Let the Heavens Rain

Divine Knockout or DKO as it’s called is the latest release from developer Hi-Rez Studios, makers of a plethora of games but are really known for Smite. DKO takes the gods from the MOBA Smite and reimages them in a fun and cute chibi art style and then unleashes them in arenas to brawl in epic multiplayer matches which evoke some of the fondest memories of games like Power Stone and Smash Bros.

Seemingly built on jumping on trends, Hi-Rez enters the latest arena of multiplayer brawlers, with the likes of 2022’s Multiversus and games like Super Smash. With DKO, Hi-Rez is the first to release a third-person platform fighter and it’s quite an enjoyable one. Players will choice their Gods from a current roster of 8 (with more to come) and battle it out in very colorful cel-shaded arenas. Each map has an environmental obstacle like a giant boulder that rolls down the level at various points, a tidal wave which will crash over a marked area stunning any God who doesn’t move from its path. Each of these things are well telegraphed and offer ample time for players to escape, but it helps to point out how much situational awareness is in DKO as just standing in the wrong spot can spell disaster.

MSRP: $24.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, PC
Price I’d Pay: Don’t, wait for the F2P launch

From a gameplay perspective DKO is a lot of fun to play. With three game modes currently available as the game is still in the ‘founders’ release frame, which is just a fancy way of them saying its Early Access and you will have to buy your way in now, but it will be F2P later. The standard mode sees players battle it out with 3 v 3 in a handful of game modes like Knockout. Which, as its name suggests, is just about getting the most knockouts, there are other game types that require varying degrees of strategy like the Gold Rush. This sees players trying to pick up coins scattered around the arena and then making it back to deposit them, but each hit players receive will force them to drop coins, so you have to really focus on placement in this mode.

Each of the Gods which are pulled from various mythologies such as Greek, Roman and even Arthurian (yes King Arthur and his sword are in the game) and each come equipped with a movement ability two special attacks and an ultimate. The movement ability is what can be used to help to return Gods to the arena when they are inevitably headed for a knockout. Some like King Arthur and Hercules give the ability to jump high into the air and slam back down, others like Amaterasu have a forward dash that can be used to keep an opponent in the air or return her to safety. Each of the Gods can further be equipped with various talents that will buff attacks, or various special abilities which gives players flexibility over playing their chosen God however they want.

DKO eventually going Free-2-Play means that players have the option of either spending real money to purchase the Gods or they can earn God tokens as they play and purchase them that way. It is a bit of a grind to earn the currency to unlock the tokens for new Gods, but with the Founder’s Edition coming with all the available God’s unlocked players will have enough variety to sustain them and they can build a stash of those tokens for the new God’s as they release. There of course will be a Battle Pass of some sort, as there is already a space for it but it just says coming soon, but this is the norm with F2P games nowadays it seems and its here to stay.

From what I’ve played of Divine Knockout I think its going to be a lot of fun while it lasts. I am always wary of getting behind Hi-Rez games because they have a habit of going hard on this project when they are popular but then support will peter off and eventually die thus killing the game. Outside of Smite I think their other two big franchises Paladin’s and Rogue Company are on life support. I am rooting for them with Divine Knockout though, its easy to pick up nature and attractive art style will hopefully help it to garner an audience that will allow it to stand the test of time, or at the very least until they can put my man Zeus in the game, once I can get him they can do what they want.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.

Good
  • Love the bright chibi art style
  • Good selection of God’s to start
  • Combat is varied and enjoyable
Bad
  • F2P Business model means nickel and dimed for consumers
  • Hi-Rez making it scares me
7
Good
Written by
Terrence spends his time going where no one has gone before mostly. But when not planning to take over the galaxy, he spends his time raising Chocobo and trying to figure out just how the sarlaac could pull Boba Fett’s ship with its engines firing FULL BLAST into it’s maw with relative ease; yet it struggled with Han Solo who was gripping *checks notes* SAND!