As regular readers will be aware, I tend to focus on roguish experiences here – it’s not just a clever name, after all. The plan has always been to broaden the appeal of what I’m doing here to include more people, and do this by widening the scope of my work to include interesting games of all types. That’s what I’m doing here.
What kind of game is Kill Knight, then?
Developer PlaySide calls it “an ultra-responsive arcade-inspired isometric action shooter” and while I tried to boil it down differently, that’s a pinpoint description and better than I could do. What the official blurb doesn’t mention is that Kill Knight is proper hard.
Set in the eternal void, Kill Knight has you battle through arenas that are filled with Eldritch terrors who relentlessly slash and claw and blast away at you. You’re armed with an assortment of pointy weapons and guns but, even so, just staying alive is a challenge as wave upon wave of enemies rush at you.
Simply put: you mustn’t die. Staying alive is harder than it sounds, though. To keep the lights on and your combo going you’ll need to combine a steady aim with a strong control of the game’s interlinking gameplay systems. However, this is where Kill Knight reveals itself to be more than just a mindless blastathon.
Dancing with demons
Kill Knight is relentless and punishing. To fight back against the never ending horde you’ll need a firm hand over the game’s nuanced combat system. Here’s how it works:
There is a ranged attack that works best when you time your reloads to perfection. You’ve got a limited use shotgun that you charge with melee attacks. Finally, there’s a secondary weapon that you charge with the crystals dropped by your enemies, and doing so lets you unleash a powerful attack that turns your enemies into health points.
Underpinning this is a combo system that incentivises front-footed play, because earning higher points totals involves stringing together extensive killing sprees. Everything here is geared towards creating a pure and unrelenting arcade experience; one where you’re rewarded for you clever offensive play with the means to keep going.
Kill Knight’s impeccable atmosphere
From a visual perspective, Kill Knight is gritty and harsh, but the stylised environments contrast well to the otherworldly enemy designs. The low-fi visuals and the constant barrage of enemy fire reminded me a little of Devil Daggers. Even if the perspectives are rather different, both games surround you with death and darkness.
The other games that I was reminded of are Doom Eternal by id Software and Nex Machina by Housemarque. Doom because of the combat system and how it drives aggressive play, and Nex Machina because of the isometric perspective and the stylised presentation. What all three of these games have in common is that they offer pure, distilled arcade gameplay that invites total immersion from the player.
PlaySide’s twin-stick arcade shooter is deceptively nuanced and thoroughly engrossing, but it’s certainly not for the faint of heart. However, if you’re looking for a game that can challenge you and stretch your skills, Kill Knight stands ready to test your mettle.
Kill Knight is out now on PC, PS, Switch, and Xbox platforms. I played the game via access provided by the developer and their PR buds.
