With the release ofKnockout City, developers Velen Studios in conjunction with EA had successfully fulfilled the “dodgebrawler” genre of gameplay that hyped fans up for months leading up to the release. The combination of its visual aesthetic and music design drew a lot of players' interest, yet the promise of crossplay and ease of access is what ultimately sweetened the deal for manyKnockout Cityplayers.
Knockout Cityis a 3-on-3 dodgeball arena-based combat multiplayer game where players find dodgeballs scattered throughout various arenas and throw them at the enemy team, while the enemy team must avoid or find ways to deflect the attacks to avoid taking unnecessary damage. One of the primary forms of defense inKnockout Cityis catching the ball, in which a well-timed catch can not only throw a player’s offense off guard, but also shift the momentum to an opponent’s with an increased buff. Players, however, can bait the opponent’s priceless defense through the usage of one simple trick.
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Players who are up against an opponent with razor-sharp reflexes who are always able to detect when the ball is approaching them and catch the ball with near-perfect accuracy will need to learn how to utilize their Fake Throw. By pressing the right thumbstick on the controller, or the F key for keyboard and mouse players, the player will initiate a throwing animation that’s similar to an actual throw, but the player will still hold the ball in hopes of deceiving the opponent.
Opponents who fall for the fake throw will attempt to catch the “ball,” leaving them in a failed catch animation that leads them vulnerable to an open throw. The trick to making this combination work is for the player to already have a charged shot on standby. If a player tries to throw the ball while it isn’t fully charged, the opponent will have enough time to recover and avoid it. With a charged shot, however, theirKnockout Cityopponentis a sitting duck.
Savvy opponents can utilize this same tech against players, in which eagle-eyed players will pay attention to theKnockout Citydodgeballrather than the animation of the opponent. If the player looks for the thrown ball rather than the throwing animation, they can call their opponent’s bluff and bait out the fake throw themselves. Much like a failed catch animation, a fake throw without a response from the opposition will leave the user out in the open until the throw animation completes, causing the opposing player to take advantage of a mismanaged play.
Knockout Cityis now available on the PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
