I’ve been given the opportunity to review and play the roguelike/roguelite deck-builder Knock on the Coffin Lid. And whilst I’m playing through it at the minute, I think it’s well worth a “Quick Look” style post to bring everyone up-to-speed with it.
So what is Knock on the Coffin Lid and what’s it about?
We’re doing a full review in the coming weeks, so this won’t be super in-depth, but it’ll cover the basics and we can build off that next time.
Knock on the Coffin Lid
This id a role-playing and strategy video game set in a dark fantasy world. You wake up in a mysterious crypt with no memory of how you got there. Accompanied by an enigmatic stranger, you embark on a journey to uncover the secrets of your own death and break free from a seemingly endless time loop.
Using cards and building decks for combat, similar to Fights in Tight Spaces, or Marvel’s Midnight Suns. Perhaps more aptly compared to Monster Train and Slay the Spire.
Visually, Knock on the Coffin Lid looks much better than Slay the Spire, which feels like the most obvious comparison.
There’s a storyline, voice-acting, multiple heroes and paths to choose. The offering in general for a game of this type, is exceptional.
Early doors, I’ve been very impressed with Knock on the Coffin Lid.
Combat
Combat feels similar to Monster Train and Slay the Spire, for sure. You draw cards each round, you have some many points to use, each turn. Each card takes varying amounts of these points and you work on prioritising either attack, defence or buffs/debuffs.
Knock on the Coffin Lid is tactical, but fast. You draw, they draw, you react an so on. It’s deeper than you’d think at first glance, and it’s become one of my favourite styles of turn-based combat in recent years.
I’ve not unlocked enough of the other characters yet, to determine preferred playstyles. But it feels excellent straight out of the gates.
Narrative
I don’t know enough of the story yet, and want to save it for the full review, anyway. However, Knock on the Coffin Lid actually has a story, it has rich, deep dialogue and it’s even voice-acted for the most part. The quality here is beyond the likes of some of the competition in the genre, for sure.
It’ll be super interesting to see how it goes as I play through it.
On-deck
One other aspect that I think we should share immediately, is how well it plays on the Steam Deck. A game like Knock on the Coffin Lid is absolutely perfect for portable play, and it runs like a charm.
I’ve played in bed, I’ve taken it on work trips. It just runs, and you get to have the classic rogue like “one more run” because of the convenience of being able to take it with you.
So far, so good
It’s early doors, but Knock on the Coffin Lid feels like it does everything right. Accessible, deep, rich and delivered in a really slick, well put-together package.
I’ve got a feeling the story will unravel at a decent pace so I can understand what’s going on, and more importantly, how it ends.
For now though, it’s a great game to just have a run, then maybe another later. Knock on the Coffin Lid has so much going for it, it feels like a best-in-class for this kind of game. But we’ll know more as we play more!
Come back here soon for the full review, and look out on Twitch for some of my playthroughs.