Upcoming fighting game League of Legends Project L may create new boundaries in combat games, but may motion inputs hamper all of the progress?
Motion inputs have been a hallmark of fighting games from the very first genre. However, mastering the system takes time and is frequently regarded as a considerable barrier to entry. So, would Project L ditch motion inputs in order to better appeal to fighting game newcomers?
Tom and Tony Cannon published a video exhibiting extremely early footage of the game in the project preview posted in late 2021. The game’s controls were also unveiled by the executive producer and technical lead.
“For Project L, we’re embracing the easy to learn, hard to master mentality, so yes. We are making it easier to jump in with a new character and learn their basic kit,”
Riot has not verified motion inputs or any other input technique for Project L, however, motion inputs will most likely be avoided in favor of simpler controls.
The most likely scenario is a special move input method similar to that used in other current fighting games. The control for Project L might contain a dedicated button that would launch all special movements based on the direction of the keys when pressed.
This method makes learning new characters’ special moves much easier, which aligns with the creators’ accessibility promise.
Many famous fighting games have already abandoned motion inputs. When deciding on motion inputs for Project L, developers might draw influence from such titles.