League of Evil Review

First published for mobile in 2011, League of Evil is one-man project from Finnish studio Woblyware that now receives an Xbox version by the hands of Ratalaika Games, League of Evil is a fast-paced action platformer in which you, controlling a bionic agent (bionic commando said ‘hi’), must use the power provided by his augmentations to avoid obstacles, deadly enemies and hazards with no margin for mistakes: whenever you’re hit, you’re dead! Be as fast as you can to eliminate evil scientists and goons who have taken over the city and now it’s up to you to fight them back and recover the city!

THE GOOD

• Tough Gameplay with precise controls: As soon as you start the game, you will figure out how punitive it is. You will traverse the stage avoiding spikes, traps and enemy fire while distributing punches and flying kicks to every enemy you came across. Just remember to be careful, because the game is one hit kill (for you and for your enemies) and whenever you are killed, you go back to the beginning of the stage. With simple and precise controls, your aim is to pick the briefcase and eliminate the scientist as fast as you can to get three stars.
• Longevity: With four different campaigns, there are enough levels to keep you entertained for a long time! And as levels become more and more challenging, you can enjoy the game in small sessions. I, for instance, have been playing no more than five levels a day. ‘Too few’, you ask? Remember it took me around 40 tries in each one of these stages (some even more!).
• Sound: League of Evil has a great chiptune soundtrack that kept engaged during my time reviewing the game. It presents some very good techno beats, if you like the style, to keep you following the beats as you play.

• Graphics: The classic 8-bit art style of the game helps to keep your attention but I believe there is space for much more details and visual sharpness.
• Level design: Although there’s little visual variation between stages in the same campaign, the level design has good variation. 
• Level Editor: If you feel there aren’t enough levels for you to play, the game comes with a very robust level editor. Just found it not very user-friendly. And it’s a pity you can’t share your levels online, what should prolong the interest for the game.

• Repetitive: The repetitive nature of the game may become tiresome after a few stages (and countless retries). To avoid it, remember to play it in short bursts. 

LEAGUE OF EVIL [Score: 65/100] With simplistic gameplay, League of Evil has that classic ‘one more try’ feeling, natural for games of this genre. The game has a good level design, good physics aided by precise controls and enough levels to make any completionist crazy! But it’s an overall flat experience that may not be appealing to everyone. Try to appreciate it in small play bursts to keep a low rage level.