Knights Of The Rogue Dungeon Review: Hop Back to the Golden Arcade Era

Harkening back to the golden era of arcades, Atooi’s Knights of the Rogue Dungeon will hit your nostalgia buttons hard. This quirky action-platformer comes to us courtesy of developer Jools Watsham, renowned for earlier hits like Dementium and Mutant Mudds. Channeling the spirit of classics like Q*Bert, Knights has you hopping a brave hero around randomly-generated dungeon grids. The goal? Turn all the tiles to your color while dodging lethal foes.

It’s a simple premise spiced up by clever twists. Plan your tile route wisely to rack up score multipliers and gain “Knight Power,” letting you smash baddies to bits. But make one wrong move and it’s back to square one. With only a few minutes to clear each dungeon, you’ll be making snap decisions and deft maneuvers constantly. When everything clicks, zipping around to snag that last tile feels incredible.

Of course, one clumsy jump means instant death and starting the whole run over. But as with any roguelite, meta-progression eases the pain. Spend coins on permanent upgrades like extra lives or quicker power activation, making future attempts a bit smoother. It gives you tangible goals beyond chasing a high score.

For only $10, Knights delivers a brisk, moreish challenge stuffed with retro charm. While it may lack the complexity of AAA titles, its old-school arcade spirit still shines through. So if you want some rapid-fire hop-and-bop action with a grindable upgrade loop, Watsham and co. have you covered.

Bopping Around Rogue Dungeons

The core goal of Knights is simplicity itself: turn every tile in a dungeon to your color by hopping on them, one by one. But routing your path efficiently is key. Step on a visited tile and your score multiplier vanishes along with “Knight Power,” forcing you to start over. With only 60 seconds per stage, you’ll be planning several moves ahead constantly. It keeps the pacing brisk and demanding.

Veterans of old-school games like Q*Bert will feel right at home with the isometric angles and tile-turning action. But where Q*Bert only had to worry about enemies and pits, Knights adds new layers with time limits, multipliers, power-ups, and roguelite progression. The result is a more dynamic and fleshed-out experience.

Randomly-generated levels ensure every run feels fresh. But while layouts differ, the basic building blocks repeat often. Expect to see familiar arrangements of enemies, hazards, item tiles, and so on. A dash more variety would be welcome, but the pacing stays relentless enough to keep you hooked. Stage elements do evolve across zones, so it never grows stale.

And oh, those enemies! From bouncing spiders to shuriken-lobbing ninjas, each has attack patterns to learn. Factor their locations into route plans carefully or watch runs collapse in seconds. Then during Knight Power, turn their numbers against them! Some mid-level mini-bosses and major boss battles also intensify the challenge at key points. With so many foes gunning for you, no two runs ever play the same.

Progression comes from a meta-upgrade shop, letting you slowly tune the experience to your liking. Reduce enemy count, gain more tries, tweak scoring — it’s all open for tweaking. Coins from runs let you buy permanent changes to ease future attempts. While the core action stays consistent, your ever-growing roster of boons makes incremental victories feel sweeter over time.

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Retro Roguelite Staples with Modern Twists

Roguelite elements are essential in Knights, making death less punishing through meta-progression. Each run earns coins from bopping foes or landing on marked tiles — with leftover coins after the “death tax” going to your permanent bank. Over time, this coin income lets you unlock major upgrades.

The meta-upgrade shop is the real star. Options to reduce enemy count, boost starting time, or enable quicker Knight Power give you more flexibility in your approach. Maybe cheaper deaths suit your risky style, or extra time permits more careful planning. Buying upgrades between runs lets you tune the balance towards your strengths.

And since new upgrades cost escalating amounts, you’re incentivized to push further for more coins. It’s deeply rewarding to finally afford, say, 10 extra seconds to strategize every attempt thereafter. This long-term progression and permanent character growth really ups the stakes making deaths extra painful — true roguelite fashion!

Boss encounters are also highlights, appearing midway or at the climax of a zone. These quirky baddies have special movement and attack patterns, forcing you to throw out your usual routes. Learning when it’s safe to strike during their cycles is key. But defeat them and you’ll earn sweet rewards…

…Like unique character skins! Nothing gameplay-changing, but a fun cosmetic touch for your avatar. Knights features cameos from Atooi’s older games like Mutant Mudds and Bomb Monkey. Unlocking new heroes from the studio’s storied history is a treat for longtime fans. Other collectibles like background music or concept art provide fun bonuses too.

While the core action remains straightforward, these roguelite hooks should have you grinding ‘one more run’ for hours. And the permanent progression gives a deeper sense of investment compared to playing the mobile version.

Retro Visuals and Controls That Click

While Knights doesn’t push any graphical boundaries, its vibrant pixel art style bursts with personality. Levels have a subtle texture similar to clay that contrasts the flat shading of the hero and enemies. It’s a stylish touch keeping with the diorama-like angles. Animations are smooth and full of character too, from frantic leg spins as you change direction to comical squishes when enemies meet their demise.

