Knock on the Coffin Lid

I really wanted to love this game, as there’s genuinely so much about it that’s wonderful. But alas, despite the potential, the reality of the experience is disappointingly lacklustre. I can’t look past the UI issues, and they affected my enjoyment to the extent that I felt no urge or motivation to keep playing. The game was also plagued by semi-regular freezing/ crashing, which caused significant frustration. The thrilling combat and balanced card variety unfortunately don’t make up for all the issues, and ultimately it’s not a game I can see myself returning to unless there’s a serious overhaul of the UI in a future update.

Knock on the Coffin Lid is a solid entry in the roguelite deckbuilder category. Anyone sick of the other big contenders will have plenty of things to do. Those looking for a bit more story than usually found will get the most out of it.

Ultimately, Knock on the Coffin Lid is a solid rogue-like deckbuilding game with some nice additions and twist from the norm.

Fun fantasy-mystery whodunnit RPG with deckbuilding on top for good measure

I’m torn on Knock on the Coffin Lid. When all elements align, it’s an audiovisually striking turn-based card game with an interesting lore, good player agency, and an addictive combat loop, one that’s easy to understand but hard to master. Yet, a series of difficulty spikes, an obtuse build system,m and a massive amount of repetition ensure that most of the hours spent in the game are wasted behind trial and error and replaying through many times seen before content, with even a handful design oddities that would need a quality-of-life patch or two.

While I did find the game’s balance off at times, and was frustrated by some of the quirks I encountered in the game, I’d still recommend folks check out Knock on the Coffin Lid. It’s clear to me this is a work of passion from a group that loves the genre. If nothing else, it’s a compelling tale with wonderful artwork and solid musical design. Just maybe don’t be afraid to play it on the lowest difficulty, because even on Normal, this deckbuilder will kick your butt.

Knock on the Coffin Lid aims to expand on the gameplay of the Slay the Spire-inspired games by adding an interesting story to follow thanks to charismatic characters, excellent speech, and a highly polished graphical style. Forget the forked progression until you get to the boss, here there is great freedom allowed for exploration thanks to very large maps full of interconnected points of interest. Fighting takes place in the typical style of this genre of video games, and although the many cards available do not introduce great innovation, we are in front of one of the best card battlers around.

If you're a fan of roguelike deckbuilding games and enjoy a challenge, Knock on the Coffin Lid offers plenty of depth and replayability. Just be prepared for some rough edges. You might want to temper your expectations if you value narrative depth as much as gameplay. The game shines brightest when you're fully engaged in its strategic combat and experimentation, but it's not without its frustrations. Ultimately, it's a game worth playing if you're willing to push through the challenges and have a bit of patience.

Knock on the Coffin Lid is an amazing roguelike deckbuilder that offers familiar turn-based card-battling gameplay, great visuals, fully voice-acted dialogue and cutscenes, and a compelling story. However, the game is also plagued by multiple bugs and a few problems that prevent it from catapulting to being one of the better deckbuilding roguelikes of the current era. Thankfully, the devs are actively looking to improve and fix the bugs quickly, so with enough time, it’ll only get better.

Knock on the Coffin Lid is a new favorite of mine. With strong roguelike deckbuilding mechanics, a great setting, and phenomenal art, I’m willing to say Knock on the Coffin Lid will be a new favorite of yours, too.