![]() ![]() If there are no dodgeballs around and you and a teammate see an opponent in range, you can actually “ball up” and become throwable yourself. Traditional team strategies like flanking and double or triple-teaming work wonders, but the game also offers some unique teamwork techniques to employ. In other words, I found that three moderately skilled players could beat three higher-skilled players with good communication and coordination. But I eventually realized that good teamwork ultimately trumps individual skill. ![]() It took me a while to get used to the timing and strategy of the game, which essentially meant that I was getting whooped by other players one on one. The moon ball knocks opponents back a great distance, but I didn’t find this to be nearly as useful as the other two. There’s the bomb ball, which starts counting down the moment you pick it up and has the potential to knockout multiple opponents, and the cage ball, which locks opponents in a cage, allowing you to throw them off the map or at their teammates. There are a few special ball types that appear each match that add an extra layer of depth to gameplay as well. Each map has architectural characteristics that open up opportunities for flanking, ambushing, and taking cover, and sometimes when you’re up against a player who has great timing and can easily catch your throws, the best way to knock them out is by catching them from above or from behind, which requires a good deal of forward-thinking and strategy. For folks who struggle with competitive shooters, this may be a more approachable way to sample the genre. It has a fighting-game feel in that you’re constantly trying to feint and fake out your opponents while at the same time predicting their next move. Defensively, pressing left trigger catches a ball, but you’ve got to make sure you time it perfectly or you’ll get clocked.Įssentially what this means is that Knockout City is a game of timing rather than sharpshooting. ![]() Right trigger throws a ball, and holding the trigger for different durations determines various throw speeds. When you’re near an opponent, you automatically lock onto them, and when you throw your ball, it’ll find its mark every time unless it’s obstructed by an obstacle or your target catches the ball, which gives them an opportunity to hurl it back even faster, putting you on defense. The biggest distinction between Knockout City and most other competitive shooters is that aiming is virtually a non-factor. The big change to the actual game of dodgeball is that instead of the field of play being flat and split in two, players are free to jump, dash, and glide around multi-tiered environments, pick up randomly spawned balls, and hunt each other down arena-shooter style, but with a twist. As in traditional dodgeball, two teams (either 3v3 or 4v4) collect balls and hurl them at each other to score points, and can catch balls to defend themselves. The core gameplay mechanic of Knockout City is about as simple as can be: throw and catch. It’s clear, then, that Knockout City is EA‘s latest attempt to tap into a very competitive online multiplayer market after the success of Apex Legends. In addition, there is cross-play and cross-progression functionality across all platforms, too. The game releases May 21 for $19.99 on PC, Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch, and is backwards compatible on Xbox Series X/S and PS5. Den of Geek was recently invited to play Velan Studios’ Knockout City, a competitive, team-based, over-the-top take on dodgeball set to drop as a new EA Original. ![]()
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