Matching the visuals is an energetic chiptune soundtrack that screams arcade charm. Upbeat tunes with catchy melodies and driving basslines capture the tense back-and-forth action perfectly. Each zone features original music too, from the bouncy opening stages to ominous final levels. It’s amazing how much flavor is packed into a few minutes of music per track.

As a Switch port of a mobile title, controls were initially questioned. But the developers nailed translating touch inputs into tactile button presses that feel intuitive. Your hero zips around responsive as can be, which is essential for split-second movements and navigating crowded enemy mobs. Changing direction does intentionally lock you briefly into the new heading; an artifact from the swipe controls but necessary for planning routes. This intentional inertia only adds to the methodical pace.

Between the crisp response and overall stability, Knights performs admirably whether docked or mobile. Load times entering levels are snappy too. It captures that snappy “quarter killer” feel of arcade machines back in the day by keeping the action rapid-fire. Coupled with visuals and audio that pop, it’s a presentation that wholly transports you decades back, which we welcome.

Shortcomings Common Among Budget Titles

There’s no doubting Knights delivers a satisfying core loop rooted in arcade classics. Yet as an indie release, inevitable cut corners dull the experience at times. Most obvious is the $10 asking price, which feels steep given the straightforward gameplay. Budget productions often make tough calls between depth and pricing, but peer titles like Downwell offer more complex ideas at half the cost.

Repetition also creeps in quicker than expected thanks to somewhat recycled level chunks. The random assemble keeps things unpredictable yet familiar building blocks repeat often enough to feel formulaic over a full run. Additional layouts, interactive elements, puzzles or enemy types would bolster longevity substantially at the cost of more development time of course. As is, the pace and challenge distract from recycling well, but moments of “been there, done that” are inescapable.

And for iOS owners, coughing up anything feels dubiously unnecessary given Knights’ striking similarities to Knight Fright. The free mobile version features the exact same core mechanics sans the permanent progression of the Switch release. Sure, a controller inherently feels worlds smoother than touch controls to direct a precision platformer; no question there. But otherwise, both titles feature identical gameplay, enemies, graphics and music. While additions like the progression system and cameos add appreciated flavor, it’s hard to argue you aren’t playing largely the same game available freely on Apple Arcade.

In the end though, nitpicks about originality hardly outweigh what a lean, mean little package Knights delivers for the asking price. As a solo developer production, sacrifices made sense scope-wise and everything players get is sharply polished. Compared to full-price disappointments out there, it succeeds commendably as a snack-sized arcade homage. Just temper expectations going in—not every game needs to reinvent gameplay or justify hundreds of hours.

Smooth Launch and Promising Post-Release Plans

Knights enjoyed a remarkably stable release just recently with no major technical hurdles. A rare achievement for indie debuts, early adopters reported seamless performance and intuitive control schemes. Some minor control tweaks shortly after launch indicate the dev’s commitment to refinement too.

In fact, Jools Watsham has proven reliable for decades revamping old genres into fresh modern experiences. From edgy FPS horror like Dementium to physics platformers like Mutant Mudds, Atooi churns out critically acclaimed titles thanks to Watsham’s veteran direction. Knights continues this trend of reimagining arcade classics through a contemporary lens.

While no DLC has been formally announced yet, the developers actively engage with fans for suggestions. Multiplayer or co-op modes are commonly requested features that fit nicely for eventual updates. The core gameplay and scoring systems lend themselves wonderfully to competitive or collaborative game modes to increase longevity. Other ideas like new power-ups, enemies, hazards or visual themes would also slide in seamlessly.

And that’s the beauty of a game crafted deliberately small in scope—expanding it feels wholly natural rather than rushed or bloated. No convoluted narratives or complex mechanics to account for means pivoting gameplay modes or content is straightforward. Given the developer’s consistent post-launch support too, we anticipate exciting evolutions down the road.

At the end of the day, Watsham delivers exactly as advertised: a polished old-school arcade experience distilled to its pure, engaging essence. Between that realistic scope and his proven track record, additional investments should only augment an already solid retro romp.

Old-School Arcade Goodness

If we could use one word to sum up Knights of the Rogue Dungeon, it would be “fun.” Developer Atooi serves up a concentrated shot of retro flavor that transports you decades back to arcade glory days. It wastes no time jumping into quick burst after quick burst of frantic hop-and-bop action. While a few unavoidable indie shortcomings keep it from being an all-time great, its sheer playability shines through any nitpicks.

As a solo developer production, Jools Watsham works magic crafting so much game with such a small team. Roguelite progression and permanent unlocks enhance longevity past the slightly repetitive core levels. And perfectly responsive controls with a charming pixel aesthetic tie everything together into one cohesive blast. Considering the rock-bottom asking price too, it’s incredible how much energy and spirit Knights squeezes out of simple concepts.

So if you pine for the quarter-munching experiences of yore, look no further. Between loveable presentation, demands for quick thinking, and a moreish upgrade grind, this should satisfy your arcade itch nicely. Just be sure you’re craving a concentrated retro rager rather than a deep epic — then let Knights whisk you back to hop-and-bop heydays in no time. It might lack the scale of far costlier productions, but when it comes to sheer fun factor, this punches miles above its weight.

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