Starry Knight

About

"Starry Knight" is a 2D boss rush game set in the paintings of Van Gogh, where you fight bosses representing the artist's struggles. With unique battle mechanics, boss design, and abilities to gain, the game offers fun and challenges for players of all skill levels. Carefully designed normal, easy, and hard modes are available, and controller compatibility adds to the accessibility.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 122 reviews

graphics26 positive mentions

grinding8 negative mentions

The game features a stunning art style that beautifully brings Van Gogh's paintings to life, creating a unique visual experience.
The boss designs are creative and varied, providing a thematic connection to Van Gogh's life and struggles, making the gameplay engaging.
The game offers a heartfelt tribute to Van Gogh, with a touching story and emotional soundtrack that resonates with players.

The combat mechanics are clunky and frustrating, with issues such as input lag and a lack of effective defensive options, making boss fights feel unfair.
The game can be overly difficult, especially on normal mode, leading to a frustrating experience for players who may not be familiar with challenging gameplay.
Some players found the gameplay repetitive and lacking depth, with limited movement options and a short overall length.

graphics
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
31%
7%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and coherent art style, heavily inspired by Vincent van Gogh, which creates a visually stunning atmosphere. While the visuals are described as beautiful and evocative, some reviews note that the animations may appear low-budget, and the gameplay experience does not always match the high-quality visuals. Overall, the art style is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal and thematic depth.
- “The game play, the visuals, the soundtrack, and the storyline all add up to make this game one of the most memorable experiences.”
- “This game has beautiful graphics, and the bosses go well with the Van Gogh theme!”
- “The atmosphere, music, and graphic style were superb and exceptionally pleasing to the eye.”
- “I know it looks pretty, but the experience of playing it is not consistent with the visuals.”
- “The art style looks distinct and very evocative, and while some of the animations are on the low budget side, it still manages to pull off some very suggestive visuals.”
- “Still, this game is one of the most unique aesthetics I've seen all year, and you'll love it if you love Van Gogh or if you're a masochist.”
gameplay
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
63%
16%
The gameplay is characterized by janky mechanics and clunky controls, which can make combat feel frustrating and tedious, particularly during boss fights. While some players appreciate the unique mechanics and artistic elements, many find the lack of fluidity and poor blocking system detracts from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the game remains engaging for those willing to adapt to its challenges.
- “The gameplay feels a little janky but it's fun, and you never feel confused even though the game doesn't give you tutorials on each of the individual gimmicks.”
- “The fighting mechanics can take a bit to get used to, but the game is very fun and keeps you engaged!”
- “I actually love the unique mechanics that each boss fight brings!”
- “Mechanics are janky and some boss mechanics aren't well explained.”
- “The blocking mechanic feels like it only decreases the damage you take by like 50%, and the shield wind-up is so long that some attacks will hit before you can activate it at all.”
- “There are new annoying mechanics that make the fights straight up worse, and in various cases you are just going to take sensible damage without any way to avoid it, because the different elements spawn/activate together at the worst time/place.”
story
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
62%
13%
The game's story, while somewhat light due to its focus on boss battles, is described as honest, inspiring, and memorable, effectively conveying the tragic and adventurous life of Vincent van Gogh through allegorical interpretations. Players appreciate the integration of beautiful artwork and music, although some find the storytelling execution to be inconsistent. Overall, the narrative successfully evokes feelings of hopelessness and descent into madness, enhancing the game's emotional impact.
- “The game play, the visuals, the soundtrack, and the story line all add up to make this game one of the most memorable games.”
- “A quick game that tells the story of Vincent van Gogh in an adventurous but tragic way.”
- “Since the game largely focuses on its boss battles, it's a little light on story.”
- “If the idea was to make you hopeless and slowly descend into insanity and suffering as the story of the game goes, I'm sorry to say that that's been achieved.”
- “The story tries to interpret the artist's life in an allegorical way, which sometimes works but others seems rather awkward.”
music
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
35%
15%
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, contributing significantly to the game's emotional depth and memorability. While the soundtrack is described as exceptional, some reviewers noted that the tracks are relatively short. Overall, the combination of music, visuals, and storytelling creates a captivating experience, despite some frustrations with gameplay mechanics.
- “The music, everything about this game is perfect.”
- “The atmosphere, music and graphic style was superb and exceptionally pleasing to the eye.”
- “The game play, the visuals, the soundtrack and the story line all add up to make this game into one of the most memorable games.”
- “After reading a few of the other posted reviews, the common themes running through them is that the visual design and accompanying music is immensely pleasing, but that the combat is frustrating due to the controls and the length lacking.”
- “To start off, I love the art, music, story, and ideas of this game; however, it's just the gameplay itself.”
- “This agony of being seen as a burden and madman, feeling useless and only able to express oneself through music, is why Vincent is popular.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its emotional depth, featuring stunning art inspired by Van Gogh and a somber soundtrack that enhances its heartfelt tribute to the artist and the broader artistic community. Reviewers find it touching and kind, emphasizing its ability to evoke strong feelings.
- “A heartfelt tribute not only to Van Gogh, but to all artists.”
- “Very kind and heartfelt game about Van Gogh.”
- “Touching.”
grinding
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly criticizing the combat mechanics as clunky and unrewarding. Despite some thematic appreciation for the game's narrative, the repetitive nature of gameplay detracts from the overall experience.
- “The worst part of the game was its combat, which is in reality the whole gameplay, which was tedious and unrewarding, even after getting used to the clanky actions of the character.”
- “He is tedious and frustrating.”
- “The grinding aspect of the game feels repetitive and lacks any meaningful rewards.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted to be limited, with Chapter 1 receiving some praise for its comedic elements, but players feel that the humor does not extend beyond that initial chapter. Overall, the game's beauty is highlighted, but it lacks sustained comedic value, leaving some players disappointed.
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its exceptional art style, music, and graphics, with many reviewers rating it a perfect 10/10. Overall, it creates a visually stunning and immersive experience that enhances gameplay.
- “The atmosphere, music, and graphic style were superb and exceptionally pleasing to the eye.”
- “The art style and the atmosphere are 10/10.”

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Starry Knight

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Starry Knight

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