The latest Riot Forge game is another story set in the League of Legends universe, stepping beyond the confines of the Summoner’s Rift to explore a smaller slice of the world. Ruined king focused on Bilgewater and the Shadow Isles, The magician was all about Demacia, and now we have a way to explore Zaun itself. Convergence: A League of Legends Story (stylized as CONV/RGENCE) is the latest Riot Forge game developed by Double Stallion.
Convergence is an action-platformer similar to Castlevania or Metroid, and revolves around the courageous protagonist Ekko. It’s a solid game that can be beaten in a few sessions, packed with likeable characters and exciting boss fights. Some of the platforming can be a little finicky, but luckily I have a range of gadgets on hand to get around the trickiest bits.
Ekko is an inventor who creates gadgets such as localized time travel devices and running shoes, but his Real power is his heart of gold. He was born in Zaun, a steampunk city built in the shadows and crevices beneath the seemingly gleaming engineering utopia of Piltover. The two cities have a symbiotic relationship, with Piltover taking advantage of his position over Zaun to oppress his people.
Image: Double Stallion/Riot Forge
I take control of Ekko in the aftermath of a massive explosion in a Zaunite spire, sending a mysterious orange substance everywhere, drawing the attention of ruthless chem-barons and the Piltover elite. Also, an older and ominous Future Ekko has popped up to warn me of a major disaster. All this suggests a crisis is brewing, and Ekko isn’t the type of kid to sit back and let it happen.
Ekko has useful gadgets to make his journey easier, such as his Z-Drive, which allows him to turn back the clock a few seconds. This is of course a useful tool; every time I get hit by a few too many sniper shots or I plummet into an abyss, I just flip the clock and get back to the action. Ekko’s abilities of League of Legends they all also appear in some form, allowing me to jump through walls, freeze platforms in the air, and in a pinch I can pop my ultimate to jump back in time and deal massive damage to everyone around me.
Ekko also has some new abilities that he lacks Competition but are crucial in this Convergence. It takes special shoes and fun moves to navigate Zaun. The platforming feels great, but actually requires a controller – using keyboard and mouse is a good way to fall into infinite pits and miss the timing on the grab. I grind on rails, run along walls and turn around with the help of poles and clotheslines.
Sometimes I run into a dead end that requires a new gadget to navigate. Convergence has a map on hand that I can open at any time, and the corners of Zaun are full of collectibles, races and challenges. I wish certain parts of the map weren’t so locked behind platforms – it feels a bit silly having to jump, jump, twist and dodge obstacles to get back to my apartment. I guess that’s just Zaun for you!
Image: Double Stallion/Riot Forge
And frankly, Zaun is a weird city, but that’s what makes it fun to explore. The city is a dark place by nature, built of iron and glass, but the inhabitants have decorated the place with neon lights and bright graffiti. Zaun and its inhabitants are brimming with personality, and Double Stallion’s sprites are cartoonishly over-the-top, with heavy black lines and bold colors. The in-game voice acting is solid too; I’ve never been a huge Ekko fan, but he grew considerably over the course of the adventure.
The other Riot Forge games have focused on parts of Runeterra that are largely unexplored, but we’ve seen a lot of Zaun, especially in the Netflix animated series Mysterious. If you are pregnant Convergence to follow mysterious, you might get confused, because they are separate continuities. Ekko has parents here instead of being a tragic orphan, and he rolls into another headquarters with a different group of friends.
But if you go in without the expectations of Mysterious, Convergence is a great adventure. Ekko takes on some great boss battles against champions like Camille, Warwick, and Jinx. These boss fights force you to play differently; Camille uses the high ground and hextech tools to control the battlefield, while Warwick is more of a raw force of nature best avoided and controlled. Seeing these champions outside Competition is a reminder of the promise of Riot Forge games. As it turns out, many of these characters perform best outside the confines of a competitive game. Convergence offers them another chance to shine in their element.
Convergence: A League of Legends Story was released on May 23 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Windows PC. The game was reviewed on PC using a pre-release download code from Riot Games. Vox Media has partnerships. These do not affect editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased through affiliate links. You can find additional information on Polygon’s Ethics Policy here.