By 2021, some gamers like me have tired of the majority of the arena shooter genre. It was all the rage in 2016 when Overwatch came into the fray, with several studios trying to break in with middling titles like LawBreakers, Battleborn, and others that have gone to the wayside. So, how in the world can the genre get a kick to the teeth long after its popularity has passed? Well, that’s where Knockout City comes in, in spades.

I feel like as fun as dodgeball looks in its portrayal in media, it wasn’t really a thing in school by the 21st century because of how inherently violent it is. It made for a really fun movie in 2004 but hasn’t necessarily broken out into the video game market in a big way. One would think it was only a matter of time, due to how action-packed and visceral the sport is. However, the only titles that come to mind are Robot Roller-Derby Disco Dodgeball and another from a few years back I can’t quite find after a long search.

From the get-go, Knockout City feels easy to pick up and hard to master. There’s lots of training to be had, as the game is jam-packed with mechanics. It’s way more than just throwing a ball at the enemy, there are tons of mind games with the fake throw, the timing of the throw, etc. and the synergy between teams is necessary to excel at the game. Thankfully, Knockout City is excellent at matching you with similar skill levels, unlike other EA games such as Apex Legends throwing caution to the wind.

The game runs like a dream, too, which is vital in skill-based titles. Upon the first launch, it auto-detected my specs, refresh rate, and the only thing I had to tweak was the sensitivity. It wasn’t hard to max out the graphics, as the game opts for a cartoon style akin to Fortnite. This was the first thing my girlfriend said as she watched me play, denoting that its style may leave some players jaded. Nevertheless, the cosmetics Knockout City offers are creative, vibrant, and outlandish enough to nail the aimed aesthetic perfectly.

Multiplayer-focused games tend to have a shelf life, as player bases will almost always dwindle while free-to-play weekends and big events are on hold. The best way to retain players is to have a mechanically sound, replayable gameplay loop, and Knockout City has just that with its contracts system rewarding players for achieving hyper-focused feats en masse. There were so many opportunities for these unlocks that I doubt I could get through them all by the time they’re up.

I’m going to keep coming back to Knockout City, thanks to gameplay that legitimately keeps me on the edge of my seat and a skill ceiling that’s as high as the sky. I definitely didn’t expect a game of this style to get me hooked so quickly, but only a few hours were all it took to see what the hype was all about. Here’s hoping the game keeps its luster and holds onto its “Overwhelmingly Positive” stature on Steam for a long time to come!

A PC review copy of Knockout City was provided by Electronic Arts for this review.

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Knockout City

$19.99

9

Score

9.0/10

Pros

• Pulse-Pounding Gameplay
• Extremely Polished
• Addictive and Replayable

Cons

• Could Use Bots
• Visuals Aren't For Everyone