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Spiral Knights

Spiral Knights is fast, accessible and fun until the spiteful pricing system pops up to punch you in the face.
Spiral Knights Game Cover
77%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
grinding, monetization
82% User Score Based on 14,693 reviews
Critic Score 51%Based on 1 reviews

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Spiral Knights Game Cover

About

Spiral Knights is a single player and multiplayer open world hack and slash game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Grey Havens and was released on June 14, 2011. It received neutral reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

"Spiral Knights" is a free-to-play online action RPG where players explore the mysterious clockwork world of Corkus. Players control customizable knights, battling enemies and solving puzzles in real-time combat. The game features cooperative play, crafting, and a variety of weapons and gear to collect.

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Spiral Knights screenshot
Spiral Knights screenshot
Spiral Knights screenshot
Spiral Knights screenshot
Spiral Knights screenshot
Spiral Knights screenshot
Spiral Knights screenshot
Spiral Knights screenshot
Spiral Knights screenshot
Spiral Knights screenshot
Spiral Knights screenshot
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82%
Audience ScoreBased on 14,693 reviews
story374 positive mentions
grinding1.1k negative mentions
  • The game features a charming art style, soothing music, and immersive environments that create a cozy and inviting atmosphere.
  • Cooperative gameplay and engaging combat mechanics provide a fun experience, especially when playing with friends.
  • The emotional depth and nostalgic soundtrack evoke a range of feelings, making the game a comforting escape for many players.
  • The game suffers from excessive grinding and a lack of meaningful content updates, leading to a repetitive experience.
  • Technical issues, including bugs and performance problems, detract from the overall enjoyment and stability of the game.
  • The monetization system is viewed as overly aggressive, with many players feeling pressured to engage in microtransactions to progress.
  • story
    1,665 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of "Spiral Knights" is described as engaging yet incomplete, with many players expressing disappointment over the lack of updates and the abrupt ending of the narrative. While the game features a charming premise involving knights exploring a mysterious planet, the progression often becomes grind-heavy, requiring players to repeatedly complete missions to advance. Despite its appealing art style and cooperative gameplay, the overall sentiment suggests that the story could benefit from further development and more substantial content updates to maintain player interest.

    • “The story and the atmosphere of the game match, co-op is really fun, and building up your gear is really satisfying.”
    • “The story itself is pretty good, although I'm very sad it's abruptly cut off due to the cessation of development.”
    • “The main story missions expand upon this narrative line quite well, and kept me always wanting to move onto the next mission to get more of the story.”
    • “The story is unfinished; there is nothing more to do but rerun dungeon bosses over and over again.”
    • “The game has failed to release any additional game content or story.”
    • “The story hasn't been updated in years, and most likely will never be finished.”
  • gameplay
    1,212 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of Spiral Knights is characterized by its charming, top-down dungeon-crawling mechanics reminiscent of classic Zelda games, offering cooperative play and a variety of combat styles. However, many players find the experience marred by repetitive grinding, a lack of meaningful updates, and pay-to-win elements that hinder progression. While the core gameplay loop is engaging and fun, especially with friends, the overall experience can become stale due to its reliance on grinding and limited content updates.

    • “Spiral Knights is a charming and action-packed online RPG with cooperative gameplay, colorful visuals, and engaging combat.”
    • “The gameplay loop of dungeon exploring and killing monsters is actually challenging.”
    • “The gameplay is fun and can be challenging at times while you discover the clockwork either on your own or in a small party.”
    • “It falls into the trap of most MMOs, with gameplay being either simple chore-esque tasks or grinding the same simple fights over and over, grinding so you can unlock the next grind.”
    • “Gameplay bugs, glitches, or balance problems have a pathetic high chance to be completely ignored, which wasn't the case in 2011.”
    • “The gameplay itself is basic, but not mind-numbingly boring.”
  • grinding
    1,061 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of "Spiral Knights" is a significant point of contention among players, with many describing it as excessively tedious and time-consuming, especially in the late game. While some enjoy the grind as a core part of the MMO experience, others find it frustrating, particularly when it comes to obtaining necessary materials and gear upgrades without resorting to microtransactions. Overall, players recommend the game for those who appreciate grinding, but caution that it can become a monotonous slog, especially for free-to-play users.

    • “Another major plus is that it requires no grinding/farming to achieve the highest level, and even once you have the best gear and have completed all of the regular missions, there's still so much you can do.”
    • “It isn't really grindy at the start and the tutorial is understandable.”
    • “A bit grindy sometimes.”
    • “It falls into the trap of most MMOs of gameplay being either simple chore-esque tasks or grinding the same simple fights over and over, grinding so you can unlock the next grind.”
    • “It is fun but also way too grindy in a way I truly hate; the endgame is an auction house and not actual gameplay, also they locked the best armor in the game behind an event that is crap and that forces you to grind one of the worst types of levels with a 1 in like 50 chance to get the unique enemy you need which then has a 1 in 300 chance to get the item you need.”
    • “I'm not recommending this game because in order to get the full experience you'll need to do an absolutely repulsive amount of grinding (or spend money), which isn't worth it anymore when the in-game population is practically barren, and the actual meat of the game has no chance of ever progressing.”
  • graphics
    904 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of *Spiral Knights* are widely praised for their charming, cutesy art style that combines cartoonish elements with steampunk aesthetics, creating a visually appealing experience. Many players appreciate the game's colorful and vibrant visuals, which have aged well despite the game's older technology, making it accessible even on lower-end systems. However, some critiques mention that while the graphics are enjoyable, they may not stand out compared to more modern titles, and the user interface can be clunky for newcomers. Overall, the game's art style and graphics contribute significantly to its nostalgic and engaging atmosphere.

