KILL KNIGHT Review

KILL KNIGHT is a great game to pull up to kill time whenever you’re in a bit of a time crunch.

Bullethell games are always fun to play, especially when this genre is mixed with top-down shooter. It’s Fall, the season of all things strange and scary. Although this is my favorite season, I’m a tremendous killjoy to be around during this time of year; I don’t need the season and every consumer media outlet in sight to force another horror film and game down my throat.

When things get too intense, I need to step away for a while. KILL KNIGHT seemed like it was going to be another generic horror game that gets released every fall, gets some attention for the season, and then bombs. I wasn’t expecting much. But it’s good, right…?

At its core, KILL KNIGHT is an arcade game with an isometric view and throws a mix of stylized gameplay. In the same vein as a top-down shooter, it promotes an aggressive style of gameplay. While stealth is vital in other games, this one requires constant movement and aggression against enemies; failing to do so will result in a costly failure to advance. You’re given the name of “Kill Knight” and tasked with eliminating the Last Angel.

I guess it could be too much for some people to handle, but it certainly was a bit too much for me at first. But in terms of sheer aesthetics, this game is just pure eye candy. The usage of neon lighting creates an eerie, gothic atmosphere that takes you back in time and plays an image of arcade games from the 1990s, and the scene’s minimalist vintage style is visually appealing enough to hold your attention. Think of it as a cross between Hades and the first Doom.

PlaySide, the developer of this game, didn’t just drop you into it and hope you make it work things out by yourself. Because they’ve added tons of tutorial missions in the game, you can complete any of these in as little as five minutes, and they offer a lot of them, from easy to very challenging.

The combat in KILL KNIGHT is where it’s at the actual selling point of the game; do I even begin? KILL KNIGHT dares you to survive enemies quite literally by entering a layer that throws you on a map. With a shotgun, a sword, and two pistols at your disposal, it’s really up to you how you would go about it. You can also actively reload and set off those sweet chain reactions that’d drop any Doom fan to their knees.

The game’s fast action pace compliments its tactile and responsive controls—and boy, is it smooth—hard to nail something so amazingly you have to give credit where it is due. It rewards players for ruthless playstyles in which slicing, shooting, and avoiding form a rhythm that is incredibly enjoyable. Another strength of the game is the constant, minute-to-minute decision-making.

In addition to pressing buttons, you’ll need to time your reloads, parries, and special attacks carefully. Timing is crucial. Also, it wouldn’t be wise to rely on a single tactic for too long because switching weapons grants access to new goods and abilities; plus, I don’t think it is any fun that way. This makes you think quickly and pushes you to improve.

Because you’re always on the verge of dying while playing KILL KNIGHT, every victory feels much more rewarding. Some of you might find this task appealing, while others may find it too difficult.

Like most survival shooters, the main goal is to stay alive until the waves of enemies pass. Your power improves as you advance through the run, and so do your movement speed and damage. There are many different paths to increasing your power in this game. I love how the setup makes you feel like you’re on a tiny map at first. It can be so deceiving to look back into the past, where you perceived the world in a different light.

However, once you’ve fought the wave of creatures on that floor, you can move on to the next layer. A more formidable elite enemy class will pop up in proportion to the number of enemies you kill. When you encounter boss-type enemies on the second map or layer, things also change.

Not all enemies and environments in KILL KNIGHT are identical. It almost feels like the game’s abundance of enemies is smothering you. Defeating bosses and elites, in particular, requires precise timing and planning, and it’s only normal to feel helpless. Perhaps a nod to life itself?

After what feels like an endless amount of time (maybe no more than eight minutes), you will have reached the end. Sometimes, you’ll have to deal with things like lasers and spinning discs. Your dash will allow you to evade the lasers, and the variety of enemies you will encounter will keep things interesting.

If you are not already sold and entertained, the thrill of killing demons may diminish after a few hours. If you’re into trying to beat high scores, KILL KNIGHT offers a ton of repeat value once you’re hooked. The ability to compete on global leaderboards against players from all over the world, not just your friends, is neat as well. This, in addition to the game’s Master option, which allows you to accomplish all five levels at once and offers an extended difficulty setting, gives you more than enough cause to give it another shot.

Furthermore, there are a lot of weapons to choose from in the game’s enormous arsenal. Currency is earned with each run completed. In the top right corner of your screen, you can make out its outline. Gaining experience levels grants you access to this currency. You can use them to unlock new weapons, albeit the actual quantity varies per equipment. The range is around 2,000 to 3,000. You don’t have to spend all of that currency at once; set some aside for when you’re stuck on a project.

Although KILL KNIGHT effectively captures the essence of arcade shooters, I was kind of disappointed. Something felt missing, perhaps the absence of a compelling leveling system. Even though there are some new missions and weapon upgrades to unlock, the gameplay is essentially the same.

Another thing that I am not quite fond of is the healing mechanism (via the wrath blast, consequently waiting for the meter to go up so that you can harvest the health shard); it is quite paradoxical and indirect the way you have to collect the green shard. The point of the game is to be offensive, but this mechanism annoyingly says otherwise…

The music and sound design in KILL KNIGHT are something the game nailed. Almost every weapon delivers an enjoyable blow, whether it’s a shotgun’s thunderous boom or a sword’s swift slices; I can’t seem to get tired of it. As the action unfolds, the soundtrack picks up the pace, creating an atmosphere of tactile suspense towards the end.

For someone like me who grew up with first-person shooters, the repeated high-pitched bangs can get annoying sometimes. Well, it’s certainly why I’m going to end up partially deaf, but this game gets the sound effects spot on.

There are a lot of things that KILL KNIGHT does well, but I wouldn’t recommend it to someone who would want a plot with a lot of substance. However, I think it goes in the game’s favor. KILL KNIGHT intentionally maintains a straightforward plot.

As a fallen knight, you have been sent into the abyss, and your sole mission is to destroy the Last Angel. That should be all. No matter how much I love my lore and world-building, it’s nice to have a game that I can immerse myself in for short bursts of time without having to catch up on lore. Just a great game to pull up to kill time whenever you’re in a bit of a time crunch.

I see it as one of the games that would do well on the Steam Deck, but unfortunately, as of the time of this review, it is not yet on Steam Deck. Should you give KILL KNIGHT a spin? A resounding yes! A lot of effort went into this game, and it shows. The directions are pleasant and easy to follow.

Their explanations of the game’s rules are clear, absolutely no-nonsense, and fun. This is a case when experimenting works best due to the fast-paced nature of the game. But if you’re a fan of games with this mechanic and style, you should give KILL KNIGHT a go. Speaking for myself, I have thoroughly enjoyed It.