Knockout City is a new dodgeball game from the makers of Mario Kart Live

Velan Studios, the studio behind the mixed reality racer Mario Kart Live: Home circuit, revealed his next title: Knockout City, a team-based online dodge ball game. And it will launch soon, as the game releases May 21 on Origin, Steam, Playstation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, with enhancements for the PS5 and Xbox Series X. EA is releasing the game under its EA Originals label.

Knockout CityThe vision of the dodge ball is similar to what you have probably played in the gym class. You and your team try to hit your opponents with balls while dodging and catching the balls thrown at you. In addition to direct throws, you can curl your shots, lob balls over obstacles, and even false throws to try and surprise your opponent.

Image: Velan Studios

But there are quite a few things that you probably didn’t have to deal with when playing dodgeball as a kid. There are bullets with special powers, like a bomb that will explode (hopefully not in your hands). You can also turn yourself ball, and your teammates can pass you, throw you at enemies, or even use your ball form for a special attack.

You automatically lock onto nearby opponents, meaning you won’t have to worry as much about aim as in other team games. Instead, Knockout City seems to be more about strategically timing your throws or coordinating with your teammates to get a good angle on someone.

The game also has a sleek, street-inspired style aided by the wide variety of cosmetics available in the game. You can unlock new cosmetics by completing certain tasks or purchasing them with Holobux, Knockout City’s in-game currency. And from what I could tell, the game seems to have an excellent soundtrack. At a preview I heard a jazzy big band song that would feel right at home in a Incredibles movie.

Image: Velan Studios

Knockout City’s an accessible vision of the dodge ball and its distinctive style reminded me a lot Splatoon, which put a Nintendo twist on the team shooting genre with great results. I couldn’t try Knockout City myself again, but I can’t wait to give it a shot.

The game will cost $ 19.99 and this package will give you access to all nine-week seasons of the game. Velan Studios plans to offer a free trial of the full game when it launches, but it has not announced the length of time. this essay. There will also be a PC Closed Beta on February 20 and 21.

The game will also have cross play and cross progression between platforms, but you will need to purchase Knockout City for each platform you want to play on. This could be a hard pill to swallow if you are used to playing games like Fortnite or Rocket league on any device you are using at that time without having to purchase the game directly.