2XKO and Justin Wong released a new gameplay match through Hold Back To Block last week. JWong was joined by Majin Obama, Zerp, and Tom Cannon from the Riot Games front for a team match. It’s Team Obama (Ahri(Majin) and Yasuo(Zerp)) vs Team Justin( Illaoi(Justin) and Darius(Tom)).
Through this gameplay, we get an idea as to how tagging and assists work within 2XKO. There is a mechanic called Last Stand Assist, which may need a bit more of an explanation. It is shown when a character is KOed instead of the Assist notification. When the active character is left and has 50% of their health bar left, the Last Stand Assist appears. The cooldown for the assist is changed from 4 seconds to 10 seconds.
It’s usually a treat to see Justin Wong take a break from his constant self-reminders of Evo Moment 37 against Daigo Umehara in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike all those years ago. It’s also a good reminder of Wong being formidable at tag team fighting games, also. Especially in Marvel vs. Capcom 2, which is getting re-released this year.
Multiplayer Tagging History Before 2XKO
Tag Team Fighting, in a 2D tag team fighting game with 4 players, is one of the most challenging of contests in the sport. Knowing both characters and your opponent’s picks is one thing. However, understanding your tag partner through their utilization of the character tools is the heart of the Pacific Rim-esque gauntlet is another. Friendships will be tested and solid communication is an asset. Knowing when to use them to extend a combo or when to retreat to let them finish the job is difficult business.
Many 2D fighting games have done this in the past. This can date back to the 128-bit days with Street Fighter EX 3‘s 2 vs 2 Tag mode. There is a moment where all four characters can be on the screen because of a guage move, but only for a brief moment based on gauges. This can get overly crowded if both teams activate said move, keeping track of and coordination is paramount. 2XKO doesn’t seem to have that as of yet.
A build of 2XKO will be at Evo 2024, but the Alpha Lab will be available for a brief period this August.
