Knights in Tight Spaces Hands-on Preview – Similar Mechanics in a New Setting
[summaraize]
Last week, MP1st was invited to play a handful of games being published by Raw Fury. One such game, Knights in Tight Spaces, is a prequel of sorts, set in the same universe as developer Ground Shatter’s earlier game, Fights in Tight spaces. So, it’s a deck-building, turn-based strategy game, tuned up and set in the distant past. After going a few rounds in the early stages of the campaign, we have some impressions ready, along with confirmation of the upcoming game’s pending release date.
Time to Get Stylishly Medieval
Ground Shatter saw success with their 2021 release, the similarly titled Fights in Tight Spaces. That game has many of the same systems seen in Knights in Tight Spaces, but with a modern, even futuristic setting and an aesthetic more in line with games like SUPERHOT. Knights in Tight Spaces takes things back, all the way back to a medieval setting. Beyond being a change in scenery, this also allows for more fanciful enemies, such as skeletons, mages, etc.
We were able to play through a couple of story missions, which include some text-based cutscenes. These scenes play out with character art surrounding the story on either side, and the story playing out in a chat-like interface. There are occasionally choices to be made during these, with slightly different resolutions to each scene depending on the player’s choices. While we didn’t see it in action, we were also told that sometimes, your choices may cause you to remove a character from your party. You may then see that character later on, as an enemy.
Lots More Cards This Time, Coming Soon Too!
Knights in Tight Spaces is a turn-based deckbuilder game, like its predecessor. Each turn, you draw a fresh hand of seven cards – this time around, there are 300 cards to discover. They have a variety of effects, and cost a certain number of points (here called Momentum). You may use any number of them per turn, provided that you have enough energy to do so. Attacks usually have a limited range, so movement in the battlefield’s grid is important to decide as well. The edges of the grid can also be used to your advantage – if a move pushes an enemy back by a square or more, they can be pushed off the map and instantly killed.
The Unreal Engine is used in Knights in Tight Spaces, and it ran smoothly during our time with the game. From an artistic standpoint, this is easily as stylish as Fights in Tight Spaces, with a bright color palette, and instead of silhouetted characters, they are now more akin to line art. Moves are well-animated, and feature some brutal hits. Some are environment-aware, such as slamming an enemy’s head against a wall, or knocking them over an obstacle (and hopefully, out of the map).
Knights in Tight Spaces looks to be an in-depth turn-based strategy game that fans of the genre will no doubt have some fun with. With 300 cards to collect and utilize, there is sure to be a set of them for every play style. The best part? As of this writing, the release date has been officially announced, and it’s soon: Knights in Tight Spaces is set to release on March 4 for PC via Steam. So, you won’t have long to wait if this type of game piques your interest.
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