CONVERGENCE: A League of Legends Story review: The perfected 2D side-scroller

Title: CONVERGENCE: A League of Legends Story
Developer: Double Stallion
Publisher: Riot Forge
Platforms: PC (reviewed on), PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Release Date:  May 23, 2023

CONVERGENCE: A League of Legends Story isn’t just a game. It’s Double Stallion and Riot Forge flexing over having perfected the 2D side-scroller genre with this title.

After ̶b̶e̶c̶o̶m̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶b̶s̶o̶l̶u̶t̶e̶l̶y̶ ̶o̶b̶s̶e̶s̶s̶e̶d̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ playing Riot Forge and Digital Sun’s Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story, I had to tell myself not to get too excited for this one in case I didn’t like it as much. I sat down, played it, and… felt a little disappointed.

What bugged me: the demo launches you into the game without actual scenes that explain the story and you’re just thrown into what is the most fantastic maze to get lost in. It sounds great, but it didn’t explain much of the premise, it didn’t explain what the controls were, or what Ekko’s abilities actually do, and when the rest of his abilities get unlocked. Plus, it’s very jarring if you’re going into this game blind like I did, and not knowing that you’re going to be stumbling around in a dark maze where the darkness kills you and there are hundred of doors that unlock as you progress in the game. I got stuck in this dead end and spent about 30 minutes trying to find my way back before putting it down ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶l̶o̶o̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶i̶n̶d̶o̶w̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶I̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶a̶ ̶d̶e̶p̶r̶e̶s̶s̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶m̶u̶s̶i̶c̶ ̶v̶i̶d̶e̶o̶ and scratching my head.

Another thing, but this could entirely be user error – I played the game on my Steam Deck. It works flawlessly, but I completely overlooked the fact there are top buttons on the Steam Deck, and the one on the left brings up the map and everything I had been looking for.

I thought about it for a couple of days, decided to sit down and give it a second try and folks, this is why second chances exist.

This time, I played the actual game for three hours and was immediately pleased and relief.

Not only does the game actually take the time to talk the player through actions and buttons and skills and how and when to use them, and I also found out that I had completely missed the part where I could jump up onto a thinner pipe to prevent myself from being stuck and continue navigating the maze in all sorts of different directions. And I mean all directions. The map is HUGE.

At this point, I was relieved, happy, and excited. I felt like a kid again – the way CONVERGENCE was put together is a subtle declaration of love to the 2D-platformer genre. I literally felt like I was back in my room, on the top bunk and as Player 1, my sister on the bottom bunk as Player 2, eating banana cinnamon cookies on a Sunday morning while playing co-op on Donkey Kong Country 3 on the SNES. Yeah. It was that nostalgic. Yes, I’m old.

The art style chosen for CONVERGENCE fits the entire theme so well and it’s basically eye candy. It keeps your brain entertained with immersive and challenging puzzles, quick thinking, quick problem solving, rewinding, re-doing, rewinding, timing it again, doing it right, and making it to the next checkpoint. And it also keeps your eyes happy and entertained by the gorgeous artwork.

Comparing it to Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story which just came out on April 18th, 2023, I have to say CONVERGENCE lacks the character development and feeling of purpose that Mageseeker excelled at. Sure, they’re two completely different games, with Mageseeker being a action RPG about Sylas saving all the mages in Demacia while teaching the Mageseekers not to play with fire, and CONVERGENCE  being a 2D-platformer where Ekko and his friends do everything they can to keep their city safe while facing some challenges. But for two games from the same lore, they differ in their story telling, and I find CONVERGENCE lacking in that aspect.

CONVERGENCE: A League of Legends Story (PC) Score: 9/10

CONVERGENCE: A League of Legends Story is Double Stallion and Riot Forge flexing over having perfected the 2D side-scroller genre with this title.

A copy of this game was provided to App Trigger for the purpose of this review. All scores are ranked out of 10, with .5 increments. Click here to learn more about our Review Policy.