Four years after it was first revealed, Riot's anticipated fighting game Project L looks like it's almost ready to step into the spotlight. The studio dropped a new developer diary and gameplay trailer today showcasing Project L's 2v2 team-based gameplay, and announced that it will be playable at the upcoming Evo 2023 fighting game tournament.
"Duo play works a bit like tag-team wrestling," game director Shaun Rivera explains in the dev diary. "One player controls the champ on stage and the other waits offscreen for their teammate to find the right moment to tag them in."
There's more to it than just swapping in a partner to take over when you're getting your ass beat. Rivera said Project L's mechanics are designed "to encourage teamwork, sharing in victories, defeats, performing combos together, or saving your partner in a clutch moment." And while teamplay is obviously the focus, those who prefer to go it alone will have the option: Project L will support 1v1, 2v2, and 2v1 matchups.
The developer diary also revealed Project L's Fuse system, which are essentially powerups that will impact how your fighters play together. The 2X Assist Fuse demonstrated in the video, for instance, enables players to perform two assists back-to-back, instead of just one.
A playable build of Project L—which still doesn't have a proper title—will be open to all on the show floor at Evo 2023, which runs August 4-6 in Las Vegas, so we'll no doubt be hearing more about it then. Executive producer Tom Cannon also said another update with more detail is coming soon, and in the meantime you can lay eyes on a full 2v2 match in the gameplay video below.
