Starry Knight

About

Starry Knight is a single player hack and slash game. It was developed by Peace Blvd Games and was released on December 15, 2021. It received positive reviews from players.

"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

Skip User Reviews

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 64 reviews

graphics14 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

The game features stunning visuals and a unique art style that beautifully brings Van Gogh's paintings to life.
The concept of a Van Gogh-themed boss rush is original and adds a lot of character to the game, making it a heartfelt tribute to the artist.
Despite its flaws, the game offers a challenging experience that can be rewarding for players who enjoy mastering difficult mechanics.

The combat mechanics are clunky and frustrating, with limited defensive options and long cooldowns on offensive abilities, making battles feel tedious.
Boss fights can be excessively long and punishing, especially the final boss, which lacks checkpoints and features unfair mechanics.
The game suffers from input lag and a lack of proper movement options, which detracts from the overall gameplay experience.

graphics
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
22%
14%
The game features stunning visuals with a unique and coherent art style inspired by Vincent van Gogh, creating an immersive atmosphere that enhances the overall experience. While the graphics are widely praised for their beauty and thematic consistency, some players note that the animations may appear low-budget in places, and the gameplay does not always match the high visual quality. Overall, the art direction is considered one of the game's standout elements, contributing significantly to its charm and memorability.
- “The game has great visuals, the idea of a Van Gogh-based boss rush is really original and adds a lot of character, and there's clearly a lot of love put into making it.”
- “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.”
- “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.”
gameplay
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it janky and clunky, particularly criticizing the combat mechanics and boss design for being frustrating and poorly explained. While some appreciate the unique mechanics of boss fights and the overall fun factor, others feel that the lack of fluidity and depth in combat detracts from the experience. Overall, the game presents a challenge that can be engaging, but it suffers from significant mechanical issues that hinder enjoyment.
- “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!”
- “Gameplay-wise, it is quite a challenge, as your blocking abilities negate only some of the damage and it can be clunky, forcing you to be patient and read attack patterns that can be really against your odds.”
- “Mechanics are janky and some boss mechanics aren't well explained.”
- “The blocking mechanic feels like it only decreases the damage you take by about 50%, and the shield wind-up is so long that some attacks will hit before you can activate it at all.”
story
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The game's story is praised for its artistic interpretation of Vincent van Gogh's life, blending beautiful visuals and music with a compelling, albeit brief, narrative. While some players find the story inspiring and memorable, others note that it is somewhat light, primarily serving as a backdrop to the gameplay, which focuses heavily on boss battles. Overall, the story effectively conveys themes of hopelessness and suffering, resonating with players who appreciate its artistic ambition.
- “The game play, the visuals, the soundtrack, and the storyline all add up to make this game one of the most memorable experiences.”
- “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
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
30%
20%
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers noting that it complements the stunning visuals and compelling story. While the soundtrack is considered memorable, some players feel that the tracks are relatively short. Overall, the music significantly contributes to the game's emotional depth and immersive experience.
- “The music, everything about this game is perfect.”
- “The gameplay, the visuals, the soundtrack, and the storyline all add up to make this game one of the most memorable games.”
- “The atmosphere, music, and graphic style were 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 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.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its stunning art inspired by Van Gogh, complemented by a somber and emotional soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Reviewers describe it as a heartfelt tribute to Van Gogh and artists in general, evoking deep emotional responses.
- “The art is top notch (for it is basically a sample of Van Gogh's art) and the sound has a somber and emotional tone to it.”
- “A heartfelt tribute not only to Van Gogh, but to all artists.”
- “Very kind and heartfelt game about Van Gogh.”
grinding
4 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 thematic depth, the repetitive nature of gameplay detracts from the overall experience.
- “He is tedious and frustrating.”
- “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.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted to be limited, with some players finding only the first chapter amusing, while others feel the overall experience lacks comedic value. Despite its beauty, the humor does not resonate strongly with all players, leading to mixed feelings about the game's entertainment factor.
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users highlighting the exceptional art style, music, and graphics, all contributing to a visually stunning and immersive experience. Overall, it receives top marks for its captivating ambiance.
- “The art style and the atmosphere are 10/10.”
- “The atmosphere, music, and graphic style were superb and exceptionally pleasing to the eye.”