After months of teasers and gameplay reveals, Riot Games debuted a public demo for the upcoming League of Legends spin-off fighting game, Project L, at Evo 2023. Based on social media sentiment, it appears to be an early-stage success – with many heaping praise on its visuals, gameplay, and character combos.
Riot initially announced Project L in 2021, with work continuing at a steady pace for the last few years. The game is not yet ready for beta phase, but early looks have revealed a polished-looking, flashy fighter with a strong sense of style. The game utilises 2D graphics for 2v2 team-based fights, and stars a roster of League of Legends favourites including Jinx, Katarina, and Yasuo, all of whom have unique fighting styles and combo attacks.
Some of these were on show during Evo 2023, with captured gameplay footage showing off massive sword swings, attack juggling, and the ability for characters to swap out with their partner while performing rapid moves.
Read: League of Legends fighting game Project L demos gameplay systems
Ahri looks particularly good in Project L, with her fighting style translating to sleek spins, twirls, and energy blasts that pop against an eye-catching background. The animation in the game looks gorgeous, and it’s clear to see why it’s been in development for so long.
Those in attendance at Evo 2023 were clearly impressed by the build on show, with players calling the game ‘sick‘, ‘crazy‘ and ‘mad fun‘. While this early look represents only a small vertical slice of gameplay, it seems like there is a lot of potential.
At this stage, it appears Riot Games is still far away from announcing a firm release date for Project L, or any details about a wider demo, but with this fresh look, there are plenty of reasons to stay patient and await more news. Keep an eye out for more details about Project L as they arrive.
