Sharing of new details such as gameplay, new genre definition, and Q version of mythical gods.
Alex CantatoreVice President of Publishing, Hi-Rez Studios
Ever heard the saying “There’s nothing new in the world”? It turns out whoever said that was wrong!
Divine Knockout brings a whole new genre to the game: third-person platformer fighting games. Imagine the familiar side-scrolling platform fighting game, but the camera rotates in the Z-axis direction, and suddenly you find yourself jumping, dashing, and KO friends in three-dimensional space!
The mythical multiplayer battle game “DKO” is expected to land on PlayStation on December 6th. Even better: DKO’s Founders Edition will be free for all PlayStation Plus members* – what a holiday surprise!
Read on, all regarding the gameplay of “DKO”, the operable Q version of the gods, the battle location, and the reasons why “DKO” is very suitable for playing on the PlayStation platform are all exclusively disclosed here!
What is a third-person platform fighting game?
National Platform Fighting Game –The core battle of “DKO” is inspired by the 2D platform fighting games that everyone has played since childhood and can’t put it down. Find ways to injure your enemies enough to wear them down, then knock them out of the arena with one quick blow. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?
Enter the three-dimensional space! – wrong! DKO is a whole new genre: third-person platform fighting games. When you throw Thor’s hammer, it doesn’t automatically move to the right of the screen, you have to aim it yourself. If you want to hunt down the escaped Ymir, you need to use the 3D platform jumping skills to move between platforms. It’s a game that feels a little familiar, but never played before, and it’s a lot of fun!
Years of repeated revisions – The Red Beard Games development team spent more than three years in the production of “DKO”, trying to discover the essence of third-person platform fighting games. They tested many different versions of “DKO”, some said it was a platform fighting game, but it was actually more like a “physics shooter”. The developers say they are not surprised, as the core team is actually behind the hit indie classic Sky Noon. Fortunately, following years of experimentation, they finally found the secret recipe for “DKO”!
Emphasis on execution, not proficiency –The secret to winning in “DKO” is positioning and timing, not memorizing combos or difficult input combinations. Each character has light and heavy attacks that can be chained into combos, as well as dodge moves that can be used to avoid blows or move out of position. But what really defines and differentiates the characters are their three abilities (which go on cooldown when used), and their one-of-a-kind moves that can turn everything around – beware when King Arthur summons his fabled “King’s Sword” !
Build your own version of the gods
The Mightiest Gods of Mythology – Playable characters bring the gods to Divine Knockout. Players can play the role of legendary mythical gods in “DKO” – imagine throwing boulders like Hercules, or mastering katana like Susana? These gods are drawn from myths from around the world. When the game is released, 10 gods will be launched first, representing the pantheon of Japan, Greece, Rome, Norse and King Arthur. The developer stated that more gods will be added regularly in the future.
Cute Anime Style – Inspired by the adorable appearance of the gods from the best-selling action MOBA game SMITE, DKO reinterprets the gods in a captivating Q version art style. Harnessing the power of Unreal Engine 4, the talented art team at Red Beard Games took this design inspiration to a whole new level, adding anime-inspired celluloid shading and reworking the proportions to keep the battles recognizable. Somehow, even Thanatos, the Greek god of death, is huggable in this cute and charming game!
Personal play style – Although “DKO” only released 10 god characters when it was released, each of them has countless ways to play. The in-depth system of “Talents” allows you to define a personal play style for each god. In the case of Athena, you might be a long-range spear-thrower, a team-focused shield bearer, or an agile martial artist—the same god, just with new talents. Red Beard Games guarantees that this system is not a pay-to-win system, and that all players start with a complete set of talent equipment, and that additional play time unlocks other options, not extra abilities.
battlefield of the gods
The arena where you come and go –There are no dead battle stages in “DKO”. The 7 levels introduced at launch all feature special mechanics that players need to master in order to win. The level will disintegrate during the battle, slowly shrinking the combat area, which makes people caught off guard. There are also levels that challenge players to dodge deadly spinning spikes – or try to knock enemies out of them!
“Arcade” Adventure – In the 3v3 arcade mode at the core of “DKO”, every round is a new adventure, with new maps and new modes. The game adopts a best-of-five game system. Players have to roam around in the arena and challenge various game modes, such as “Knockout”, “King of the Hill” and “Oddball”. This relaxed atmosphere and teamwork-centric mode is the most fun to play with friends, full of party game vibes!
Competitive Showdown – If you are the kind of player who pursues highly competitive pleasure, the 1-on-1 and 2-on-2 duels in “DKO” are just for you. Combat mastery is the test of these heart-pounding duels, set in 7 unique miniature arenas custom-made for duels.
Gods comes to PlayStation
Optimized for PlayStation 5 – on PS4《DKO is already enjoyable to play, but the developers at Red Beard Games went the extra mile to build the PS5 native version to take advantage of the PS5’s powerful features. Players are ready to enjoy 120 FPS with 4K high-definition gaming experience on PS5!
Included with PlayStation Plus Subscription – That’s right, all PlayStation Plus subscribers will get the DKO Founders Edition for free. This edition includes the main game, 8 playable gods (Amaterasu, Sur, Hercules, Susan, Ymir, Athena, Thor, and King Arthur) and some beautiful exclusive skins, such as Epic Wraith Exterior of Castle Sur.
Cross-platform play – If your friend’s gaming platform is not PlayStation, don’t worry: DKO fully supports cross-play. You can invite friends to parties, play in custom games, or matchmaking online across all supported platforms. If you have more than one game platform, such as adding your work PC (of course, when the boss is not watching), you can also use the cross-platform progress sharing function to continue using all unlocked content.
If you’re as excited regarding DKO as we are, you won’t have to wait long to play! “DKO” is scheduled to land on PS5 and PS4 on December 6, and the Founders Edition is included in the PlayStation Plus subscription bonus.
*The opening period is from December 6, 2022 to January 5, 2023. Monthly game access is only available during the PS Plus subscription period.
※The launch date of game content may be adjusted according to different regions/countries.
※The above content is subject to any modification without prior notice.
source:PlayStation.Blog
