It’s been nearly two years since Override: Mech City Brawl first dropped, bringing fighting game fans a 3D arena brawler reminiscent of classics like War of the Monsters. Developed by Modus Games, reviews for the game were generally positive, with it offering up some fun co-op opportunities.
Earlier this year, news arrived that a sequel was on its way.
Launching on December 22, Override 2: Super Mech League is not far off now, scheduled to release on current- and last-gen consoles. Taking place seven years after Mech City Brawl’s campaign, with the Xenotype invasion successfully defeated, these glorious mechs that were once used to defend planet Earth now entertain its populace instead, seeing pilots compete in a global competition to become Super Mech League champions.
In the preview build I was able to play, the new career mode wasn’t yet available, but my time with the game gave me a taste of the combat we can expect. Outside of tutorials, I had access to a training mode for fighting AI opponents, but versus mode is where I mainly spent my time.
Allowing four-player matches in both local and online multiplayer, Override 2 has two battle modes, letting you team up with friends or enter a free-for-all fight to become the last person standing.
Standard is your basic deathmatch option, fighting until your mech runs out of health, but Control is essentially a “King of the Hill” style mode. Here, an ever-moving blue circle appears around a stage that’s slowly closing in. If you remain outside of the circle, your health slowly depletes until one person remains.
Fights take place within contained arenas, and I had access to five of them: Garden Arches, Caldera, Cakeland, Sulfur Breeze, and Skyview Center. Each has destructible environments and a series of hazards to look out for, such as Caldera’s lava pit. Weapons drops will frequently appear in arenas as well, spawning everything from rifles to frying pans for players to pick up and use.
Override 2‘s final release has 20 confirmed mechs and for this build, eight were playable, which, sadly, didn’t include the guest characters from Ultraman.
Each mech has different attributes and caters to different playstyles. For example, Setesh is designed as a somewhat cumbersome powerhouse, while other mechs, like Mya, are agile but less powerful.
They all employ a basic move set: a shield for defense, a grab attack to throw opponents or stage objects, a dash for quick movement, and a double jump for jumping up onto platforms. Primarily, main attacks focus on punching and kicking, giving heavy and light options to choose from. Every mech has a unique set of special abilities too, so Aura can throw their halo for AoE damage and Watchbot can stun opponents.
Fans of the original might be wondering if there are any changes in this version, and while the core gameplay is largely intact, Override 2 does make a few adjustments. Previously, special attacks required you to charge up a meter but can now be used at will. Furthermore, the heat meter, which worked as an anti-button spam measure by making mechs overheat if you constantly attacked, has also been removed.
The most significant change here relates to ultimate abilities. Originally, ultimate were made available once you took 75% damage, and they allowed you to launch a devastating assault to potentially turn the tables of battle. But in this instance, yellow charging circles will appear instead.
Standing inside them gradually charges your attack and once your gauge is filled, you can unleash your ultimate attack for heavy damage.
There’s a lot of fun to be had in Override 2 so far, but it takes some getting used to in terms of controls; button placement feels slightly awkward for the game’s mech move set. The AI also proved surprisingly tough at points, and it took several online sessions before I found a natural rhythm.
Overall, though, there’s a lot of promise here, and Override 2: Super Mech League is shaping up to be an enjoyable sequel.
[Note: Dead Good Media the PC preview copy of Override 2: Super Mech League used for this preview.]
