Riot Games celebrated the launch of this year’s ‘Star Guardian’ in a new music video collaboration with Porter Robinson. Everything Goes On is a beautifully animated glimpse into some of League’s most popular champions, depicted in an alternate universe where all of them are high school students capable of transforming into magical girls. Or boys, as is the case with a few characters throughout the video.
It’s gorgeous, emotional, and easily the most ambitious Star Guardian has ever been when it comes to making this universe feel like a real place we can lose ourselves in. Given the continued success of Arcane and how it introduced League of Legends to millions of new fans who had never even touched the game before - myself included - it’s no surprise that Riot is casting such a wide net here. I want to see everything Star Guardian has to offer, whether it happens to be crossover events in several games or entire shows or films dedicated to its anime-inspired vision. Give me more content, I’ve been a good girl.
When the Porter Robinson collaboration with Star Guardian was announced a few friends messaged me and laughed about how scarily honed in on my tastes it seemed to be. I love magical girls, I love Porter Robinson, I love Arcane, and I love things that make me cry. This new event covered all of those bases, taking inspiration from the successful approach of the Netflix original and covering more ground than ever before. It feels like a big deal, reigniting my interest in games I hadn’t touched in months all because of a bunch of cute champions living their best lives in high school. It’s also kinda gay.
I’ll admit my knowledge of previous Star Guardian events and the associated lore is rather limited. I’ve been trying to catch up and have been speaking with a friend about specifics, including what champions call this universe home and what has unfolded thus far. Here’s the list of characters, many of which you’ll recognise from Arcane or K/DA:
- Akali
- Kai’sa
- Rakan
- Xayah
- Lux
- Taliyah
- Sona
- Nilah
- Ekko
- Orianna
- Seraphine
- Senna
I promise I didn’t make any of those up, they all appear throughout, and my friend even made a very helpful graphic for me to reference. But even if I wasn’t doing my homework, Star Guardian houses such a compelling premise, and much like Arcane before it, presents things in a way that anyone can jump into as they try the games for the first time, read the spin-off stories, or just watch the video and cry a little. The potential is through the roof, and I hope Riot has come to realise that.
Everything Goes On is all about coming to terms with loss. Grief is an obstacle that for many can appear insurmountable, willing us to isolate ourselves and stop moving forward because we know the person who meant so much to us isn’t here anymore. Yet the acceptance of new friendships and embracing the continued love that surrounds you can be a path forward, even if constant reminders of what used to be threatens to hold us back. We never fully get over these moments in life, often recalling them and having to take a step back to collect ourselves. There’s a beauty in remembering what used to be, while also welcoming the eventuality of what’s to come and how we can make it our own.
Kai’sa reaches out to Akali in a dream, tears streaming down her face as she chases an invisible phantom in a desperate bid to hold her hand once again. But she can’t, haunted by memories as her hidden powers awaken and she bursts into a star of impassioned frustration. Xayah goes through a similar struggle with Rakan, a friend whose absence is keenly felt as she chases a lone feather from his body, a literal reminder of the loss she’s running towards despite how it continues to break her over and over again.
They seem helpless, but the unfolding animation and melancholic lyrics paint a story of always keeping grief close to heart, but ensuring it stays open to new connections we can foster and come to appreciate in an entirely new way. Star Guardian is all about one’s true self, friendship, power, and acceptance - all qualities Everything Goes On encapsulates with near perfection. The video isn’t even three minutes long, but it paints such a cohesive picture of what these characters have been through alongside the stories they’ve yet to even tell.
It makes me want an animated show on a similar level to Arcane because there is so much still to be told, and judging by the millions of views already being accrued and the oodles of fanart covering my timeline, I’m absolutely not alone in this. To me, League of Legends is stronger when it takes its marvelous lore outside the confines of a MOBA and spreads it far and wide, exploring new mediums and genres that newcomers can make their own.
Star Guardian is already one of the most magical experiences I’ve had in games this year, all because it looks beyond them and promises to be something far more ambitious. If you need me I’ll be playing the song on repeat and dancing to it in the living room with my cats.