Rune Knights
- November 7, 2020
- Aeromir
- 5h median play time
Get on SteamIn Rune Knights, players become superhero knights with elemental powers, battling monsters and completing quests in a fantasy world. With hack-and-slash combat and character customization options, players can upgrade skills, weapons, and armor. Play solo or with friends in online cooperative mode, tackling challenges and dungeons for epic loot and rewards.
Reviews
- Rune Knights offers a fun and engaging gameplay experience with a variety of build options and character customization, making it enjoyable for both solo and co-op play.
- The developer is highly responsive to community feedback, regularly implementing updates and fixes, which enhances the overall experience and shows dedication to improving the game.
- The combat system is dynamic and allows for creative combinations of skills and abilities, providing a satisfying hack-and-slash experience reminiscent of popular ARPGs.
- The game is still in early access and feels unpolished, with issues such as clunky animations, repetitive level design, and a lack of a compelling narrative.
- Enemy AI can be problematic, with some enemies being overly aggressive or poorly designed, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- Performance issues and bugs are prevalent, which can detract from the overall enjoyment, especially in multiplayer sessions where lag and crashes may occur.
- gameplay32 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally praised for its solid mechanics, enjoyable combat, and build diversity, offering a mix of ARPG and MMO elements that can be both fun and addictive. While some users note that the visuals are rough and the initial hours may feel slow, the game shows significant potential for expansion and improvement, especially as it is still in early access. Overall, players find the core gameplay engaging, with a reasonable price point that makes it worth trying, especially for newcomers to the RPG genre.
“The mechanics of this game are very fun, like the random spells/skills from equipment pieces and the bosses.”
“Gameplay is fun and while it is early access and some other skills etc need a little work to duke it out with the others, the build diversity we have at the moment is pretty crazy.”
“There's quite a bit of potential in this game, it's a lot of fun with the systems currently in the game so far and will be nice to see how it shapes up; it's a fun mix of souls-type gameplay and ARPG loot with Path of Exile crafting.”
“This game has some potential, but it has issues with its gameplay style and feel.”
“The gameplay loop is simple at the moment, but the grind is fun.”
“I will admit the first 30 minutes to an hour are fairly boring, but the game really opens up around level 14-15 when you start to get a hold of the mechanics.”
- graphics30 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that while they are not impressive by modern standards, they can become more tolerable over time. Some users have pointed out issues such as low-quality textures, stiff animations, and a lack of variety in environments, but others appreciate the simplistic art style and find it effective for gameplay. Overall, the graphics are seen as a work in progress, reflecting the game's early development stage by a solo developer, and many hope for future improvements.
“The graphics and gameplay are simplistic, yet effective.”
“This is an interesting game and I love the graphics and music.”
“Graphics are smooth for early access, and controls are very responsive.”
“Default graphics settings: for my GTX 1060-3GB, having 'ultra settings' by default feels wrong because some procedural textures, like the fog cascade from castle level 1, dropped my FPS significantly when trying to go through it.”
“Graphics look like a rough build (like placeholders). Animations feel stiff; there is no 'joy of movement.' I could go on, but every aspect of this game is either mediocre or bad.”
“The loading screens suggest a very strong aesthetic and theme, but right now the characters, mobs, environment, and graphic style feel disjointed and asset-like.”
- story23 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 35 % negative mentions
The consensus among users is that "Rune Knights" lacks a significant story, with many describing it as nearly nonexistent or merely placeholder content. While this absence of narrative may deter players seeking a strong storyline, others appreciate the focus on combat and gameplay mechanics, suggesting that the game is more suited for those who prioritize action and looting over storytelling. Overall, players recommend waiting for a more polished release if narrative depth is a key interest.
“If you prefer games with a strong story/narrative focus, open world games with large maps to explore, or you prefer games with more forgiving combat systems, this game probably isn't for you.”
“However, if you are looking for a good story, I suggest waiting till release.”
“If you care about narrative at all, hold off till a final release - everything story-wise is just placeholder.”
“The minus is it stops being fun after you get to level 20, which is shortly after the story is done.”
“It has a few shortcomings like its lack of a story, reasonably dated graphics due to the engine and less than ideal immersion.”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is a mixed experience; while it offers enjoyable combat and a rewarding loot system that encourages replayability through higher difficulty missions, some players find it can feel overly grindy and lacking in content. Despite these concerns, the game's charm and the thrill of experimenting with builds and farming for legendary items keep players engaged. Overall, it appeals to those who enjoy a Diablo-style grind, though it may not satisfy those seeking a strong narrative.
