A beginner’s guide to Stikbold!, out on PS4 next week

Welcome to the world of Stikbold! It’s dodgeball with a dose of ’70s style and handsome moustaches, and set in wild arenas where anything goes. Throw bees at your opponents, squish them with a whale or pursue them with a minivan – it’s all allowed.

We’re pleased to tell you that Stikbold! is coming to PlayStation 4 on 5th April. To prepare you for that special date we’re going to share some secrets with you. This info will not only let you get one up on your friends from launch but it will also let you peek into the inner workings of our blazing fast gameplay.

Throwing

Throwing is the most fundamental mechanic in Stikbold!. It’s how you knock other players out of the game, and ultimately how you score points. Press and hold R2 to build up power, and release when the meter underneath your character is flashing to throw a power ball.

As your friends become familiar with the timing of the build-up, you will need to get more creative to avoid get caught out when attacking over longer distances. To mislead rivals try flicking the right stick immediately after releasing the ball. This puts a deceptive curving arc on your throw that can catch unsuspecting players off guard.

Bonus tip: Curving shots have a slightly higher chance of turning into a one-hit-kill critical hit (Stinger)

Catching

Diving out of harm’s way is your best chance to avoid getting tagged by the ball. There’s an old saying that “If you can dodge a wrench… yada yada yada”. However, as you gain experience and internalise the timing of the game, catching the ball instead becomes a reliable and powerful countermeasure.

Catching is performed automatically when a character is hit by the ball while dodging. However, you can’t hurl headlong at every ball. There’s is a slight delay after initiating the dodge before your player can successfully catch. You’ll need to anticipate your opponent’s attacks rather than just react to them if you want to catch like a Stikbold pro.

Bonus tip: After a successful catch, you can instantly throw a power ball without building up power by simply tapping R2.

Pushing

Sometimes offense is the best defence – if the player holding the ball gets close to you try knocking it out of their hands and stealing it for yourself. Pushing goes further than just ball stealing though. Try shoving opponents into hazards our out of the arena entirely. Move quickly though, in Stikbold the tables can turn in the blink of an eye.

Bonus tip: With a little practice you can do a ‘secret’ trick. Press R2 to initiate a push and then immediately press L2 to dodge. This will override the animation of the push, but not the underlying logic. The result is that your character will leap forward and immediately shove your opponent when they connect, effectively increasing the range of your push attack.

Take these tips and go forth on your very own dodgeball adventure. The world needs a Stikbold! champion and it could be you when we launch on 5th April.