How to play
DODGEBALL DASH is top-down 3 against 3 dodgeball in a school gym, played against computer teams. Your team is the blue DASHERS and you are the player with the yellow ring. Nobody can cross the centre line. Three balls sit on that line at the start of every round, so each round opens with a rush.
Move with W A S D or the arrow keys. Run over a ball to pick it up. Hold the left mouse button (or J) to charge a throw and let go to throw it at the mouse. Hold Q or E as you let go, or swipe the aim sideways while charging, to curve the ball; the dashed aim line shows the real path, curve included. Space, right click or K catches, or blocks if you are already holding a ball. Shift or L is a quick dash. P or Esc pauses and M mutes.
A live ball that hits you puts you out. Catch a ball and the thrower is out instead, and the first of your teammates on the bench comes back in. Each round lasts 60 seconds, and the first team to win three rounds wins the match.
Tips and strategy
- Charge your throws. A ball is dead as soon as it bounces off the floor or a wall, so a weak throw drops short. A full charge takes about 0.7 seconds and throws much faster.
- Time the catch. Press catch just before the ball reaches you. The catch lasts 0.3 seconds and then needs 0.7 seconds to recover, so mashing it leaves you open. Pressing in the last tenth of a second is a PERFECT CATCH.
- Block while holding a ball. With a ball in your hands the catch button blocks instead. The throw bounces off and nobody goes out.
- Curve around a dodger. Good teams lead a moving target and sidestep straight throws. A curved ball bends late, and the curve fades the longer it flies.
- Save the dash. It is a short burst with a cooldown of under a second. Use it to get out of the way of a throw, not just to run around.
- Keep players in at the end. When the clock runs out, the team with more players still in wins the round. A tie goes to sudden death, where the next player out loses it.
What's in it
An eight-team ladder, from the REC ROOM ROOKIES to the HALLWAY HOUNDS, CUL-DE-SAC KINGS, BOULEVARD BRUISERS, NEON VIPERS, IRON PONYTAILS, MIDNIGHT MOOSE and finally THE CHAMPS. Each step up reacts faster, aims straighter, catches and dodges more often and curves more. Your own teammates get better as you climb too.
Up to three stars per team: one for the win, one more if you lost at most one round, and one more if you never went out.
Big arcade moments: a pause on every hit and catch, slow motion when you go out or make a perfect catch, screen shake, ball trails in the team colours, a crowd that jumps on big plays and confetti when you win a round. The whistle, crowd, throws and thwacks are all made in the browser.
In your first match, short tips appear as you go: grab a ball, then charge it, then try a catch.
Questions
How long is a match?
Usually a minute or two. Rounds are often over well before the 60 second clock runs out.
What happens when I am out?
You go to the bench, and you are first in line to come back when a teammate catches a ball. When you come back you are safe for about a second.
Can I play on a phone?
Yes. A floating stick under your left thumb moves you. Hold THROW and let go to throw at the enemy in front of you, dragging sideways on it to curve, and use the CATCH and DASH buttons. It plays best in landscape.
Does it save?
Yes, in your own browser: which teams you have unlocked and your stars. Clearing your browser's site data clears them.