Knights in Tight Spaces takes everything that made Fights in Tight Spaces so enjoyable, tosses in a few new mechanics without touching the fundamental nature, and comes out with yet another enjoyable deck-builder game.
"Knights in Tight Spaces" is a turn-based tactical game set in medieval times, where you build on the gameplay of "Fights in Tight Spaces." Engage in action-packed levels with striking visuals and an electronic soundtrack. Master your surroundings and strategically assemble your party to unlock deck synergies and team-up moves for success. With 300 cards, various classes, and gear to equip, plan your moves carefully.
Knights in Tight Spaces expands on the gameplay of Fights in Tight Spaces with new mechanics, including a party system and equipment options, adding depth and variety to the tactical experience.
The art style and music are engaging, creating an immersive atmosphere that enhances the overall gameplay experience.
The game offers a satisfying core combat loop that rewards strategic planning and clever use of character abilities, making each encounter feel rewarding.
The UI can be confusing and cluttered, making it difficult to read important information during combat and leading to potential mistakes.
Runs can feel repetitive due to the linear nature of the story mode, with many encounters being the same across multiple playthroughs.
Some mechanics, such as the shared deck among party members, can lead to frustrating situations where players are unable to utilize certain cards effectively.
gameplay
245 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
65%
6%
The gameplay of "Knights in Tight Spaces" is generally praised for its addictive and engaging mechanics, particularly the introduction of party dynamics and tactical depth that enhance combat strategies. However, many players express concerns about balance issues, repetitive elements, and the complexity of new mechanics that can detract from the overall experience. While the core gameplay remains solid and enjoyable, it is hindered by design flaws and a lack of meaningful upgrades, leading to mixed feelings about its value compared to its predecessor.
“Squad tactics and mixing and matching classes as well as gear and build updates add a new dimension to an already addictive and satisfying gameplay loop.”
“The gameplay is really fun and just as good as 'Fights in Tight Spaces' was; sound effects are still great, but most importantly, the visuals are just perfect.”
“Knights in Tight Spaces takes everything that made 'Fights in Tight Spaces' so enjoyable, tosses in a few new mechanics without touching the fundamental nature, and comes out with yet another enjoyable deck-builder game.”
“Given the lack of depth in the gameplay, it’s hard to recommend the game at its current price point, as it doesn’t offer a lot of value in terms of overall experience.”
“The plethora of issues, unpolished elements, and weird game decisions are constantly producing points of frustration, even as the core gameplay remains solid.”
“The core gameplay remains promising, but it can't possibly carry all the mess alone.”
story
170 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
85%
6%
The story in the game is generally viewed as long and repetitive, with many players noting that it lacks significant variation across runs, leading to a sense of monotony. While there are some enjoyable dialogue moments and side quests that add minor rewards, the overall narrative is considered bland and often feels like filler, with players expressing frustration over the need to replay the same missions after failures. Additionally, issues with RNG affecting mission objectives and a lack of meaningful choices further detract from the storytelling experience.
“I also think they have fine-tuned the story elements nicely.”
“The in-game classes feel significantly different from each other, the story campaign is competently written fun traditional fantasy schlock, and party-based combat is an absolute banger.”
“This game has more of a story and a team of 3 fighters in a fantasy world battling a more varied group of enemies, and so the likelihood of the perfect cards and the perfect setups are gone.”
“The story mode is barebones.”
“The story is a complete filler, thus after the first time you will skip all dialogues.”
“What is not okay is having to run through the same boring story with the exact same encounters every time.”
graphics
102 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
60%
6%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some praising the unique art style and vibrant visuals, while others criticize it for being overly complex and difficult to read during gameplay. Many players appreciated the detailed environments and character designs, but noted that the new aesthetic can sometimes hinder clarity and focus, especially compared to the simpler style of the previous game. Overall, while the graphics are visually appealing, they may not meet everyone's expectations for readability and polish.
“Knights in Tight Spaces is an enjoyable game with appealing graphics and an engaging early experience.”
“Beautiful, smooth graphic style, fun quick game style and a good variety of classes and options to make this game a refreshing addition to the deck-building RPG genre.”
“The gameplay is really fun and just as good as Fits was, sound effects are still great, but most importantly the visuals are just perfect.”
“I feel like the graphics are a huge downgrade as well.”
“The blend of chromatic colors and cel-shading can occasionally make the game visually pop, but at times, it also makes everything feel hard to focus on, almost giving the impression of a splotchy aesthetic.”
“The mechanics are overcomplex and unsatisfying, upgrades don't feel meaningful, and the graphics lack the clean and slick look that I expected.”
music
89 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
54%
3%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its energetic and engaging quality, often describing it as a "banger" soundtrack that enhances the gameplay experience. However, some players feel that the modern style clashes with the medieval aesthetic, leading to a disconnect between the music and the game's theme. Overall, while the soundtrack is celebrated for its appeal, there are calls for more variety and continuity in its presence during gameplay.
“Music is great, the only disappointment is that there's not even more variety because it's so good.”
“The art, music, and overall gameplay are awesome.”
