My title is Eric Angelillo, I’m the Artistic Director and Co-Artwork Director for Convergence: A League of Legends Story. I additionally co-founded Double Stallion video games 10 years in the past with a mission to create vibrant & transcendent experiences with gamers all around the globe. I like making daring motion video games with vibrant stylized visuals impressed by the easiest of animation and comics.
Convergence: A League of Legends Story, is our new, story-driven, single-player 2D motion platformer that includes dynamic fight and distinctive exploration, and it gave us an unimaginable alternative to make use of our strengths as a studio adapt a myriad of Zaun and Piltover Champions from the unique League of Legends MOBA. With Ekko as our lead, it was tough to slender down the record of different Champs we wished to incorporate within the solid, however we settled on Warwick, Camille and naturally, Jinx the Free Cannon!
For Ekko, improvement actually began with one key drawing I fabricated from him grinding on a rail. I knew {that a} recreation about Ekko needed to double down on not solely his time rewind skills and boy genius facets, but in addition on his punk-inspired vogue sense. The idea in query had a robust graffiti aesthetic and pushed Ekko right into a neon soaked post-punk skater vibe. This turned the premise for which we constructed the entire recreation’s artwork path.
We opted to stay near Ekko’s traditional design from League, however tailored his design form language to incorporate loads of triangles and sharp angles. Astute observers will even discover that his silhouette relies on an hourglass form. His sneakers had been barely modified to permit for sturdy arches permitting him to grind. Mechanics-wise, we tailored Ekko’s complete equipment of skills after which some!
Constructing a single-player recreation freed from PVP balancing allowed us to actually leverage Ekko’s capacity to rewind time, so this naturally turned our core mechanic. However gamers will probably be thrilled to see his MOBA skills – the Timewinder, Parallel Convergence, Part Dive and Chronobreak – are additionally integral components of the sport. Along with faithfully adapting these strikes, we additionally expanded on them by making them helpful outdoors of fight as effectively. The Timewinder can be utilized to energy electrical sockets, Parallel Convergence can time-freeze collapsing platforms and Part Dive can be utilized to teleport by way of partitions!
A narrative about Zaun wouldn’t be the identical and not using a go to to the Sump… and a go to to the Sump wouldn’t be full with out its resident Uncaged Wrath; Warwick. Warwick was one of many first Champions we explored by way of idea artwork as his biomechanical wolf profile is simply so enjoyable to attract. His sheer sprite dimension and complexity made him probably the most intensive characters to animate within the recreation, however we knew it will be value the additional effort.
Moveset-wise; our animators referenced the look of his skills like Jaws of the Beast and Primal Howl. We even tailored his leaping Final; Infinite Duress, however as an alternative of slashes, we had him seize Ekko and throw him towards a wall! After all, Ekko can simply rewind it each time… offered he has sufficient Rewind Prices in his Zero Drive left.
Camille the Metal Shadow is an integral a part of Convergence. She represents Piltover within the recreation, and acts as an unlikely ally to Ekko as they’re each in search of to take down the malicious Chembaron household often called the Poingdestres. Though Camille finally turns into an ally, issues initially begin on the incorrect foot between her and Ekko… Followers will probably be thrilled to know they must face Camille in hand-to-hand fight.
A part of why we selected to adapt Camille is that her moveset from League of Legends had a lot potential in a side-scrolling recreation. Camille’s signature hookshots are utilized in League to shortly transfer laterally, nevertheless, in an action-platformer like Convergence, we had been ready to make use of the hookshots to permit Camille to have unimaginable aerial skills. In consequence, her battle encounter requires Ekko to actually dodge deftly, as Camille dominates the world with each horizontal and vertical excessive mobility.
Along with the pace and agility afforded by her hookshots, League gamers will discover we additionally tailored Camille’s Precision Protocol roundhouse kick. And naturally, who may overlook Camille’s Final assault; The Hextech Ultimatum. Whereas we needed to adapt the Ultimatum’s limitations to operate vertically, the essence of capturing her opponents in a Hextech matrix stays the identical. For Camille’s artwork, we actually pushed her key options; lethal, tall, bladed legs and refined Piltovan magnificence. As beforehand talked about, we used triangular shapes as a motif for our character designs, and that is particularly evident with Camille’s sharp determine.
Jinx’s position in Convergence is exclusive in that she basically performs a distraction position in Ekko’s quest to avoid wasting Zaun. As an agent of chaos, she doesn’t assist nor straight impede Ekko, however her manic hijinks pressure Ekko to should cease her earlier than he can proceed on his journey. Jinx has so many followers in the true world, so we felt that even inside Runeterra, she would most likely have loads of followers as effectively. In Convergence, Ekko discovers there’s a brand new chempunk gang on the town; the Inx. The Inx are like an unofficial fanclub for Jinx, solely as Ekko finds out, Jinx isn’t too pleased concerning the concept of a bunch of chempunks ripping off her fashion… As an agent of excellent, Ekko is compelled to step in to cease Jinx from wreaking havoc on the Inx and in so doing blowing up Zaun and Piltover!
