For online fighting games, few aspects of development are as important as netcode. Lately, a lot of games are making the transition to rollback. We’re seeing Guilty Gear -Strive- heading in that direction for example, at least for launch. But one notable part of this trend has been SNK. Thanks to developer Code Mystics, a handful of classic SNK fighters are being updated to support rollback netcode. Titles like Garou: Mark of the Wolves and Samurai Shodown V have seen this, even on the PS Vita. The next game on Code Mystics’ to-do list is The Last Blade 2, but the COVID-19 pandemic tossed a wrench in those gears. But now, Code Mystics has announced a The Last Blade 2 rollback netcode beta test, asking for help from the community to get it pushed out as planned.

This is happening on the Steam version of The Last Blade 2, where Code Mystics has dropped a community update. Basically, the Last Blade 2 rollback netcode was ready for QA testing, but the pandemic situation was likely to shelve the release for a while. But after some talks with SNK, Code Mystics was able to use Steam as a beta testing ground. So, if you have Last Blade 2 on Steam, you can go into the game’s properties and use “StayAtHome2020” as a beta code, and join the testing.

For PlayStation players, the update will be pushed to the PS4 version once the beta meets quality standards. Unfortunately, the same update won’t be able to hit the Vita version until the pandemic-related work restrictions are lifted.

The Last Blade 2 is available on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and PC.