Rocket League is getting a straight-up free-for-all deathmatch mode without goals or a ball called Knockout, Psyonix announced on Thursday.
On April 27, a completely new event called Knockout Bash begins in Rocket League. The new Limited Time Mode, Knockout, was already teased in the Season 6 trailer and will be available from the beginning of the event until May 10. In it, eight players will be dropped into one of three new arenas where they will have to knock or throw opponents off the map or into hazards until only one is left standing. The event will also feature challenges and spring-themed rewards.
Knockout turns Rocket League on its head
Rocket League has had various new modes over the years. Some of them permanent, others in short bursts every once in a while. Knockout is joining the likes of Heatseeker as an LTM, but it is not unlikely that the community will request the mode to become permanent if it’s popular enough, just like they are doing with Heatseeker.
Whereas previous modes all included the ball, team play and goal scoring, Knockout is completely different. The mode introduces new abilities like Attack, Block, Grab and more. These abilities are then used against opponents to eliminate them by smashing them into Hazards or out of the safe zone, a dome over the arena that shrinks over time. After three KOs, a player is out completely. If multiple players are alive after six minutes, every attack becomes maximum power and being knocked out of the safe zone will cause an instant KO.
Attacking opponents works by simply dodging into them, while Block looks like it is activated by backflipping and good timing. Grabbing gets its own button input and seems to function similarly to using Spikes in Rumble–only on players instead of the ball.
But, there are other abilities too. In Knockout, Rocket League players will be able to triple jump, or twice in the air after jumping up from the ground. Jumping also launches players higher than in the regular modes, while dodging in the air can be done up to four times. Boost is also more powerful to allow players more leeway in getting back to the platform. Finally, players will stun opponents when Attacking or Throwing them, which, in turn, can be broken by spamming the Break Stun button.
All in all, Knockout looks like an extremely chaotic mode that shakes up the Rocket League formula and lets players take out some of their frustration after repeatedly getting demoed in the regular modes. New modes range from reskins to completely new experiences, and Knockout is arguably the most unique of the bunch. A making-of video series of Rocket League Knockout is also coming soon.
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