History Main / Knockback

* The large knockback in the original MSX ''{{Valis}}'', combined with the lack of MercyInvincibility, frequently caused Yuko to be stunlocked and [[CycleOfHurting juggled to death]].

** Humorously, they can get so annoying in dungeons that at least one class has the ability to turn off their knockback through the use of a glyph (Mages, Druids, and Shaman, for those who care.)

The first and foremost reason why players hate those GoddamnedBats, specifically LedgeBats.

In many VideoGames, ({{Platform Game}}s especially) when the player's character receives damage from an enemy attack (or simply by [[CollisionDamage touching the enemy itself]]), their character may be physically knocked back a distance to separate them from the attacker.

Depending on the game in question, knockback can be generally sorted into three categories:

* ''Flinching'': Whatever action the player was performing (a [[{{Combos}} combo]] or ChargedAttack, for example) is interrupted, and this may be accompanied by a 'flinching' animation. But the character's general momentum is unaffected and they otherwise remain under the player's control in spite of receiving damage.
* ''Knocked back'': The most common manifestation, the player's action is interrupted and the character is knocked back a ''short'' distance, but otherwise remains on their feet and recovers quickly.
* ''BlownAcrossTheRoom'': The player's action is interrupted as the character is knocked aside a significant distance. It may take an equally significant time for the character to recover, and the player is unable to control them until they are back on their feet.

MercyInvincibility typically kicks in at the same time to allow the player some time to recover, but if not, then they can be “stunlocked,” resulting in a possibly {{Unwinnable}} trip through the CycleOfHurting.

* The NES ''NinjaGaiden'' trilogy. Like ''MegaMan'', it always occurs opposite the direction you're facing. [[{{Understatement}} This can be a problem]] if [[CycleOfHurting constantly assaulted]] by GoddamnedBats during a platforming sequence.

* In the sidescrolling ''Game/MegaMan'' titles, knockback always occured relative to the direction Mega Man was facing, regardless of the direction of attack. In the "classic" series, it also interrupted charged Mega Buster shots, and in ''9'', Proto Man suffered double the knockback of Mega Man.

* The final segment of the FinalBoss of ''BeyondGoodAndEvil'' suddenly ramps up the effects of the game's knockback--while present-but-negilible before, even a small attack will now result in the heroine getting totally decked. During one sequence of attacks, it is entirely possible to get "stunlocked" and make the fight {{Unwinnable}} until you inevitably die and get sent back to the checkpoint.

* The protagonist in CaveStory receives knockback only based on the direction he was hit from. This is an interesting case because while the character receives knockback, you're still in full control, enabling you to affect the distance of the knockback to a certain degree. In fact, the character seldomly gets knocked ''back'', but often forward or forward and up. Furthermore, abusing vertical knockback from crashing into a flying enemy is the only way to get a certain item without backtracking (or grabbing the [[RecoilBoost Machine Gun]]).

* ''GoldenEye'' has a knock back for the player if they get shot. This also stops the player from shooting for a brief second. Combine this with several enemy soldiers and you're bound to lose more than half your health while unable to to fire back. Luckily, the enemy AI is programmed to stop firing for a moment and then resume.

!!{{FPS}} games

!!{{Platform game}}s

!!{{Fighting Game}}s

!!ActionAdventure games

!!RealTimeStrategy games

!!{{MMORPG}} games

!! Turn Based Strategy

!! {{RPG}}s

MercyInvincibility typically kicks in at the same time to allow the player some time to recover, but if a not then they can be “stunlocked,” resulting in a possibly {{Unwinnable}} trip into the CycleOfHurting.

In many VideoGames, ({{Platform Game}}s especially) when the player's character receives damage from an enemy attack (or simply by [[CollisionDamage touching the enemy itself]]), their character may be physically knocked back a distance to separate them from the attacker. MercyInvincibility typically kicks in at the same time, to allow the player some time to recover.