    • “The art style is unique and adorable, and the combat is simple to understand but difficult to master.”
    • “Spiral Knights presents a charming multiplayer dungeon crawler experience with its colorful graphics and cooperative gameplay.”
    • “The graphics are adorable, and I have nothing but positive things to say about this game!”
    • “The graphics are definitely average, but depending on the person's likeability, it can fluctuate.”
    • “The graphics here are peculiar, somewhat similar to anime, but this, nevertheless, is something different!”
    • “The graphics are pretty basic.”
  • music
    501 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in *Spiral Knights* is widely praised for its charm and nostalgic appeal, with many players highlighting its catchy, atmospheric soundtrack that enhances the overall gaming experience. Composed by Harry Mack, the soundtrack features a blend of chiptune and modern elements, creating a unique auditory backdrop that resonates with both new and returning players. Overall, the music is considered one of the game's standout features, contributing significantly to its engaging and whimsical atmosphere.

    • “The music is beautiful, the visuals are stunning, and it's free.”
    • “The soundtrack is fantastic, and its art style is incredible as well.”
    • “The music hits hard, and the atmosphere it creates is both nostalgic and engaging.”
    • “At times it’s more background noise and ambience than proper music.”
    • “They clearly didn't spend the microtransaction money on improving the stock sounds or expanding the soundtrack to be more than a minute long.”
    • “After a bit of play the music starts to get very repetitive.”
  • monetization
    148 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization system in the game has drawn significant criticism for being overly aggressive and predatory, with many players feeling pressured to engage in microtransactions to progress. While some appreciate the option to purchase cosmetic items, the reliance on in-game purchases for essential gameplay elements has led to frustration, particularly as the game has seen little new content and frequent cash grab tactics. Overall, the monetization model is viewed as a major detractor from the game's enjoyment, with many players expressing disappointment over its evolution into a cash grab.

    • “The game has in-game purchases for cosmetics, which is entirely acceptable to me up to and until it becomes the solitary focus.”
    • “I'm actually kinda proud to say that even with microtransactions and some corporate shenanigans, the game still holds up.”
    • “A nice little MMO that has a nice balance between the in-game purchases you make with money or crowns.”
    • “The sea of microtransactions, the gear upgrading system seemingly being tailored to force you into spending money, the energy system, and the abandonment of this game by the developers save for recycling cosmetics.”
    • “The game further messes up its monetization by not only paywalling accessory slots, but making it so you have to constantly re-buy them.”
    • “The most massive downsides are the extreme grinding required to progress and the pretty much absence of real content updates nowadays rather than just cosmetics that require little effort to make and add practically nothing to the game aside from more and more microtransactions.”
  • humor
    134 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players highlighting its quirky characters, funny gameplay mechanics, and amusing interactions, particularly in cooperative settings. Many reviews mention the charm of humorous glitches and the lighthearted atmosphere that enhances the overall experience. The community's camaraderie and shared laughter over in-game antics contribute significantly to the game's appeal, making it a fun and entertaining choice for players seeking a lighthearted adventure.

    • “Spiral Knights is a wonderful game filled with such cool and magical scenery, cool knights to play and customize, many weapons, and a lot of cool, cute, and funny monsters to fight against.”
    • “The missions and so are more tolerable with a fun group, as the dulling world can take on a new sense of rejuvenation with good talks, funny dialogue, and crazy moments.”
    • “Awesome, colorful, funny game.”
  • atmosphere
    72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its charming art style, soothing music, and immersive environments, creating a cozy and inviting experience for players. Many reviewers highlight the unique blend of visuals and sound that enhance the gameplay, making it enjoyable even for those with lower-spec PCs. However, some note that while the atmosphere is strong, technical issues and gameplay execution can detract from the overall experience.

    • “The atmosphere, story, details, and general gameplay are simple yet extremely effective and fun.”
    • “I absolutely love the art style, atmosphere, music, and the landscapes.”
    • “The atmosphere is amazing; I can just stand in a level and marvel as the cradle turns in the background forever and never get tired.”
    • “Since the beginning, the game has had a special, charming art style that brings a comfortable atmosphere to the now laggy servers, limited content, and slow progression rate that has been developed.”
    • “Although it has a redeeming feature of its friendly casual atmosphere, it can get insanely boring and painful to even bother.”
    • “While simple in design, its gameplay and atmosphere can often surprise you.”
  • stability
    63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous reports of persistent bugs, glitches, and performance issues that have remained unaddressed for years. Players frequently experience crashes, freezing, and clunky mechanics, leading to frustration and a sense of abandonment from the developers. While some find humor in the glitches, the overall consensus is that the game's stability is poor, detracting significantly from the experience.

