KNOCKOUT! (KNOversion 3.3) - Arcade Mode (Eddy)

Download the game (in its official Discord server) here: https://discord.com/invite/58xz8stdFX

Developed by Valiant Inferno Games alongside Bonehouse (who was also behind the Fatal Art series), KNOCKOUT! features several stick figure-like characters, from original creations to characters from other works (Vile, a character from Fatal Art, is playable in this game).

Originally released publicly around March 2020, KNOCKOUT! would later be split into two different games - KNOversion would retain much of KNOCKOUT!'s original gameplay, but Archetype False, which at the time of this video is under development, is slated to be entirely different in gameplay, with different system mechanics, design ideas, and combo structures planned for this new version. As the title suggests, KNOversion (in particular, the 3.3 update, released around November 2023) is played in this video.

KNOCKOUT! has your standard three-button attacks (light (L), medium (M), and heavy (H)) alongside a dedicated grab button (G), and special moves are done here using a dedicated button (S) and a directional input. The game also has "Remix" attacks (R), which are character-specific moves with unique abilities and/or gimmicks (One's remix attack has him throw his sword as a projectile, for example). The remix button is also used for EX special moves (directional inputs + SR) and the game's burst mechanic (HR). Meanwhile, meter usage in this game is quite standard - one bar is used for EX special moves, and two are used for super attacks (motion inputs + attacks).

Another thing unique to KNOCKOUT! is the Desperation bar, a separate resource that only increases by blocking or being hit. This meter could then be used for various techniques, which include Force Blocking (MH while blocking, pushes your opponent away for 10% desperation meter), Recoil Guard (6 + MH while blocking, pushes your opponent away and knocks them down for 50% desperation meter), and Record Scratch (GR during attacks, being your standard move-cancelling technique that requires 50% desperation meter). You can even do another burst to blow away your opponent in emergencies using the Panic Burst technique (while being hit and having 100% desperation meter, HR), although performing this would disable your desperation bar for the rest of the match.

Arcade mode has you fight against six random opponents. The CPU doesn't do much here, as they mostly just move around (only attacking occasionally). However, doing combos as Eddy is fun enough that a) this doesn't matter to me that much, and b) I think that this game is quite good because of this alongside the designs and overall aesthetic of KNOCKOUT! being really cool, even if the new songs are mismatched with some stages (part of these songs were borrowed from other games, but still, Blaze's boss theme from Sonic Rush is QUITE ill-fitting for a ruined town surrounded by acid aksnbkahkahlsd)

Видео KNOCKOUT! (KNOversion 3.3) - Arcade Mode (Eddy) канала ziodyne44