14 DAY TRIAL // 
A huge mech with a big spear in his hand is a sight to behold. It becomes even more awesome when it glows golden and launches into a complex and destructive ultimate attack. The sight awakens something deep in the core of science fiction and gaming fans, an urge to stomp, destroy, unleash impressive moves. Override2: Super Mech League tries to give fans these kinds of feelings but fails because there’s no community to keep it relevant, despite the good mechanics.
The game is built around mech combat mechanics and is created and published by Modus Studios. It can be played on the Xbox Series X and S, the PlayStation 4, the older generation from Microsoft and Sony, the Nintendo Switch, and the PC.
The core elements are easy to understand. Gamers control a giant robot with a wide array of attacks, all of them employed to win fights. Light and heavy punches and kicks are available to all featured mechs, as are blocks, jumps, and throws. Mixing and matching them will lead to combos, which can be interrupted. Dashing and double jumps add to the tactical panoply.
Special attacks can be delivered at will and there’s no heat mechanic, like in the first game, to slow players down. The game shows off its big, bashing, strong robots and wants gamers to really deliver blow after blow to their enemies. Ultimates, very cool and different moves for all the featured mechs, are available once a mater is charged in special areas that pop-up during matches.
The combat is chunky and weighty, entirely appropriate for the theme. It feels good to choose one of the bigger mechs and simply bash the opposition into the ground or to pick up a weapon and do the same. The lighter robots move around more and have combat abilities that also make them competitive. This is not a frame calibrated fighting game, that requires precision. Override2: Super Mech League is a fun brawler for people who don’t want to learn move lists.
The story is not as engaging as the combat. Once the events in the first game in the series were over no-one had a clear idea of what to do with the giant mechs. Arena-based complex combat was apparently seen as a better fate than decommissioning so the robots are now attractions in themselves and there are plenty of companies and spectators who are ready to watch them take each other out. There are some more bits of world-building spread around the game, but there’s no big story here that requires careful attention and time to explore. The character of Zoe is well-written and acted but can’t keep the player engaged on her own for long.
Players can choose to train, to see what each of the robots has to offer, or they can engage in quick matches, both online and locally. The more complex league concept features a wider variety of game modes, from duels to King of the Hill style engagements.
The biggest problem with Override2: Super Mech League is that it relies on other human players to populate matches. And there are very few of them online. I only played some modes with bots, who do not actually pose much of a challenge and make the entire experience feel mindless. Even players who are online and get into matches sometimes prefer to quit than face defeat. The netcode seems solid but it cannot on its own attract a community. There are smaller bugs the community has been reporting, including at least one that prevents progress through the leagues.
Override2: Super Mech League has a cartoon based style that works well for the concept. Each of the featured giant robots has a distinct look. Even in the heat of combat, it is not hard to read the interface and the way the battle is going. Everything is colorful and fast, with the pace sustained by the well-chosen orchestral rock soundtrack.
The Good
- Cool mech brawls
- Varied robots to choose from
- Solid presentation
The Bad
- Limited narrative
- Limited multiplayer opportunities
- No crossplay
Conclusion
The lack of human players to battle online is an even bigger issue. The game needed to have cross-platform play between most if not all its launch platforms to maintain a community. It might also have been better to launch the game as free-to-play with a smaller roster and to then deliver paid extra options, once a group of players became fans. Maybe a future title in the series can focus on creating a community first, to make the mech fighting concept the successful brawler it can be.