“The music captures epic, fun and yet slick vibes.”
“Boring and repetitive music.”
“And the music is cringe, it doesn't fit the gameplay at all.”
“At the same time the music really doesn't fit the theme, the theme is lacking somehow, feels rushed.”
replayability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
61%
17%
Replayability in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the introduction of classes and new mechanics that enhance strategic variety, others criticize the lack of meaningful build diversity and a repetitive story that diminishes long-term engagement. Overall, the game's replay value is seen as significant by some, particularly due to unique character options, but is hampered by a less compelling setting and limited gameplay variations.
“The addition of the variety of builds in the knights in tight spaces entry is massive, leading to much more fun and replayability.”
“Great replay value, cool art style, fantastic music.”
“So far in my 3 hours of playtime, I see myself playing this game for a long time due to it having the kind of replayability I am looking for with the different cast of characters you can use.”
“The setting is a bit undercooked, and the replayability of the game - which is a big deal for roguelikes - is hampered by the story mostly being the same.”
“It feels like the starting class doesn't matter that much; you still want the exact same base engine. Some just start farther from your end goal instead of having a different and still viable style. Build variety is low, which kills replayability, and for this genre, it is one of the most important aspects.”
“Another big issue I have is the replay value.”
stability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is notably problematic, with frequent bugs and glitches affecting gameplay, including AI lockups during critical moments and issues with support mechanics not triggering. While some players report minor camera and animation glitches, the overall experience is marred by crashes, particularly on the Steam Deck. Despite these issues, players appreciate the active involvement of the developers and the reliability of save systems.
“Getting your progress halted because of a lockup of enemy turn on the baroness fight and not having a report bug button somewhere has really killed the vibe; turn-based games that don't implement a failsafe to prevent freezes of AI decision-making are not respecting players' time.”
“This is a beta; it's a buggy mess with a bunch of functions not working.”
“The support mechanic is fun but buggy, and doesn’t always trigger.”
character development
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
20%
40%
Character development in the game receives mixed feedback, with some players appreciating the variety and charm of the designs that align with the game's aesthetic, while others criticize the character design as lacking quality. Overall, the character designs are seen as fun and fitting within the fantasy setting, though not universally praised.
“I'm only a few hours in, and I'm pleased to report that so far the same love has been put into the character design, the subtle (and not so subtle) humor, and the variety of cards and enemy types.”
“Love the fantasy/DnD setting, and the art style/character designs are very charming. Yahoooo, fun game!”
“This game is very fun; I really like the art, and the party mechanics are super fun.”
“But the character design is just atrocious.”
“The character designs are not incredible but they are varied enough that they still stand out and match the paper aesthetic of the world around them.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and repetitive, with an overwhelming number of encounters and sections that detract from the overall experience. The meta-progression system is criticized for being poorly balanced and contributing to a sense of monotony, making the gameplay feel laborious and uninspired. Overall, the grinding is seen as a major flaw that negatively impacts enjoyment.
“It is entirely based on grindy and strange meta-progression, making gameplay repetitive.”
“Its tedious, lame, and soul-sucking as you have to do it over and over.”
“There are easily 3x as many encounters in each section as the first game and there's twice as many sections; this gets really tedious when you perfected your build after world 3 and there's 4 more to go.”
optimization
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
34%
44%
The game's optimization has been criticized for significant performance issues, including frequent FPS drops, which detract from the overall experience. Despite being built from the ground up, it suffers from similar optimization problems as its predecessor, leaving players disappointed and hoping for future improvements.
“In the end, it's all about deck building and optimization, and I find myself enjoying the process of creating new strategies with decks and characters that complement each other.”
“I'll be back to give a proper review when I can actually play it, whether that’s when it gets some optimization or I get a new laptop.”
“Also really poor performance, huge FPS drops.”
“It's disappointing that this game was basically built from the ground up and then turned out to have the same kind of problems the first game had, plus poor optimization.”
“I'll be back to give a proper review when I can actually play it, whether that's when it gets some optimization, or I get a new laptop...”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is noted for its humor, effectively standing out in a crowded market where exaggerated expressions are common. Players appreciate its comedic elements, particularly in the context of engaging gameplay, especially during intense combat scenarios.
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
Reviews indicate that the emotional impact of the game is diminished by its repetitive storytelling and encounters, leading to a sense of boredom rather than engagement. While some mechanics are appreciated, the overall narrative fails to evoke strong feelings, making it feel more like a routine experience than an emotionally resonant one.
“What is not okay is having to run through the same boring story with the exact same encounters every time.”
“What is not okay is having to run through the same boring story with the exact same encounters every time.”
“[Somewhat repetitive even for a rogue-like, boring story that is better off ignored]”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's refined yet minimalistic visual style, combined with its medieval flair, effectively creates an engaging and energetic atmosphere. Additionally, the consistently solid music tracks enhance the overall immersive experience.
“The refined, yet still pretty minimalistic visual style alongside the medieval flair suits the game well and definitely creates an energetic atmosphere to get absorbed in. The music tracks are, as always, solid throughout.”