their own touch. Anyway, with this out of the way, let’s get to the meat of it.

The combat of Override 2: Super Mech League makes sure that the game uses all of the available buttons. Another hurdle here is that attacks are delegated to the shoulder buttons which makes combat, the core mechanic of the game, clunky right off the bat. It’s always trickier pulling off combos when using shoulder buttons vs the face ones. Given that and the somewhat slow response (well I mean they *are* robots), combat takes a bit of getting used to in order to adapt to the timing of the combos and timing of single attacks as well as, again, it feels sluggish/slow.

Mechanical Combat

So the way combat works is that, as mentioned, the shoulder buttons are attacks, L and R (on the Switch) are punches while ZL and ZR are kick attacks. You can mix and match those attacks to create cute little combos that will give you a brief edge over your enemies. Pressing a combination of two shoulder buttons at the same time will allow your mech to pull off special attacks for a sliver (and I do mean sliver) of extra damage. No matter how much you unleash on enemy robots, their health feels like it drips and can make battles drag on for too long.

While you attack with the shoulder buttons, the face ones are more for movement’s sake; B jumps, Y grab, X blocks and A allows the mech to dash. Unfortunately, buttons cannot be remapped, so you’ll have to make do.

Where’s the Gameplay Variety?

So now, seeing as there’s no story mode, you are probably asking yourself if there’s at least some offline content in order to properly prepare you for the intense online battles; well good news, there are a few offline modes that players can jump into whether they want to practice or simply stay clear from online battles for whichever reason they want. First up is the standard one on one battle; pick a mech and go berserk on the A.I..

The second offline mode is 2v2. In this case, you are teamed up with an A.I. companion and you’ll go up against 2 A.I. bots; pretty self-explanatory. And then there’s Brawl where up to four mechs go head-to-head in a free-for-all battle where the last man standing wins. All modes are fun for a while, but it gets repetitive pretty quickly.

As you can probably tell as I make my way to my verdict, Override 2: Super Mech League is far from perfect. The controls take a while to get used to as you cannot remap buttons to ease play, combat can feel sluggish and slow at times; while simultaneously feeling like a confusing mess with four mechs beating the living crap out of each other. The omission of a proper story mode is unfathomable. Additionally, while the game encourages combos, as with any game from the fighting genre, it can be a bit too easy to make your way to victory.

Override 2: Super Mech League looks the part. I mean it won’t win visuals of the year, but it does the job it should. Levels and mechs are well designed as a whole and quite colorful too. Mechs each have their own visual style; oddly enough, despite all of this, it can be easy to lose track of your mech when in a brawl. The soundtrack is pretty forgettable; a pretty generic stock rock soundtrack. Each level has its own track, but it’s not as memorable as a Guilty Gear or Street Fighter soundtrack.

Override 2: Super Mech League is a tough sell. I can see that the core of it all could be something special; but it’s missing vital little things. And due to its repetitive nature, it’s hard to recommend this game when there are many other better alternatives in the fighting and mech genres. In this state, I’d recommend it as if it were a F2P (free to play) game, but given the very thin gameplay variety, this is a pass. I sincerely hope Modus is able to create a third game with more meaty gameplay content and accessibility features. Pass… unless you’re a die hard mech fan who needs to collect everything mech-related.

3 out of 5

3

You can purchase Override 2: Super Mech League for Nintendo Switch here.