Knockout City by Welan Stuidios is a dodgeball game I didn't even know I needed.
When we think of sports games, basketball, football, hockey and baseball usually come to mind. However, it is often the less prestigious sports that are truly suited to the world of video games. Knockout City by Velan Studios is a dodgeball game that is incredibly fun and competitive.
The story of a real outsider
Knockout City imagines a world without guns, where disputes are settled on the streets with chaotic dodgeball matches, or dodgebrawl as the game calls it. In Knockout City, two teams (usually three) face off in Dodgebrawl matches, which consist of three rounds. Each round is won by the first team to score ten points. Points are scored by knocking out an opposing player. Each player has two "health" hearts, hitting ball on ball reduces one heart. Losing two is a knockout.
In order not to get hit by the ball and not be knocked out, the players have several options. You can dodge the shot or hide behind cover in the hope that the ball will not hit the target. However, the most strategically important response is to catch the ball. If the players time it right, they will be able to catch the ball, which will immediately charge up, allowing them to throw it back at great speed.
The balls in Knockout City are aimed at the target, which means that you don't have to plot the trajectory that the ball should follow or worry about the trajectory. Instead, your main task is to catch the enemy by surprise or team up with teammates to take them down. The core gameplay here is very solid. There is a decent set of mechanics and abilities here, and it feels like the skill ceiling is very high.
Easier is better
Speaking of gameplay, one of the core concepts behind Knockout City is what the developers call "flat" gameplay. This means that there are no loads, no upgradable classes, no perks in the game that affect how well a character plays. When it comes down to it, everyone is on an equal footing, everything else is just noise. I compare it to Rocket League where, despite all the frills and ostentatiousness that can be associated with cosmetics, if you keep everything to a minimum, the game is incredibly simple and balanced.
It is this approach that gives the competitive side of Knockout City more integrity. As I became familiar with the mechanics of the game, I began to delve into the arsenal of techniques at my disposal. You can fake a throw, which can cause the opponent to dodge prematurely or go for a grapple. This makes them extremely vulnerable to strikes for about 1-2 seconds. While in the air, you can tumble or spin, which can be used to feint by throwing the ball in a wide vertical or horizontal arc. These maneuvers also extend your time in the air if you just want to dodge the ball or hit the platform.
Knockout City brings some interesting changes to the standard gameplay. There are five special balls that can be found on the map, with one of them being chosen randomly at the start of the game. These include Moon Ball, Sniper Ball, Bomb Ball, Multi Ball and Cage Ball. These balls have special properties, such as allowing players to jump very high (Moon Ball), deal area damage (Bomb Ball), or even trap an enemy and render them helpless for a few seconds (Checker Ball). I loved the change of pace that the special balls added to the game and they rarely felt cheap or unfair.
Better dodge
The natural flow of gameplay in Knockout City leads to some really exciting organic moments. I remember one case when an opponent threw the ball in my direction from behind. Thanks to the red outline warning of the approaching ball, I managed to dodge and catch it. I immediately sent the ball back to the enemy player. For the next 10 seconds we fought hard, throwing the ball back and forth at top speed and waiting to see who blinked first. Finally, we gained an advantage and knocked the enemy out of the game.
Knockout City has many of these experiences. I've had episodes where I quickly wiped out an entire team by catching incoming balls and making every possible move to wipe them out in quick succession. It's the same rush of excitement you get after taking a few shots in a shooter or scoring a goal in a sports game. The sound of a ball hitting a character is always great fun.
Even though Knockout City has a lot of focus on gameplay, I really wish the game had more focus on stats. I'd like to see how many knockouts I've gotten in my career, or how many matches I've won. It would also be great if you could see the leaderboard during and after matches so you can see how you compare to your opponents.
City full of knockouts
Knockout City is incredibly bright and unusual in style. You can decorate your character with fiery hair or give it a boastful match intro. These cosmetics can be earned by leveling up and completing quests. It seemed to me that you can customize a lot of things in Knockout City, even if most of them are blocked when you first start playing.
Players can also create teams, which in Knockout City are clans. Players can invite friends and other players they meet online to join their team and then team up together for online play. As you gain experience and level up your team, you will be able to earn new rewards, as well as customize the car you arrive in and create a logo to wear on your clothing.
I would love to see Velan Studios experiment and diversify Knockout City offerings in terms of game modes. The game currently has four modes, three of which include 3v3 play. The fourth is the 1v1 mode. It would be great to have a 2v2 or even 4v4 chaos mode to shake things up.
About the winning team
Knockout City made a lasting impression on me. Velan Studios has created a dodgeball game that has solid mechanics and is very easy to learn. The skill ceiling is also incredibly high, making for some truly competitive gameplay. Knockout City is a welcome addition to the pantheon of sports games.