    • “The game runs great without any crashes or glitches.”
    • “I haven't experienced any stability issues; it runs smoothly.”
    • “The performance is solid, providing a stable gaming experience.”
    • “Poor performance on modern hardware, decade-old bugs and glitches still unpatched to this day, the aforementioned flood of microtransactions, clunky combat, the list goes on.”
    • “Game is so buggy it crashes loading either into parties or right out the gate at launch.”
    • “Without further development, the game will remain a stale and buggy experience, and eventually die.”
  • optimization
    56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of Spiral Knights is widely criticized, with players reporting poor performance on modern hardware, persistent bugs, and a lack of updates from the developers. While some users have found workarounds, such as using third-party launchers to improve performance, the game's underlying issues, particularly its Java-based architecture, contribute to a subpar experience overall. Many players express frustration over the lack of communication from the developers regarding these optimization problems, which have persisted for years.

    • “Everyone that used Knightlauncher from then on were able to enjoy Spiral Knights with added optimization and stability.”
    • “It's written in Java, but there are guides regarding performance improvement that actually work.”
    • “As for performance, the game runs perfectly on my 5-year-old Dell laptop with no upgrades on low settings.”
    • “A decade has passed, but no optimization updates or major updates whatsoever.”
    • “Extremely poorly optimized.”
    • “The servers have been having lag/performance issues for a long time and nothing has been done about it.”
  • replayability
    53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising its endless potential through procedurally generated dungeons and diverse gameplay styles, while others criticize it for becoming grindy and lacking depth after completing the main campaign. Many users highlight the enjoyment of upgrading gear and playing with friends, but note that the replay value diminishes significantly once the endgame is reached, often leading to a sense of repetitiveness. Overall, while there are elements that encourage replayability, the experience can vary greatly depending on individual player preferences and engagement with the game's content.

    • “Playing this game will add replayable fun for years. Even with the storyline complete, you can strive for new gear or try to amass a fortune.”
    • “The game has a ton of replay value and even features its own economy, so hardcore players can enjoy premium content.”
    • “The randomly generated levels also add a bit of replayability to the game.”
    • “Lacking combat depth, balance, and earnest replayability. Once you finish the campaign, there are quite literally 3 more items to get via 4 of the most annoying dungeons in any game ever, and they require microtransactions to access.”
    • “Fun experience which becomes grindy as it goes on, but has minimal replayability.”
    • “Not much replay value to be found, and I have stopped playing for the most part.”
  • emotional
    26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised for its ability to evoke a range of feelings, from joy and nostalgia to heartbreak and introspection. Players appreciate its wholesome nature and beautiful soundtrack, which often triggers deep emotional responses and memories. Despite some criticisms regarding the storyline, many find the game to be a comforting escape that helps them cope with anxiety and depression.

    • “It holds this title both because the game itself is fantastic, and because of the emotional significance it holds to me.”
    • “In a depressing state, and clearly on a downward trend, but still absolutely worth a play, even if only for those heart-wrenching memories.”
    • “It might just be nostalgia that's hitting me hard but every time I start the game and hear the main menu soundtrack I shed a tear.”
    • “The storyline is fun but ultimately boring; I've seen similar plots in many other games. The graphics are good, but that's about it.”
    • “The emotional depth is lacking, making it hard to connect with the characters or feel invested in their journeys.”
    • “While the game has its moments, the emotional impact feels superficial and fails to resonate on a deeper level.”
  • character development
    21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is largely criticized for its lack of depth, with many reviewers noting that it is limited to basic combat skills and minimal dialogue, resulting in a simplistic experience. While the character design is praised for its uniqueness and aesthetic appeal, the overall progression and growth of characters are deemed insufficient, leaving players wanting more in terms of narrative and development.

    • “The character designs are nothing short of adorable, and the game features an enormous variety of armor and weapons (including swords, guns, and bombs) as well as several impressive bosses, with more content being added all the time.”
    • “Another aesthetic positive of this game is the overwhelmingly good character design.”
    • “If you combine decent character design and sculpting along with great texturing of weapons and armor, your character will look great!”
    • “Does not start beyond the character design.”
    • “Most characters have lines of dialogue in the single digits, and character development is non-existent.”
    • “The aforementioned simplicity also applies to the character development process itself, since we have only 2 active combat skills, a pet, the development of which will take more than one hour of the same grind, and several slots for weapons and armor, including additional ones that open for so-called energy, which is a substitute for real, but successfully changes for in-game currency.”
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51%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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78h Median play time
386h Average play time
10-500h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 56 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Spiral Knights is a open world hack and slash game with science fiction theme.

Spiral Knights is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

On average players spend around 386 hours playing Spiral Knights.

Spiral Knights was released on June 14, 2011.

Spiral Knights was developed by Grey Havens.

Spiral Knights has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Spiral Knights is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Aura Kingdom, Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis, Trove, Vindictus, WAKFU and others.