Knockback Knights

Every move pushes you

Each knight can do just two things, hop or swing a sword, and either one shifts your position. Swinging your sword sends you backwards, and that recoil accounts for half of your mobility. The upshot is a fight that works like a shoving match rather than a duel of blows. The aim is to get your opponent out of the arena, and it makes no difference whether your sword does it or a hazard does.

Using the recoil

Because a swing always pushes you back, attacking and moving are the same decision. The game suggests using the recoil both to get around and to escape, so a swing can be a way out of a tight spot as much as an attack. It can also work against you. A swing made with your back to the edge of the arena pushes you closer to it, so check where you are standing before you swing, and use a hop to reposition when a swing would carry you the wrong way.

Six arenas, alone or together

None of the six arenas offers solid, trustworthy ground. The description mentions crumbling rooftops, iced bridges and catapults that show no sense of fair play. You can fight your way up a solo ladder of AI knights, each with its own way of fighting, or split the keyboard with whoever is next to you, one player on the letter keys and the other on the arrows. On a phone, two buttons on the screen take their place.