The characters in League of Evil might need to speak with their architects. It appears that all of their labs and offices are filled with pits filled of spikes and rotating knives. Not exactly conducive to keeping a happy workplace! Lucky for gamers, an unhappy office makes for a fun romp, as players will spend their time jumping all over to avoid constant death in the fun platformer app.
Although it doesn’t have the character upgrades or epic bossfights of the classic NES series, League of Evil’s treacherous pits and expert wall jumping remind me most of Mega Man. The major difference being that Mega Man‘s levels could be gruelingly difficult at times, while League of Evil emphasizes speed, rewarding players for completing levels as quickly as possibly, which can, in many cases, mean completing levels in less than 15 seconds.
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The speed trick is a neat way to “grade” level completion, though it also tends to devalue the game a bit. The app boasts more than 50 levels, but given that so many of them can be completed in less than a minute, it’s hard to argue that the player gets a lot of game to play here. Something similar in style with longer, more difficult levels would be more rewarding.
That said, the short levels are still quite inventive. You’ll find yourself dying a time or two in later levels when you fail to anticipate a jump that will cost you dearly. It won’t be enough to give League of Evil great longevity, but it’s better than nothing.
If you can stomach that the game you’re buying will be over nearly as soon as it begins, League of Evil is a fun, worthwhile app. It has the feel of a classic game, without also feeling like it’s simply a tribute to something much greater than itself. It might not be long, but this is a ride worth taking.
