Info about Knights Within:

Official game description:
**Knights Within** is being developed by **Indecision Labs**, a solo developer working on their first public project.
Humanity is fighting for survival against the wraiths that now reign dominant in the world. Thankfully, technology is on our side. Fight your way through hordes of enemies while completing objectives to further mankind's struggle to survive.
Embark on procedurally generated missions to push back the threat of the Wraiths. Progressing through a mission grants randomized modifiers for both you and your enemies. The longer you survive, the crazier the powers get, keeping each run fresh and unique.
Create your own class by equipping gear mods for your various weapons and armor to enhance your preferred playstyle. As one of the prestigious knights protecting humanity, you have access to the most technologically advanced equipment available.
Run missions by yourself, or bring up to 3 friends to fight alongside you against the never ending hordes of enemies in your way.
Play the default mission based mode, completing objectives while struggling to survive. Or try the Gauntlet mode, where your stage progress is saved and the difficulty scales endlessly.
Features
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*   1-4 players (up to 8 supported unofficially)
*   Procedurally generated maps and objectives
*   Free-form combat: maintain control of your movement while always having access to your sword and firearm
*   Loadouts: Equip weapons, add mods to them and choose paths to create your own class
*   In-run progression: rogue-lite style upgrades for both you and your enemies
*   Meta-progression: Unlock and upgrade gear between missions
*   2 game-modes: standard mission mode and an endless difficulty climber

Release date: 15 May, 2024

Categories: Cooperative Multiplayer, Horde Shooter, Third-Person Shooter, Roguelike, Extraction Shooter, Character Customization, Meta-Progression, Tactical Combat


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Engaging gameplay, solid progression (weight 0.96): The game offers a solid core gameplay loop with a blend of action, roguelite elements, and satisfying progression. Players experience a sense of continuous improvement and engagement, with varied enemies and scaling difficulty that keeps the gameplay fresh and challenging, whether playing solo or co-op.
- Fun solo and multiplayer (weight 0.85): The game is enjoyable in both solo and multiplayer modes, with the latter enhancing the experience. The fast-paced, tactical gameplay shines when playing with friends, while the game remains engaging and fun even when playing alone.
- Enhancing perks and progression (weight 0.77): The game incorporates perks, power-ups, and a progression system that enhances the gameplay experience. These elements add depth and replayability, providing players with a sense of continuous improvement and new challenges.
- Similar to popular horde-shooters (weight 0.68): The game is frequently compared to other popular titles like Risk of Rain 2, Helldivers 2, and Vermintide, suggesting it successfully incorporates elements from these games. This comparison helps players understand the game's mechanics and overall feel.
- Surprisingly enjoyable experience (weight 0.52): The game is considered exceptionally enjoyable by many reviewers, with some expressing surprise at its quality given its low price and early access status. Some reviewers express strong positive sentiment without providing specific details.
- Satisfying blend of combat (weight 0.25): The game features satisfying combat, blending ranged and melee options. Melee combat is particularly praised for its weighty feel and mechanics like blocks and parries, while gunplay provides a different but equally enjoyable way to dispatch hordes of enemies.
- Extensive character customization options (weight 0.23): The game provides extensive customization options for weapons, armor, and abilities, allowing players to create diverse builds and tailor their playstyle. This customization adds depth and replayability, encouraging experimentation and strategic loadout choices.
- Active developer, frequent updates (weight 0.17): The game receives frequent updates and improvements based on player feedback, showcasing the developer's dedication and responsiveness. Many reviewers highlight that the game was created by a single developer, which is impressive given the game's quality and polish.
- Unique medieval-modern aesthetic (weight 0.11): The game features a unique aesthetic that blends medieval and modern elements, such as knights wielding guns in castle environments. This combination creates an appealing and memorable atmosphere.
- Great sound and atmosphere (weight 0.07): The game features well-designed sound effects and music that enhance the overall atmosphere. The gritty visuals and dark, grim world contribute to the game's immersive experience.

Common complaints:
- Lacks visual polish and detail (weight 0.21): The game suffers from a lack of visual polish, with blurry graphics, bland coloring, and generic assets.  Enemy designs are uninspired, environments lack detail, and the UI is poorly organized.  These issues detract from the overall experience and make it difficult to spot enemies.
- Needs more polish; janky (weight 0.19): The game is described as 'janky' and 'rough around the edges,' indicating a need for more polish and bug fixes.  This is somewhat expected given the early access status and small development team, but it still impacts the player experience.  Some reviewers also noted loud audio.
- Poor movement and level design (weight 0.12): Several reviewers expressed frustration with movement mechanics, including the running mechanic's FOV change and collision detection issues.  Maps lack verticality and interesting landscapes.  These issues make navigation cumbersome and detract from exploration.
- Unclear UI and tooltips (weight 0.03): The UI is described as bare bones and not very informative, and some tooltips could be worded more clearly. This lack of clarity can make it difficult for players to understand game mechanics and systems.
- Tedious objective design (weight 0.03): Objectives that require players to stay within a specific area are considered tedious and unexciting. This negatively impacts the overall enjoyment of the game.
- Limited ammunition (weight 0.03): Ammunition is limited, requiring players to manage resources carefully. Scarcity of ammunition can be frustrating, especially when facing large groups of enemies.

