Knockout City is breath of fresh air, contender for next popular esports title

In the world of esports, variety isn’t always the focus. Some of the most popular esports titles are shooters with some kind of spin on the genre.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is solely a skill-based shooter, Overwatch and Valorant throw agents and abilities into the mix, Rainbow Six places a heavy emphasis on strategy, and Call of Duty is fast-paced and chaotic.

On the outskirts of esports are the other genres like racing (Forza) and sports (FIFA, NBA, Madden, Rocket League) that have smaller followings than shooters. Now there’s a new competitor in the mix that combines the action of a shooter with the playstyle of sports games: Knockout City.

Read more: How community support is pushing development of Knockout City’s esports scene

Knockout City is a team-based competitive multiplayer game that resembles futuristic dodgeball. It adds variety with different types of balls like the Moon Ball and the Multi Ball that gives players different abilities like jumping higher or having multiple balls to throw. The game has auto-aim that can’t be turned off, which means success is entirely based on the player’s positioning and ability to catch other players off-guard.

Rather than scouring the map for a ball, teammates can turn into a ball and throw themselves at the enemy. Players can also fake throw a ball, curve or lob the ball, or tackle an opponent holding a ball to take it for themselves. Catching a ball also charges it, allowing players to throw it back at a higher speed.

The game has a lot of nuances that make it very addictive and hard to put down. The combination of shooter elements with sports characteristics makes the game appealing to a larger player base.

Knockout City is easy to learn, but the difficulty comes when figuring out the best way to throw a ball given the current situation. Sometimes it’s better to curve a ball around a pole instead of throwing it overhead. Other times, it’s better to throw it straight on if you’re close to the enemy.

Due to the game’s competitive nature, there is great esports potential for Knockout City. It was developed by Velan Studios, the team behind Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, and published by EA, who already have a few successful esports titles under their belt like FIFA, Madden, and Apex Legends.

The game supports cross-play for PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC and will introduce new content every season to keep things fresh, much like Fortnite. The game has many qualities that make for a successful esports title, but the ultimate ingredient in whether or not an esports game thrives is involvement from the community, something that Knockout City already has.

Knockout City is free-to-play up until Street Rank 25. Players can choose their preferred platform and download the free trial. Playing the game until Street Rank 25 will give players a fair amount of time to try out the game, especially since there is no time limit in which players have access to the trial.

This game is a breath of fresh air. It’s fun, unique and every match gets my adrenaline pumping like I’m clutching a round in CS:GO. I’m especially happy that the developers introduced a competitive mode, a must-have feature in multiplayer games, as soon as the game was released. I look forward to pouring thousands of hours into Knockout City and watching it evolve into my next video game addiction.

Lead image credit: Velan Studios