In a world filled with punishing, unforgiving action games, Kill Knight stands out with its balance of chaos, brutality, and precision. Developed by PlaySide Studios—known for its work on Age of Darkness: Final Stand—Kill Knight enters the scene with a relentless barrage of demon-slaying combat, inviting players to lose themselves in an ultra-responsive, arcade-inspired isometric action shooter. It’s fast, it’s brutal, and it’s addictive.
I couldn’t put the game down from the moment I entered the first arena. Even when my bladder begged for mercy, I pressed on, slicing through wave after wave of demonic horrors in a frenzied dance of death. Kill Knight doesn’t let you breathe. It’s an arena-based game that channels the spirit of titles like Akane or 20 Minutes Till Dawn, where surviving isn’t just a goal—it’s a constant, heart-pounding necessity. Every moment teeters between life and death, and every weapon you unlock feels like a lifeline tethered to your survival.
A Story Forged in Blood
Kill Knight doesn’t spend much time on exposition, but what’s there is just enough to give context to the carnage. You play as the titular Kill Knight, a once-loyal knight betrayed and banished to the Abyss. Now, you rise from your grave, a zombie inside reanimated armor (complete with a pointy hat similar to Blasphemous’s Penitent One), driven by a single purpose: Kill the last angel.
That’s it. No grand revelations or complex character arcs—just pure, unadulterated violence. Your mission is simple: Survive the onslaught, cut through waves of otherworldly horrors, and grow stronger with each battle. It’s a grim tale soaked in eldritch atmosphere, but the real story here is the gameplay, and Kill Knight wastes no time throwing you into the thick of it. You don’t play Kill Knight to experience a grand narrative; you play it to revel in the cathartic joy of annihilating wave after wave of demonic enemies.
Combat: A Bloody, Unforgiving Dance
Combat in Kill Knight is where the game truly shines, offering a visceral, fast-paced experience that’s as brutal as it is rewarding. At the heart of the game’s combat is its intricate resource management system, which encourages you to use every tool in your arsenal.
Every enemy defeated drops blood gems—small but valuable resources that feed into your blood gauge. The tougher the enemy, the more blood gems they yield. As you collect these gems, you can fuel your blood gauge, gradually improving your character’s speed; or, you can manually convert them into wrath energy, adding another layer of strategic choice. Once your wrath meter is fully charged, you gain access to a powerful Wrath Burst attack, a devastating move tied to your current heavy weapon.
Each heavy weapon in Kill Knight has a unique Wrath Burst, allowing you to tailor your approach to different combat scenarios. Meanwhile, as you unleash carnage with your arsenal, your sword surge meter charges in the background. Once full, it allows you to summon a screen-clearing explosion that rains down hellfire on the arena for a few seconds, wiping out lingering enemies and creating a brief reprieve. Alternatively, you can use a portion of the sword surge meter to slow down time immediately after a successful parry, causing enemies around you to move at a snail’s pace for a few seconds. This feature has saved me from countless tight spots, especially in later levels when I was surrounded by a relentless horde.
Your sword itself is no mere backup; it hits hard but leaves you vulnerable, so timing is key. Each strike also generates ammo for your heavy weapon, pushing you to balance ranged and melee attacks. The sword can also parry enemy attacks, stunning foes and opening them up for satisfying over-the-top executions. Combined with the Overdrive mechanic—where perfectly timed reloads enhance your next attack—Kill Knight’s combat becomes a rhythm of precision, power, and brutal efficiency.
A Weapon for Every Play Style
One of Kill Knight’s biggest strengths is its variety of weapons and armor combinations. You have five variations of swords, pistols, heavy weapons, and armor, and no weapon feels underpowered or useless. You can further customize your play style with 10 different accessories that provide benefits such as increased heavy weapon ammo drops or more effective health drops. Whether you prefer a slower, heavy-hitting build or a nimble, crowd-control setup, Kill Knight offers something for everyone.
Each weapon has its own distinct attributes and alternate attack modes. One sword can absorb projectiles while another sword hits harder, knocking enemies back. Pistols and their bullets can switch between rapid-fire bursts or shotgun-like blasts. I settled on a pistol that had a slow rate of fire with bullets that exploded on impact adding splash damage to other enemies. My personal favorite heavy weapon was the Judgecannon, which fires precision rocket launcher-esque missiles that melt through enemy health; its alternative Wrath Burst mortar attack provides excellent crowd control in the more chaotic arenas.
The variety in armor is equally satisfying. Each has its strengths and drawbacks. For example, you can choose a more agile armor set that offers more dashes but has low protection from enemy attacks and arena hazards. I stuck with the Direthorn armor set for most of the game. It could take the most hits and its ability to dash through enemies in exchange for fewer dashes made it a high-risk, high-reward choice, and it became invaluable in Kill Knight’s more confined arenas.
A Deadly Dance in the Abyss
Kill Knight’s combat is brutal and fast, but its beauty lies in its flow. The more you play, the more you sink into a trance-like state—a bloody ballet of bullets, blades, and explosions. Every swing of your sword, every shot from your pistol feels tight and responsive. The timing mechanic for reloads and sword attacks makes combat incredibly engaging. Over time, I found myself adapting to the game’s rhythm, cycling between my weapons, dodging swarms of enemies, and using environmental hazards to my advantage. It’s a game that forces you to stay on your toes and rewards you for doing so.
Yet, take note: The difficulty is beyond punishing, even, at times, on the lowest difficulty setting. In the later levels and on higher difficulties, the screen quickly fills with enemies, lasers, and projectiles so thick that you sometimes lose track of your character. It can be frustrating when you’re overwhelmed by the chaos, but the adrenaline rush of barely surviving a wave is enough to keep you hooked. I easily lost hours trying to get through the game’s five hand-crafted layers, dying and restarting in an endless loop of trial and error.
The game’s challenge settings range from punishing to downright sadistic, and even on the lowest difficulty, Kill Knight offers a serious test of your skills. Completing challenges unlocks additional weapons and armor, but you can also grind your way through the game, earning enough points to purchase new equipment over time. It’s a welcome quality-of-life feature in a genre that often locks players out of unlocking gear if they can’t beat specific challenges.
Beauty in Brutality
Visually, Kill Knight embraces a minimalist yet striking retro aesthetic. The game’s neon-soaked, lo-fi brutalism pays homage to the arcade shooters of the ‘90s, with haunting eldritch environments that evolve as you descend deeper into the Abyss. Each of the game’s five handcrafted arenas is more deadly than the last, with environmental hazards like laser beams and confined spaces adding another layer of difficulty to the already chaotic combat.
The techno soundtrack, pulsing with energy, drives the frenetic pace of the game and enhances the atmosphere, making every fight feel like a desperate, high-stakes battle. The game’s visual and auditory design work together to create an immersive experience that keeps you on edge from start to finish.
Final Thoughts: A Dance of Death Done Right
Kill Knight isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s brutal, unforgiving, and relentless—but it’s also one of the most satisfying action shooters I’ve played in recent memory. The tight, responsive controls, the variety of weapons, and the rewarding progression system all combine to create a game that’s hard to put down.
Sure, the difficulty might turn some players away, but for those willing to push through the frustration, Kill Knight offers a rewarding and exhilarating experience. It’s a straightforward action game that doesn’t waste time with elaborate narratives. You’re here to fight, survive, and master the mechanics. And when everything clicks, it’s like dancing with death itself.
Kill Knight is pure fun—and I can’t recommend it enough.
Score: 9.5/10
Kill Knight, developed and published by PlaySide, is available now on Steam. MSRP: $14.99.