With all of the bosses in Convergence, we put loads of thought into making them distinctive, and a part of that was focusing every one on both melee or bullet-based ranged assaults. Jinx naturally fell into the latter camp. All of her weapons from League make an look; Zapper, Chompers, Fishbones, Pow-pow and naturally the Tremendous Mega Demise Rocket! We additionally added just a few additional surprises like a full-screen missile bathe! For Jinx’s character design, we primarily based it on her Wild Rift design, however then added on our signature cell-shading and sharp strains.
Whereas it wasn’t possible to incorporate all of the Zaun champs, we did embrace easter eggs for every one in all them. Gamers could even spot references to different Champions from outdoors Zaun as effectively. We’re extremely pleased with Convergence and might’t look forward to gamers to expertise it firsthand.
Convergence: A League Of Legends Story will probably be launched on Could 23, 2023. for Xbox Sequence X|S and Xbox One Sport Go members: Obtain the Convergence Jinx emote in League of Legends. If you happen to haven’t already, merely hyperlink your Riot Video games account to your Sport Go subscription and play League of Legends by 11:59 PM PST on June 2nd to obtain it.
CONVERGENCE: A League of Legends Story™ Deluxe Version
Riot Forge
$39.99
Pre-order the Deluxe Version of CONVERGENCE: A League of Legends Story™ to obtain the Pre-Order Bonus Golden Ekko pores and skin
The Deluxe Version of CONVERGENCE: A League of Legends Story™ consists of:
– Star Guardian Ekko Pores and skin
– Ruined Ekko Pores and skin
– CONVERGENCE Digital Comedian and Artwork E-book
Rewind the Previous, Management the Future
Traverse the sprawling metropolis of Zaun as Ekko, a younger inventor with a tool to rewind time. He and his mates should work collectively to maintain their metropolis protected, however as hazard looms and secrets and techniques come to mild, Ekko realizes he can’t belief anybody—not even himself.
Developed by Double Stallion Video games, CONVERGENCE: A League Of Legends Story is a story-driven, single-player 2D motion platformer that includes dynamic fight and distinctive exploration alternatives because of Ekko’s capacity to journey by way of house and time. Rewind your actions to be taught out of your errors and outsmart every new enemy. Will or not it’s sufficient to avoid wasting Zaun’s future?
CONTROL TIME
Activate Ekko’s Zero Drive to show again time. Then, use your data of the longer term to adapt your method to any problem and get the leap in your enemies. Fluid, dynamic fight rewards exact timing and positioning.
DISCOVER ZAUN
Run, leap, and slide your means by way of the streets of Zaun. Meet champions, face down enemies, and find never-before-seen sides of the Undercity.
BATTLE CHAMPIONS
Encounter League of Legends champions such as you’ve by no means seen them earlier than. Unlock new skills and face rivals in a collection of explosive battles to be taught who’s with you, and who’s towards you.
Seize each second in CONVERGENCE: A League of Legends Story.
CONVERGENCE: A League of Legends Story™
Riot Forge
$29.99
Pre-order CONVERGENCE: A League of Legends Story™ to obtain the Pre-Order Bonus Golden Ekko pores and skin
Rewind the Previous, Management the Future
Traverse the sprawling metropolis of Zaun as Ekko, a younger inventor with a tool to rewind time. He and his mates should work collectively to maintain their metropolis protected, however as hazard looms and secrets and techniques come to mild, Ekko realizes he can’t belief anybody—not even himself.
Developed by Double Stallion Video games, CONVERGENCE: A League Of Legends Story is a story-driven, single-player 2D motion platformer that includes dynamic fight and distinctive exploration alternatives because of Ekko’s capacity to journey by way of house and time. Rewind your actions to be taught out of your errors and outsmart every new enemy. Will or not it’s sufficient to avoid wasting Zaun’s future?
CONTROL TIME
Activate Ekko’s Zero Drive to show again time. Then, use your data of the longer term to adapt your method to any problem and get the leap in your enemies. Fluid, dynamic fight rewards exact timing and positioning.
DISCOVER ZAUN
Run, leap, and slide your means by way of the streets of Zaun. Meet champions, face down enemies, and find never-before-seen sides of the Undercity.
BATTLE CHAMPIONS
Encounter League of Legends champions such as you’ve by no means seen them earlier than. Unlock new skills and face rivals in a collection of explosive battles to be taught who’s with you, and who’s towards you.
Seize each second in CONVERGENCE: A League of Legends Story.
