Override 2: Super Mech League Review: A Great Way to Beat Up Your Friends

The brawler genre is a stacked one as not only are fighting games arguably currently at a peak, but there has been a bevy of options to experience other types of fighting. Because while there are games to be sought out when you want an experience focused around pinpoint accuracy and extended button combinations, some of the most fun fighting experiences can come when you toss all of that to the side in favor of more frenetic and aggressive action. That's where Override 2: Super Mech League comes in, as the first title offered a fun package full of pummeling action.

Override 2: Super Mech League is in a -- pardon the language -- league of its own compared to its predecessor. With a wider range of characters, different modes to try out, and both local and online multiplayer available across those multiple modes, Override 2 is a fun way to brawl with your friends and spend an afternoon trading wins. Especially for those who dig giant robots.

Taking inspiration from the Tokusatsu genre, Override 2: Super Mech League takes place years after an alien race (known as the Xenotypes) were thwarted in their attempt to invade the Earth. With the world more at peace, the giant mechs that once used to fight the Xenotypes have been re-purposed for sports and entertainment. Players take the form of one of these pilots fighting their way through the ranks in various leagues that factor in different challenges.

There are 20 characters at the start, and they're all immediately playable in versus modes. But the single-player campaign shakes things up a bit by having players earn coins from successful league wins to unlock new mechs that each have their own strengths and weaknesses in fights. Some move slow but have stronger punches, and some don't hit as hard but are faster for example. Regardless of which one you choose, each controls the same at its core.

Utilizing the trigger buttons for right and left arm movements, each of the mechs comes with a design that might feel familiar to long time fans of Tokusatsu franchises like Power Rangers or Ultraman (the recent Ultraman series on Netflix actually has some characters represented here as DLC additions), and they move how you would think. Gathering players (or bots if you'd prefer to play alone) into one-on-one, two-vs-two, or four-player free-for-all fights, each match takes place in an arena filled with hazards or helpful items and weapons.

At certain points during matches, a glowing area appears that helps build up a hard-hitting Ultimate move meter. The Ultimate moves are flashy and deal good damage, but the meters don't feel as quickly as I would have liked in a brawler like this. You don't fill it up by inflicting damage either, so if you're playing especially well you might never get to use your Ultimate as much as you'd like. Though there is balance in that the meter needed for the Ultimate grows shorter if you're low on health.

There's also a story being offered throughout the main career mode, but it does tend to feel a bit inconsequential. After league matches, you get a pep talk from your coach who then will begin springing expository dialogue about the state of the world around your mech battles. It sounds fine in theory, but it does have a habit of slamming players with walls of text that don't feel like they properly tie into the matches themselves. Rising through the ranks never felt as motivated by the story as I wanted it to.

Override 2: Super Mech League truly flourishes when four friends can play together at the same time. It would be even better in the same room, but unfortunately, that's impossible for the time being. The online matchmaking holds up well through this setup, however, and you can definitely feel the hours melting away when you really get into the groove of things. It's just fun to beat up giant robots!

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Override 2: Super Mech League is now available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Steam, and Nintendo Switch. A PS4 review code was provided by the publisher, and it was reviewed on a base model PS4.