I have been around fighting games for as long as I can remember. My earliest memories are of being stomped in Mortal Kombat on a bootleg console by my brother’s hands. Over the years, I’ve dabbled with Guilty Gear, Street Fighter, Tekken, and other staples of the genre. Still, I’ve never really sunk time into a tag fighter. While the occasional Street Fighter and Tekken runs fueled my adrenaline, I was never fully into it. That could change with Riot’s upcoming tag fighting game, 2XKO.
I wasn’t sure whether to call it Double KO or Two X KO, and honestly, I wasn’t sure how much I’d enjoy it either. After spending a week in the game getting beaten to a pulp (yes, again) by my dear Editor, though, I can confidently say that 2XKO is as good as I had imagined and hoped. Here are my hands-on impressions of the 2XKO closed beta.
Getting Comfortable in the Chaos
The first few hours in 2XKO were clumsy and forgetful. Even though I’m used to complex inputs in other fighting games, I kept mixing up the buttons. I was butter-fingering the tag button instead of special, or parry instead of dash. The mapping of certain moves felt odd at first.
Blitzcrank’s anti-air grab, for example, is back when he secures an assist but down when he’s the primary. For a while, it felt like I was fighting the controls more than my opponent (who somehow button-mashed his way to 6 consecutive wins).
Thankfully, Riot’s tutorial helped smooth things over a bit. It introduced mechanics clearly without overwhelming me, and once I started stringing together the basics, everything clicked into place in the next two hours of gameplay. The game suddenly went from awkward to exciting.
That transition, when you stop thinking about inputs and start focusing on the fight, is the moment every good fighter needs, and Riot’s 2XKO nails it.
Champions with Personality and Variety
Apart from the fun and chaotic controls, one of the major highlights of the game was the fact that I got to use my favorite League of Legends champions as brawlers. Yes, the roster is small to boot in 2XKO, but the characters already available to play feel distinct and satisfying.
Jinx stands out as a clever mix of zoning and up-close pressure, and she’s as fun to play as she is to fight against. Whether I play as Jinx or my friend beats me using her, that experience of button-mashing to madness feels like pure frenzy. You just don’t stop at one combo; every move triggers a chain reaction.
That experience of button-mashing to madness feels like pure frenzy
On the other hand, some characters are all about agility and pace. Yasuo is a thrill, dashing across the screen with a rhythm that feels fluid and responsive. Darius, meanwhile, brings raw power; his giant swings can tear chunks off health bars in a way that’s both hilarious and intimidating. And my favorite, Blitzcrank, is simple, but his grappler design clicks instantly with those Zangief lovers from Street Fighter.
Then there’s Braum, who has already developed a reputation as a menace. His shield buffs and generous hitboxes can make matches against him feel like uphill battles, especially when he’s paired with Ahri. At times, it feels unfair, but in the best kind of fighting game way, the kind that makes you want to queue up again to prove you can beat your opponent.
The fact is that it does not have multiple new characters. In that way, we know more LoL characters will join the brawl soon, with their unique personality making each battle a joy. Every character in 2XKO feels strong in their own way. You don’t just feel powerful when you win, even if you are losing (like I did mostly), the fun of seeing an insane combo always makes you hungry for another round. But the question is…
How Does the Game Flow?
2XKO doesn’t feel like a reskinned Street Fighter or Tekken. Its rhythm feels entirely its own and not borrowed or patched from its compatriots. Movement is a highlight here; the dash macro makes spacing quick and natural, which is a refreshing change compared to older fighters, where movement alone takes weeks to learn.
2XKO doesn’t feel like a reskinned Street Fighter or Tekken
Riot has struck a balance where characters are mobile, but their moves are big commitments. That design gives neutral stance a unique flavor: both players dance around, waiting for the right opening, knowing that a single assist call can turn a blocked poke into a devastating mix-up. Oh, trust me, my Editor executed one HP clutches on me more times than I can count.
When you are on the receiving end, it can be overwhelming. Assists extend pressure, create plus frames, and lead to 50/50 guesses. But there’s also a wide range of defensive options, from parries to wake-ups, that let you fight back. The defensive approach in 2XKO is something that makes the fight even more intense.
The result is constant tension without sliding into hopelessness. Even when I got flattened by a 27-hit Jinx-Ekko combo, I still wanted to run it back. That’s a rare quality; losing is frustrating, but it also feels like part of the fun. Well, that is not where the fun ends. My background being MOBA, theorycrafting is in my soul, and luckily, I implemented that here too.
2XKO Brings Fusing for Endless Possibilities
Beyond the basic flow, 2XKO is a fighting game built for tinkering. The Fuse system changes how teams play, giving each lineup new possibilities. Double Down lets you open every round with meter, which means flashy double supers right away.
