Review: Knights in Tight Spaces Is Off to a Good Start

Ground Shatter’s Fights in Tight Spaces is one of those games you cite as a a roguelike that feels like it does something new and unique while building upon the deckbuilder concept so popular in recent releases. It’s a tight, fast, fun game that’s easy to enjoy over repeated runs. Knights in Tight Spaces attempts to follow up on that, with the developer’s sequel adding a new theme and extra gameplay elements. There’s promise and potential here, but I feel like those new additions also gum up the works. While Fights in Tight Spaces featured a James Bond style theme with a single agent against multiple foes, the sequel Knights in Tight Spaces goes medieval with fantasy elements and a whole party of characters with different ranges and specialties. I almost like to think of runs as being more similar to Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, with a party of random folk being drawn together toward a common cause. You pick where you’ll go as you travel the world, picking certain spots on the map to determine if you head into fights on small maps, each with their own objectives and foes of varying difficulty, or head to other stopgap spots where you can recover or build your deck up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kGiZQrj8aE&ab_channel=RawFury Of course, that whole party element ends up feeling like Knights in Tight Spaces’ greatest selling point and weakness. When thinking tactically, it’s a super cool idea! New types of attacks for handling foes. Different methods for clearing out stages. New approaches to keep runs fresh! I especially liked the magic users like the Sorcerer and Warlock, since you need to keep their unique traits and spells in mind when attacking and parties with them feel so different from Fights in Tight Spaces. However, the general melee and ranged units can also be quite fun. I regularly happened upon situations when I needed to think about how to best use what I had ahead of me. And in general, these units can work really well and look good doing so. While Fights in Tight Spaces featured a stark, futuristic, minimalist approach, Knights in Tight Spaces features characters and locations that look hand-drawn. The cards in your deck look dated and aged, lending more authenticity. Yet everything is still quite detailed and well telegraphed. You can see the grid, know how your card-based movement will work, and can even immediately pick out opportunities to perhaps “push” opponents off the stage. Images via Ground Shatter Said deck is critical to success. Cards you acquire allow you to move about the aforementioned tight spaces. They let you attack. Some possess additional attributes that allow you to reposition enemies or yourself while performing skills or assaults. Many of these cards are tied to specific classes, though some movement or attack ones can be used by multiple kinds of characters. It’s there that the issue with Knights in Tight Spaces arises. This isn’t a game in which potentially any party combination, deck, or equipment setup could result in success if you’re smart. From my experiences, it is 100% advantageous to try and stick to parties that don’t diversify, so you can guarantee the most efficient deck with enough movement, attack, and skill-based cards to get you through every stage and its goals. Too many classes, and by extension the cards you’d need to make them really great, and your deck is too bloated to be useful when plopped into certain spots. Which can lead to you losing even if you picked up the best equipment for your needs along the way, as you won’t draw the cards that would let your party shine. Images via Ground Shatter However, I do think there’s hope. Knights in Tight Spaces is still very early on in its lifespan. A patch already appeared that fixed a softlock situation that kept me from writing my review earlier. (I encountered “The Past Catches Up” problem before.) The things getting in my way from really getting the most out of it, such as balancing issues, could be addressed. I enjoy Knights in Tight Spaces, but also feel like the game could use a few balancing patches and updates before it hits that roguelike sweet spot. With a few adjustments, this could be a sequel that is the equal of the original Fights in Tight Spaces. For now, it’s just an entertaining game that might put you in a situation where you can’t excel or, in some situations, really win. Knights in Tight Spaces is available for PCs. The post Review: Knights in Tight Spaces Is Off to a Good Start appeared first on Siliconera.

Mar 23, 2025 - 15:05

Review: Knights in Tight Spaces Is Off to a Good Start

Ground Shatter’s Fights in Tight Spaces is one of those games you cite as a a roguelike that feels like it does something new and unique while building upon the deckbuilder concept so popular in recent releases. It’s a tight, fast, fun game that’s easy to enjoy over repeated runs. Knights in Tight Spaces attempts to follow up on that, with the developer’s sequel adding a new theme and extra gameplay elements. There’s promise and potential here, but I feel like those new additions also gum up the works.

While Fights in Tight Spaces featured a James Bond style theme with a single agent against multiple foes, the sequel Knights in Tight Spaces goes medieval with fantasy elements and a whole party of characters with different ranges and specialties. I almost like to think of runs as being more similar to Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, with a party of random folk being drawn together toward a common cause. You pick where you’ll go as you travel the world, picking certain spots on the map to determine if you head into fights on small maps, each with their own objectives and foes of varying difficulty, or head to other stopgap spots where you can recover or build your deck up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kGiZQrj8aE&ab_channel=RawFury

Of course, that whole party element ends up feeling like Knights in Tight Spaces’ greatest selling point and weakness. When thinking tactically, it’s a super cool idea! New types of attacks for handling foes. Different methods for clearing out stages. New approaches to keep runs fresh! I especially liked the magic users like the Sorcerer and Warlock, since you need to keep their unique traits and spells in mind when attacking and parties with them feel so different from Fights in Tight Spaces. However, the general melee and ranged units can also be quite fun. I regularly happened upon situations when I needed to think about how to best use what I had ahead of me.

And in general, these units can work really well and look good doing so. While Fights in Tight Spaces featured a stark, futuristic, minimalist approach, Knights in Tight Spaces features characters and locations that look hand-drawn. The cards in your deck look dated and aged, lending more authenticity. Yet everything is still quite detailed and well telegraphed. You can see the grid, know how your card-based movement will work, and can even immediately pick out opportunities to perhaps “push” opponents off the stage.

Said deck is critical to success. Cards you acquire allow you to move about the aforementioned tight spaces. They let you attack. Some possess additional attributes that allow you to reposition enemies or yourself while performing skills or assaults. Many of these cards are tied to specific classes, though some movement or attack ones can be used by multiple kinds of characters.

It’s there that the issue with Knights in Tight Spaces arises. This isn’t a game in which potentially any party combination, deck, or equipment setup could result in success if you’re smart. From my experiences, it is 100% advantageous to try and stick to parties that don’t diversify, so you can guarantee the most efficient deck with enough movement, attack, and skill-based cards to get you through every stage and its goals. Too many classes, and by extension the cards you’d need to make them really great, and your deck is too bloated to be useful when plopped into certain spots. Which can lead to you losing even if you picked up the best equipment for your needs along the way, as you won’t draw the cards that would let your party shine.

However, I do think there’s hope. Knights in Tight Spaces is still very early on in its lifespan. A patch already appeared that fixed a softlock situation that kept me from writing my review earlier. (I encountered “The Past Catches Up” problem before.) The things getting in my way from really getting the most out of it, such as balancing issues, could be addressed.

I enjoy Knights in Tight Spaces, but also feel like the game could use a few balancing patches and updates before it hits that roguelike sweet spot. With a few adjustments, this could be a sequel that is the equal of the original Fights in Tight Spaces. For now, it’s just an entertaining game that might put you in a situation where you can’t excel or, in some situations, really win.

Knights in Tight Spaces is available for PCs.

The post Review: Knights in Tight Spaces Is Off to a Good Start appeared first on Siliconera.