As if the game of hockey could become any more violent than it is now, Electronic Arts (EA) has taken their popular NHL Hockey game engine and "Mutantized" it. Those familiar with Mutant League Football (MLF) know what they are getting into here. Take the game of hockey, (in this case EA's NHL 94 game) and add a dash of Skeletons, a pinch of blood (make it a big pinch) and lots of mayhem and what you get is Mutant League Hockey (MLH). This is both the games strongest and weakest point and makes for a rather entertaining, yet at times confusing game. Read on.
If your familiar with MLF you will recognize many of the team and player names here, now playing for the local hockey franchise. Names like "Bones Jackson" and "mo spew" are common in this league. (So is spit, for some reason it is the center of many things in this game). This is hockey, but not quite the way you remembered it. In a nutshell, teams made up of Skeletons, Trolls, and Mutant Humans take to the ice and play a VERY violent game of hockey. The rules are basically the same as "real" hockey with a few notable exceptions. The object is still to score as many points as possible by hitting the puck into the opponents goal. If you manage to dismember the other team to the point they are short on players, you win by forfeit which is just as good since the object is to win! Each team has their own arena in which the game is played, with obstacles ranging from mines that leave a hole in they ice when they explode to "Ice Sharks" that cruise around under the ice, their fins causing havoc on the surface above. The holes in the ice are particularly amusing because when a player falls thru, their shadow can be seen floating below the ice. (sick, but funny). The fans get into the action as well, occasionally throwing weapons such as chain saws and spiked ball chains onto the ice for the players to use. The overall feeling is a hockey game gone mad, very mad.
While the various mayhem is entertaining, and essentially the basic selling point of the game, those looking for real hockey action may be a bit unhappy. While the basic game of hockey is in there, all the blood, fighting and obstacles make it confusing and hard to follow at times. Several times I lost track of the action, unable to find the puck in the path of bodies that were strewn about. As long as you don't expect to much strategy or a serious hockey game, you will probably be quite happy. Except for those times when to much is going on at once and watching the puck becomes more of a joke then reality, the game plays well. Those with weak stomachs or people offended by excess violence (and all U.S. Senators) will want to stay clear of MLH. In this game the gore flows. While the blood and violence is of a cartoon nature, and there is a option to set the level of violence, things still get a bit on the "messy" side.
If you liked Mutant League Football or if this sounds like your cup of tea, you will probably get exactly what you are expecting. But remember, this is mutant version of hockey and the exploding goals and crooked refs are guaranteed to get in the way!
This review is Copyright (C) 1994 by R.C.Lafferty for Game Bytes Magazine. All Rights Reserved.