Knockout City

Knockout City is an upcoming action game set to be released on 21st May 2021. It is developed by Velan Studios and published by Electronic Arts Inc. (EA). It is powered by the Viper Engine, playable across many platforms including Microsoft Windows (PC), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. This action video game will exclusively be Multiplayer. 

     Knockout City is a multiplayer team-based competitive game that is very similar to dodgeball in terms of gameplay. Each player’s goal is to attack their opponents in the enemy team by knocking them out using a ball.

To make things more interesting, there are multiple types of balls available to players; the Moon Ball allows players to hold it to jump higher than usual, the Bomb ball which functions as a time bomb that explodes on impact, and throwing another player as a ball.

There is the normal quick ball throw as well as the Charge up ball throw which results in an Ultimate Throw.  The Ultimate Throw takes more time to charge and be ready, but in return, it locks onto nearby opponents automatically, overall resulting in a more effective attack. But this state leaves a player more open to attack as well.

Whether or not a throw is successful will largely depend on the player’s positioning and strategy rather than their throw’s accuracy and precision. Players can either dodge or catch a ball thrown at them in defense. They will also respawn after getting hit by a ball two times. Adding to all the mayhem are the possibilities of faking a ball throw and tackling opponents holding a ball. 

     Players will earn HoloBucks as they progress through the game, which they can use to spend at the Brawl Shop to unlock a multitude of Customization items. There are a total of five maps and six modes available at launch itself. All these maps are set in a futuristic metropolis location named Knockout City. Each map is unique featuring various environmental hazards that threaten to knock out players. The modes announced thus far include; the Team KO mode which is very similar to a team Deathmatch, the Diamond Dash in which players collect diamonds dropped by defeated enemies and the Ball-Up which is a four-versus-four mode where players throw their teammates to take out enemies. A player also gets to form a Crew consisting of 32 maximum players. 

     Velan Studios’ most prominent previous work was Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit in 2020. This small but adept team consists of only about 85 employees and had to spend four years on it. They describe Knockout City as a “dodgeball game” and the CEO Karthik Bala commented that they chose dodgeball to be the game’s core gameplay loop due to it widely being considered an “intuitive” sport. It is guaranteed to be approachable enough for newcomers and amply challenging for veterans. Velan Studios also created a programming script named V-script aimed at countering network latency. 

     Knockout City is sure to give the adrenaline rush that comes with a fun and challenging game, all riding on the basic concepts of dodgeball. So get your game on and prepare to get knocked out!