While knockback is just an annoyance when it occurs on level ground, it is all too often remembered for occuring during precision maneuvers; it has infamously sent almost every character in videogame history plummeting into SpikesOfDoom, or down the nearest BottomlessPit, and is the culprit for many a GameOver screen (as well as a few broken controllers).

Exact details such as the force, distance, and direction of knockback vary as much as the games that implement it. Games that incorporate physics modelling will apply Newton's Laws of kinematics, calculating knockback as a function of the impact force and direction, the mass of objects involved, and a myriad of other factors. Fortunately for players everywhere, this usually obligates enemies to suffer their own knockback when struck by the player's attacks.

By contrast, older and simpler games (and {{Retraux}} by extension) did not have the luxury of physics modelling and implemented knockback according to very simple rules, such as whether an attack originates from the left or right of the player; and [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard enemies may or may not suffer the same knockback]] when the player attacks them.

'''''Note:''' Because this is an [[OmnipresentTropes Omnipresent Trope]] in VideoGames, please limit examples to egregious, unusual, or otherwise interesting cases.''

* The first ''Flintstones'' NES game made the player fall back and be stunned for a second when hit, often down the pit. The second game removed the knockback, although the stun effect remained.

** Humorously, they can get so annoying in dungeons that at least one class has the ability to turn off their knockback through the use of a glyph (Mages, for those who care. Someone care to fill in if other classes also have this option?)

* {{World of Warcraft}} featured knockbacks by various NPC mobs and bosses from when the game was first released, but players didn't get access to them until Patch 3.0, the ''Wrath of the Lich King'' expansion, when a small handful of abilities were given to various classes that would knock NPCs or other players back. [[TheAIIsACheatingBastard NPCs don't take falling damage and can run up some sheer cliffs]] so {{Knockback}} abilities are generally underpowered against them, but in certain limited circumstances {{Knockback}} effects can be very, very powerful in PvP.

* In ''MassEffect2'' when your character is hit by "impact" attacks (Explosive or telekinetic powers) he or she will stumble and move back a step or two. [[JustifiedTrope This is completely logical given that they are being hit by a physical force]], but this effect is rather {{egregious}} when your character is hit while ducking behind cover. In this case, when you are already crouched down on the ground, your character will ''stand up'' before they stumble and take a step back. This means your character is ''deliberately'' moving out of cover, since they take an independent action (standing up) before they are uncontrollably knocked back by the force, instead of simply falling down or stumbling where they were.

* {{Hoshigami}} has an entire game mechanic centered around knocking enemies into a chain of allies to incur massive damage and have a chance at stealing an item, but unfortunately setting up such a chain leaves your party very vulnerable so it's only useful for eliminating the last enemy on a map.

* In the sidescrolling ''MegaMan'' titles, knockback always occured relative to the direction Mega Man was facing, regardless of the direction of attack. In the "classic" series, it also interrupted charged Mega Buster shots, and in MegaMan9, Protoman suffered double the knockback of Mega Man.

* ''Flinching'': Whatever action the player was performing (a [[{{Combos combo]] or ChargedAttack, for example) is interrupted, and this may be accompanied by a 'flinching' animation. But the character's general momentum is unaffected and they otherwise remain under the player's control in spite of receiving damage.

* ''Flinching'': Whatever action the player was performing (a ChargedAttack, for example) is interrupted, and this may be accompanied by a 'flinching' animation. But the character's general momentum is unaffected and they otherwise remain under the player's control in spite of receiving damage.

By contrast, older and simpler games (and {{Retraux}} by extension) did not have the luxury of physics modelling and implemented knockback according to very simple rules, such as whether an attack originates from the left or right of the player; and enemies may or may not suffer knockback when attacked by the player.

If the protagonist is a OneHitPointWonder then knockback is rarely a concern, but may occur if the player loses their current powerup instead of their [[VideogameLives life]]; in addition, occasionally there will be an enemy attack or two that causes knockback exclusively, without inflicting damage in the process.

See also the LawOfInverseRecoil, and for extreme cases, BlownAcrossTheRoom or PunchedAcrossTheRoom.