Pulse, on the other hand, opens creative combo extensions that lab monsters are already finding ways to exploit. It’s easy to imagine entire team identities forming around fuse choices alone.
The combo freedom is something that many fighting games are yet to crack. Almost any neutral hit can be converted into something big with the right assist. Pressure strings and setplay options feel endless. If you want to test things out, I have a pro tip for you: jump into training mode and test out what works best for you.
Training mode quickly turns into a rabbit hole of experimentation with routes, knockdowns, and resets. Compared to the rigid structure of Street Fighter, 2XKO feels playful and experimental. For players who love discovery, that freedom is intoxicating.
Compared to the rigid structure of Street Fighter, 2XKO feels playful and experimental.
Customize Skins or Trophy Cabinet
Customization is a big part of 2XKO. If you want the brawls to be even more fun, there are plenty of options here. The customizations start from building an avatar that represents you in lobbies, with options for clothing, hairstyles, and accessories inspired by League of Legends characters. On top of that, you can select outfits for your favorite champion.
You might see someone rocking an avatar where they have Yasuo’s hair with Vi’s gauntlets and Ahri’s robes, or a completely original mix. Emotes add personality to matches and lobbies, letting you flash a Braum thumbs-up or a cheeky Yasuo cry mid-round. Animated emotes bring even more flair, fitting Riot’s usual approach to expressive cosmetics.
Titles and player cards also exist, giving profiles a sense of progression and individuality. Riot has hinted at a mastery system, too, which would reward time spent on specific champions. Ranked play is also a huge part for competitive players, which will arrive as a tiered system, similar to all of Riot’s other games.
That means players can grind from beginner ranks to elite tiers, proving their skill and commitment to the craft. With customization feeding into personality and ranked serving as the ultimate test for competitive players, 2XKO looks set to keep both casual and hardcore players invested for the long term.
Growing Pains Exist Despite a Solid Experience
Of course, a beta always comes with caveats, and 2XKO is no exception. In most games, the damage feels too high, and some characters hit harder than the rest of the cast. Especially the characters like Ahri and Vi can press two buttons and destroy opponents. Too rewarding for a single click.
On the other hand, assists, one of the most important features of a tag fighter, is mapped to the directional inputs, which can feel clunky, especially when backdashing. The lobby system, while functional, adds friction when a simple matchmaking queue might suffice.
See, don’t get me wrong; I love the lobby area, but even my friend and I had to spend some time figuring out how to start a match. There is a possibility that new players, who are just here for the brutal beatdown, will find the wholesome arcade-infused cozy lobby a bit of an exaggeration.
But most of my nitpicks and gripes with the game are solvable. Riot has already shown that they’re quick to patch big problems, like the early crash bugs and music failures. The core gameplay, once you’re actually in a match, is smooth and stable.
For a test this early, it is more important than perfection. And I’m sure there will be easier ways to queue for games than running through a lobby and precisely standing in a circle to start a game in 2XKO.
2XKO Got the Basics Right and Its Future Looks Bright
What sticks with me most after hours of play is how hard it is to put the controller down. The matches are fast, chaotic, and full of clutch moments. You will feel the adrenaline and enjoy the high like no other fighting game (maybe Smash Bros on good days).
The small roster still offers variety, thanks to fuses and team composition, and the creativity baked into the systems makes every fight feel different. Even when I was outplayed, I had fun, so much so that I didn’t mind losing 9 games out of 10. That’s the mark of a fighter with staying power.
There’s always the question of where the meta will settle. If 2XKO evolves into nonstop setplay and unseeable mix-ups, it might lose some of its current accessibility. But the opposite could also happen.
With Riot’s resources, a growing roster, and smart balance decisions, 2XKO could become the kind of tag fighter that appeals to both casual button mashers, who still win and smile wide, and hardcore competitors.
Going in, I wasn’t sure how much I’d enjoy a new tag fighter after my experience with Street Fighter X Tekken and Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition. Today, I can say 2XKO has won me over, and it has the potential to be huge.
The tutorial makes the game approachable and easy for casuals. The movement feels incredible, the characters are unique, and the fights are consistently exciting. It’s rare for a fighting game to feel this rewarding this early, even with its imperfections.
It’s rare for a fighting game to feel this rewarding this early, even with its imperfections.
2XKO is not a novelty built on League of Legends characters. It’s a game with real depth, creativity, and a shot at shaking up the fighting game scene. If Riot keeps building on this strong foundation, the final release could easily be one of the best fighters of the year. And until then, I’ll keep happily queuing up; even if Braum keeps knocking me flat.
What are your thoughts on 2XKO? Did you try out the game in closed beta yet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Also, thanks to Riot Games for sharing closed beta access with Beebom. Signing off, stay tuned for more 2XKO coverage and brawls from us.
Rishabh Sabarwal
