You can pump-fake a throw, for example, to try and catch an opponent off guard, or change the flight of your throws with two different jumps that either curl or lob your throw, respectively. Each of these moves is meant to give you different ways to catch out enemies, but also teach you that the same can be done back. These throw variants offer some intense moment-to-moment gameplay decisions, too. An opponent who is running for cover might be caught blindsided by a ball that manages to curve around an object they assumed they were safe behind, while a lobbed throw can trick a foe into thinking that you aren't even equipped with a ball before having one land on their head. All of these allow you to contribute to team play in a solo manner without needing to engage with more party-focused strategies, which makes it easy to feel like you're making a difference in a match without explicitly needing to communicate over voice chat. There are still some nuances at play where communication is a benefit, however. During matches, you can roll up into a ball and turn into a projectile that a teammate can throw, instantly knocking out enemies if you happen to connect with them. Better still, a teammate can charge their throw and turn you into an airborne bomb, which you can subtly control to take out multiple foes at once. Both of these strategies work best when you're directly communicating with a team, and as such don't feature that heavily in solo matchmaking. That said, Knockout City's matches don't necessitate this single mechanic. Each of the game's maps offers a theme that changes up the flow of matches. Rooftop Rumble takes place between two skyscrapers with only a single route between them, but lets you use your glider to catch the wind and get the drop on enemies (though you have access to the glider in all Knockout City's matches, this is, surprisingly, the only map where the glider feels useful). Back Alley Brawl has three color-coded tube systems that can quickly transport you to hotspots on the map, while Knockout Roundabout has a flowing stream of traffic that can knock you down and leave you vulnerable to enemy attacks. All of them are small and compact, letting opposing teams find each other fast and keep the action flowing.