Gameplay feedback:
- Roguelike shooter with extraction (weight 0.3): The game blends roguelike elements with third-person shooting, melee combat, and extraction mechanics. It features randomized objectives, maps, and upgrades, drawing inspiration from games like Risk of Rain, Helldivers, and Vermintide. Players manage resources, complete objectives, fight waves of enemies, and choose to extract or continue for greater rewards and difficulty.
- Enemies scale and gain mutations (weight 0.12): Enemies gain increased power and new abilities over time, creating a dynamic challenge for the player. Mutators are randomly applied to enemies, while players earn their own by completing objectives, adding another layer of strategic decision-making.
- Extensive weapon and armor customization (weight 0.08): Players can customize their loadouts with guns, swords, spears, and armor, each featuring mod slots that allow for varied effects and attack patterns. Upgrades focus on melee, gun, or passive skills, allowing players to tailor their builds to their preferred playstyle.
- Extraction-based risk/reward system (weight 0.07): Players can extract early with collected resources or continue playing for greater rewards, adding a risk/reward element to each run. Extracting requires reaching the extraction point while fighting off enemies, increasing the tension and strategic decision-making.
- Procedural maps, limited content (weight 0.07): The game features a limited number of maps and game modes, with procedurally generated levels that offer varied layouts and objectives. Missions involve collecting and defending in randomized maps, with distinct enemy types that require adapting strategy.
- Balanced ranged and melee combat (weight 0.05): The game features shooting mechanics for dealing with distant threats and simple but effective melee combat. Melee and ranged weapons are well-balanced.
- Mission loop and cosmetic system (weight 0.04): Completing the extract/continue loop three times finishes the mission. There are 6 different armors available. The game's castle system allows players to buy and sell cosmetic items and weapons, similar to games like Vermintide and Darktide.
- Beacons grant rogue-like abilities (weight 0.03): Activating beacons after completing objectives grants rogue-like abilities, providing in-mission boosts and modifiers.
- Bosses require strategic dodging (weight 0.02): Bosses have mechanics that require dodging and some strategy, adding a layer of challenge to the gameplay.
- Pick-up-and-play shooter (weight 0.01): The game is described as a pick-up-and-play shooter with its own style and charm. This is a general statement without specific details.

Performance notes:
- Good performance and stability (weight 0.15): The game generally runs well, with smooth gameplay and good stability reported across various hardware configurations. Many players specifically highlight positive experiences on the Steam Deck, noting playable frame rates and optimized performance. Some players have reported that the game is well-optimized for new hardware.
- Steam Deck fan noise (weight 0.1): While the game is playable on Steam Deck, some users report that the fan becomes loud during gameplay, suggesting that the game pushes the device's hardware. Some users have reported frame rate dips during intense action sequences.
- Audio settings not saving (weight 0.02): Players have noted that audio slider settings do not persist after the game is closed and reopened. This is a minor but persistent issue that affects the user experience.
- Steam Deck control mapping issues (weight 0.02): Some players have reported difficulties mapping supply drop orders to specific buttons on the Steam Deck. This may indicate control mapping issues or limitations on the device.
- Stuttering on ultrawide monitors (weight 0.02): Stuttering issues have been reported by some players using ultrawide monitors. This suggests a potential incompatibility or optimization issue with ultrawide resolutions.

Recommendations:
- Worth trying; great potential (weight 0.71): Many reviewers recommend the game, especially given its early access state and active development. They emphasize its potential, fun gameplay, and replayability, often suggesting players try the demo to see if they enjoy the core mechanics. Supporting the developer is also a recurring theme.
- Recommended for genre enthusiasts (weight 0.19): The game is frequently compared to and recommended for fans of titles like Helldivers, Risk of Rain, Vermintide, and other horde-style roguelites and third-person shooters. Reviewers highlight the enjoyable gameplay loop, combining melee combat with shooting.
- Anticipating future content (weight 0.04): Reviewers are optimistic about future content updates and feature additions. They anticipate that these updates will enhance the game's value and expand loadout options, increasing replayability.
- Good for solo grinding (weight 0.03): The game is considered enjoyable for solo play, particularly for grinding and killing waves of enemies while listening to music. This suggests a relaxing and engaging experience even without cooperative play.
- Translation is desired (weight 0.01): One reviewer mentioned they would buy the game again if it was translated in the future. This indicates a desire for broader accessibility through localization.

Other player notes:
- Active solo developer, growing community (weight 0.17): The game is primarily developed by a single person who is very active and responsive within the community, especially on Discord. This hands-on approach fosters a direct line of communication for feedback and suggestions, contributing to a growing and engaged player base.
- Early Access with steady updates (weight 0.09): The game is currently in Early Access, which means it's still under development and subject to changes and additions. The developers are consistently releasing substantial updates, indicating ongoing progress and commitment to improving the game.
- Genre fusion: unique, ambitious mix (weight 0.05): The game blends elements from various genres and aesthetics, such as Helldivers, Arthurian legends, Dark Souls, knights with guns, and Vampire Survivors. This fusion creates a unique and ambitious experience.
- Uses store-bought assets (weight 0.01): The game uses store-bought assets. While this is a common practice, it can sometimes affect the game's visual uniqueness.
- Demo progress carries over (weight 0.01): Progress made in the demo version of the game carries over to the full game upon purchase. This allows players to seamlessly continue their progress without starting over.

Emotions:
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