Knockout City, the Dodgeball game (ball for prisoners) developed by EA and unveiled during the last Nintendo Direct has just released its open beta! After playing it for a few hours, here are all our tips so that you can have fun and have fun with your opponents from your first steps!

Do all Knockout City workouts in a row

First of all, learn all the intricacies of the gameplay in the Training mode. The game offers you to play matches between each phase of this mode: don’t do it. We strongly recommend that you go through the 4 tutorials.

Why? Just because the most important information is at the very end. The basic movements do not require too much to have a tutorial, you just have to test all the keys.

It only becomes interesting when you are taught more advanced key combos and tricks. We think for example of brushed or lobed shots, overloaded throws or deflection of the ball in defense.

As we told you in our Knockout City preview, this “TPS” favors tactical choices and team play with pure skill. Take the time to familiarize yourself with the keys before launching into the arena, it won’t be long!

You will be much more comfortable for your first game once your fingers and your head are used to the mechanics of the game. Moreover, we noticed that some keys were not necessarily super intuitive. If you feel the same as us, do not hesitate to go through the options to personalize your keys as quickly as possible.

Knockout City is above all a team game!

While team play is more important than anything, it is still possible to achieve individual achievements in Knockout City. In a few hours on the beta, we have already come across a player so strong that he managed to win a 1v3 round.

In round 2, our team of big noobs turned the tide all the same by playing fair. a little more collective. No matter who is against you, in the face of effective “teamplay”, it is strictly impossible to get out of it.

In another match, we entered a round with an “Ultimate Throw” (ie a super charged shot from a teammate in a ball) which allowed us to start with a triple kill. With such a lead, an easy victory stretched out its arms to us. All this to tell you that Dodgeball is a team game.

Passing is always profitable since it gives a charge to the ball, rushing at an enemy to destabilize it while a teammate is aiming it guarantees a KO, putting you in a ball makes you a more formidable ball than ever etc. In short: play together!

There are quite a few things you need to know to maximize your chances of hitting your opponents in Knockout City. The most obvious of all, we just talked about: wait for the person opposite to grapple with a teammate and knock them out while their attention is elsewhere.

A deceitful technique but an effective technique. In general, surprise is your best ally. Taking enemies from the rear, attacking them in the air or while they are occupied elsewhere is the best way to reach them.

Don’t rush through it like a bully. Stay mobile, but patient. Analyze the terrain, including player spawn areas like bullets, spot weak links in the opposite team, and, most importantly, take height.

As in any shooting game, being high gives you a huge advantage over your opponents. If you have the chance to play a game with the “sniper bullets”, even better

Learn to wield all the special balls!

Each part has its special ball. The one that captures your opponents makes them easy targets but it also allows them to be grabbed to throw them into the void.

The one that explodes is a formidable offensive weapon since it cannot be dodged if you throw it at the right time (in return, it can blow you in the hands). There remains the one that alleviates gravity, to use to place yourself ever higher and attack your opponents from new angles.

However, you will often find yourself in close combat situations. There, if you do not have allies to help you, it will be played with pure skill. Spamming a key, even the dash, is useless and only leaves you vulnerable during recovery frames.

Stay calm, analyze your opponent, feign him, and attack as soon as he presses a button that is useless. Guaranteed effect.

Defense in Knockout City: is it better to dash or catch the ball?

If the attack remains the heart of the game and its strategies, it is useless to hit often if you pass half the match KO During the practices, the game teaches you only two defensive techniques: to catch the ball (trigger of left on console) or dasher to dodge (left button).

Well, there is also the small jump to the side but it is a more effective technique for spinning 1 on 1 and making brush shots than to avoid bullets in the face. So the big question is, what is better to do?

As you can imagine, it all depends on the situation. Facing a long shot, catch the ball. The risk of missing out is quite small, and if you have the right timing, you earn a free charge. Up close, however, we strongly recommend that you do not tempt the devil. Try to disarm your opponent by rushing at him!

With a little skill, you will steal the ball (unless it is an explosive ball of course)! Be careful, once the ball is in your hand, it is tempting to charge your shots fully. This is nonsense. Charging a shot makes you extremely slow and turns you into a perfect target.

If you’re close to your target or attacking by surprise, charging the shot is more crippling than anything else.

Another defensive tip: stay fluid. With or without a ball, you have to move constantly. Tell yourself that the longer the sprint button is held down, the less likely you are to get knocked out. Staying fluid also has another advantage: it allows you to make the most of the field.

The maps of Knockout City are pretty damn good, safe places are plentiful. Go from hiding to hiding and always be very careful when you have to jump. In the air, you are always more visible and more vulnerable.

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