Wake up with a knock and start your adventure! As I opened the dead man’s coffin, I discovered an innovative roguelike, deckbuilding, strategy game where I was thrust into the boots of a valiant solider turned messenger of vengeance after his men fell around him! Knock on the Coffin Lid is a gritty, slow burning delight where the player is thrown onto the battlefield as Sir Persival, a brave soul who has yet to fulfill his righteous destiny. This unique title was developed and published by RedBoon and serves as an excellent foray into the genre. Without further ado, let us take a look at this dark tale of grim realities, and dig up why I certainly believe that it’s worth your time!
As I began my odyssey of woe, I found myself smack in the middle of all-out warfare as part of a chivalry of knights as we tried our best to stave off hordes of deadly creatures which were slaying my character’s brothers in arms without remorse. My character Sir Persival, being one of those unfortunate knights, was slain during the throws of battle. This is where the “knock on the coffin lid” starts to make contextual sense as though the world may have discarded these fallen knights as casualties of war, one warlock came along and brought back Persival from the edge of oblivion.
After returning from the grave to an otherwise unforgiving world, I quickly came to realize that there would be far more to this game than initially meets the eye. As the story progressed, I found myself exploring a map of the “frontier,” an expansive land of danger and adventure that provided me the opportunity to venture forth on a quest of revenge and discovery. Many of the locations were rich with excitement and intrigue, with a vast number of unique characters, treasure to loot and cards to add to my battle deck!
Among some of the interesting cast of characters, the ones I met were a curious bunch that hailed from various unique factions such as Dwarves, Elves and even Bandits. I never knew exactly what was in store for me as with each decision I made regarding these factions, my path was altered and my alliances shifted in unpredictable ways. Without proper management of these relationships and careful attention to what may seem from the outset as innocuous choices, because trust me when I say that they become far more important down the line, the narrative experience can turn in entirely uncertain and unpredictable directions.
The gameplay features gripping dialogue options scattered across the world that players are trekking across to recover Sir Persival’s memories and get justice for his fallen comrades after having awoken from his untimely death. Featuring some truly engaging card battling encounters, the combat in this death-defying story is surprisingly solid as well! It started off relatively difficult not to become overwhelmed by the complexity of the card system at first, but as I familiarized myself with the systems at play and accepted defeat more times than I’m willing to admit, the combat quickly became an exciting duel to the death where each turn could spell disaster for myself and my unfortunate enemies.
Let’s rewind to the dialogue for a second so I can reiterate that the player’s choices matter! Whether players choose to follow a dwarf to his camp, turn out the pockets of some helpless elves, or any other potentially narrative-changing encounter of the sort, these decisions impact the player’s relationship with the factions involved. Each decision regarding the characters that the player encounters must be made with caution, as making a poor choice will likely impact the run later on.
The grab bag of random events where players can, for example, meet a drunk dwarf or a timid bandit, leads to a consistently fresh and immersive experience each time the player moves to the next point on the map. This was the biggest element of the game that really kept me engaged as I progressed from one location to the next, as I was always eager to see what grand treasure might be discovered, or what dark entities may be waiting around the next corner.
In terms of the visuals and art style, at first glance they sent me right back to when I used to play games on the internet on my mom’s laptop in my youth, such as Adventure Quest! However, this beautifully crafted title is crafted with far more creative care than the average browser title, and I truly felt immersed in each set piece I was battling in. Whether it was an ash covered, scorched battlefield from a raging war or one of the many beautiful forests sprawling across the frontier, I often found myself simply exploring the scene of each battle as well as the world itself.
With its dark and gritty tone, chiseled-chin Persival and fantasy themed card design, I quickly felt the sense of a truly wondrous medieval world which developed around me as sliced and strategized my way across the frontier and into the marshlands afar. I soon forgot that familiar Adventure Quest feel and felt drawn into the grim yet beautiful adventure I was undertaking in an altogether new and exciting way.
With everything seeming good out the lid (pun intended), the only slight downfall I could glean from this crafty little gem, is that while I was given what seemed to be a tutorial on death, I never really got a true tutorial on the cards and how some of them work. While yes, it is an easy concept to grasp for players familiar with somewhat similar titles in the genre, with the cards having a cost value assigned to them which equates to how many cards I could use per turn, the concept could have done with a short explanatory tutorial before being introduced to the war-torn world of Midian.
Some of the ways I had to play the hand that I was dealt would have been a great starter, though with this title being a roguelike, a tutorial or a “how-to” isn’t necessarily part of the rule book. This little bump in the road wasn’t enough to offset my enjoyment of the game by any means, as once I understood how to play my cards effectively and efficiently, I was well into Midian, diving headfirst into each exciting opportunity for adventure.
Overall, Knock on the Coffin Lid is a stunning breath of fresh air for fans of the fantasy roguelike genre, and serves as something excellent to play when needing to scratch that roguelike itch. From its unique storytelling to its well-crafted map design, which ensures you will encounter many different characters, treasures and foes, it truly captivated me with its ever-changing world.
Death could literally be around the next bend, new alliances and chances for benevolent acts, or even just a rusty nail could be itching to give the player a non-healable wound and really mess up their run. I found myself coming away from the game and then instantly thinking about what I could do differently on my next run and how I might play my cards or optimize my deck!
Final Score 9/10
This could have easily been 10/10 if we had a small introductory to the card system!
Bravo to the team over at RedBoon for this fantastic and gripping title!
Knock On The Coffin Lid is available now on PC (Steam), Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5.