“I had some mild fun with this, but due to its lack of content it just feels like a grindy mess that doesn't really feel fulfilling to play, but still has its charm.”
“But what's here is fun if a tad unbalanced and a bit grindy.”
“If you are looking for story this definitely isn't for you at its current stage - but if you like fun dark souls-esque combat, trying new skill builds and class combinations and farming for that best in slot legendary item then there is a lot here.”
- optimization9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews; while recent updates have significantly improved performance and resolved heating issues, some players still experience hardware-related crashes and performance problems, particularly in cooperative play with multiple summoners. Users with lower-end systems may struggle, indicating that the game requires more robust hardware for optimal performance. Overall, while many find the game enjoyable and smooth, further optimization is needed for a broader range of systems.
“You get 30 points in all, and every 5 points you spend in a tree unlocks a selection of passives to improve your performance in that role, and every 10 points unlocks an ultimate ability.”
“The game is a ton of fun, plays smoothly, is well optimized, and has great potential.”
“Good stuff, if the graphics get optimized so that my system doesn't start choking, I will for sure come back.”
“If you value your hardware, I wouldn't play this at this point in time; the optimization is horrible.”
“I have top FPS (which I intentionally capped at 60 to prevent overheating), but I still experience hardware-related crashes.”
“- overall performance requires more than a potato PC.”
- music6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the graphics and find the soundtrack enjoyable for background play, others criticize it as mediocre and repetitive. Additionally, there are reports of the game crashing when attempting to listen to music, which detracts from the overall experience.
“The skill system, merchant, maps, enemies, music, etc... it's surprising that it's all created by one guy.”
“This is an interesting game and I love the graphics and music.”
“It's a good game to just throw on some music in the background and zone out while clearing some zones and gathering loot.”
“Listening to music or doing anything causes the game to crash all the time.”
“The soundtrack is, for the most part, mediocre and repetitive.”
“It's surprising that the skill system, merchant, maps, enemies, music, etc. are all created by one guy.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant bugs, glitches, and performance issues, such as low frame rates and loading screen problems, particularly in cooperative play. However, some users have noted a lack of glitches in their experience, suggesting that stability may vary between players. Overall, while there is potential for improvement, the current state is seen as problematic by a majority.
“It's way too short (I've played it through entirely 2 and a half times in 11 hours), it's buggy (loading screen glitches in co-op, falling into water with no way out, I seem to be getting less than 20 fps most of the time with everything on low, with the latest NVIDIA drivers etc., even though I get 144 fps in AAA titles), the balance is terrible (don't bother rolling anything other than a melee class).”
“- buggy as hell”
“There are bugs, glitches, and weirdness every once in a while but I think the team here is onto something special and I look forward to any future updates that may be coming this way!”
- humor2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky and irreverent elements, such as the amusingly antagonistic character of the laughing goblin and the absurdity of weapon names and mechanics, which contribute to a lighthearted and entertaining experience.
“The laughing goblin is an absolute riot!”
“Weapons like dual something, sword, hammer, staff, shield, and bow add to the humor with headshot damage, which is very confusing but hilarious!”
“The game's quirky characters and absurd situations keep the laughter coming.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its effective use of tone, colors, and lighting, which collectively create an immersive and engaging environment.
“The tone, colors, and how lighting works create a fantastic atmosphere for this game.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players note that while the game could benefit from a deeper story and endgame content, it offers significant replayability through higher difficulty missions and gear farming, making it enjoyable for those seeking extended playtime.
“The game has incredible replayability in the form of higher difficulty missions and gear farming.”
“Still needs a story and some depth, but not every game needs to entertain you for 300+ hours in order to be good.”
“Still needs a story, some depth, and replayability, as well as endgame content. However, not every game needs to entertain you for 300+ hours to be considered good.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game has been criticized for feeling like a cash grab, with players expressing disappointment that it does not meet expectations for its $15 price tag, leading to a lack of engagement and enjoyment.
“As someone who loves looter games and dungeon crawler ARPGs, this really doesn't feel like it's up to par even for the $15 price tag. It just felt cash grabby and was boring.”
