Language is absent here, other than a few crude jokes like a piece of graffiti that reads “Magpoop” (in reference to Malcolm Magpie). The avatars’ physical features are also customizable, but you have no opportunity to choose a gender for the character every piece of clothing and body type is available to every player in any possible combination. The player can also explore the Brawl Shop, and they’re told to dress in order to impress others so they’ll be picked to join a more exclusive crew. During actual matches, players are hit by balls and are thrown across the map like ragdolls without any other physical ramifications.Ī female character on the title screen wears a crop top that exposes her midriff (players have the option to equip similarly revealing outfits on their own characters). A loading screen graphic does depict a character being hit in the face with a ball and a few teeth flying out cartoonishly. While violence in the gameplay is to be expected-balls and other objects fly are constantly slung around the map-you won’t find any of the bloody noses or bruises from real life dodgeball here. The cartoony nature of the animation also steers it away from serious violence when the player is hit by a ball and knocked out, they fly across the map before disappearing and respawning a few seconds later. Gameplay is fairly simple, and it’s easy for kids to pick up. We get the sense that our characters aren’t afraid to stand up to powerful people to fight for what they believe in-when they’re not pelting each other with rubber balls, of course. In a minor subplot revealed through environmental elements and exposition from the announcer, the residents of Knockout City try to stop real estate mogul Malcolm Magpie from knocking down the key fixtures of their city. Players are shown that sometimes to help your team, you have to settle for making an assist rather than taking all the glory for yourself. Throw the balls around all you want, but if you don’t learn to work with your online teammates, you won’t be winning a match anytime soon. The majority of the game’s mechanics focus on teamwork. Players also have the ability to chat with, block, and report others in their crew. Joining one allows you to play matches with your crewmates and emblazons the crew’s logo on your character’s jacket. While the game can take up hours of your time just in the single player matches, Knockout City also offers a feature in which players can request to join other brawlers’ “crews” online. Other modes include Face Off, in which brawlers play one-on-one, Ball-Up, where the only balls available are your teammates, and Diamond Dash, where knocked-out players drop diamonds that can be collected by their opponents. The first team to achieve 10 knockouts wins the round, and the first to win two rounds wins the match. Then, it’s just a matter of sprinting for the nearest ball and knocking out your opponents before they get you first. Players (or “brawlers”, as the game nicknames them) are dropped into a random arena-a construction yard, a train station, a city square, etc.-and are divided into two teams of three. The game features several different modes, but the most foundational one is Team KO. Players can use a glider to soar around the map-or to launch surprise attacks on the opposing team. Special balls like the Moon Ball, which allows players to jump higher, and the Cage Ball, which traps opponents in-three guesses-a cage, also mix up the gameplay. Even if you feel you’ve mastered the free-for-all that is elementary school dodgeball, don’t get too comfortable Knockout City throws multiple wrenches into the mix, for instance, a gameplay mechanic where players can roll up into a ball and be thrown at opponents by their virtual teammates. While the game does feature a bare-bones story, the game’s real attraction is the action. Plus, it’s completely nurse’s office free. You play in multiple complex maps with superpowered balls and easy-to-learn, hard-to-master controls perfect for all ages. Knockout City takes every gym teacher’s go-to activity and elevates it to a fast-paced tournament you play solo, but have the option of matching up with others online. Now, imagine adding enormous swinging wrecking balls, the ability to actually become one of the balls yourself, and a subplot about a real estate developer taking control of a futuristic metropolis, and you’ve got Knockout City, the latest title from up-and-coming developer Velan Studios. Sweaty locker rooms, mad dashes for the center of the gym, cowering in the corner to avoid getting hit with a hail of rubber balls…if any of these sound familiar, or if you happened to spend any time in an elementary school, you’re probably familiar with the great American sport of dodgeball.ĭodgeball-the real-world game loved and loathed by millions-has sent many a kid to the nurse’s office for decades.
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