Looking for a story-focused roguelike deck builder set in a grim fantasy world that doesn’t pull any punches? Then Redboon’s Knock on the Coffin Lid might be just the game for you.
Knock on the Coffin Lid is a story-focused roguelike deckbuilder that is a mixture of collectible card games and RPGs, along with a hint of Dark Souls and Darkest Dungeons. It combines these genres and inspirations with a dark fantasy world.
One of the main things that sets Knock on the Coffin Lid apart from similar games in the deckbuilding genre like Slay the Spire is that it has a much bigger focus on storytelling. Knock on the Coffin Lid takes place in the lands of Midian, which are inhabited by dwarves, orcs, elves, humans, and other races, all of whom are fighting for territory and power from one another.
Lord Ingvar decides to do something about the struggles of Midian, but he and his retinue are killed while he journeys to find a solution. Years pass after their death, but three mysterious knocks on a coffin lid from Mortis wake up one of three members of the retinue, starting their journey to figure out who killed them and why. To tell this story, there are three unique characters to choose from, each with a unique viewpoint on the world and a different involvement with the overall story.
First up is Persival, a knight who you begin the game as and who knows the least about the world and situation he’s in. Second is Bjorn, a Lycan elf who must balance his normal elven form with his werewolf transformations. Finally, there’s Vanadis, an archer who fights alongside wild animals and seems to know more about the events of the story than the rest of the characters.
After being woken up from their death, all three characters must complete quests around Midian to try and figure out what happened to them and Lord Ingvar. This won’t be an easy task, as Midian is in the midst of war and total devastation. Some of the enemies you’ll find yourself going up against include gloomy, tattooed elves, greedy and sullen dwarves, deserters, murderers, looters, wild animals and dark creatures, just to name a few.
In order to fight these enemies, you’ll need to learn Knock on the Coffin Lid’s gameplay mechanics. At its core, Knock on the Coffin Lid is a turn-based RPG with deckbuilding mechanics, tasking the player with collecting decks, removing and upgrading cards, and building their own strategies to get ahead.
Each character also has a range of different mechanics that you need to come to grips with, along with a range of classes for each hero. As the first character you’ll play, Persival is the easiest to learn the game’s mechanics with, but his four classes all have unique attributes that let you pick your own playstyle.
Versatile gives him armour at the start of a battle and focuses on building strength, while Golddigger grants more gold during battle, which can be spent for more attacks and defence. The Knight class rewards players with a boost in attack and defence while health is above 80 percent, pushing a more protective playstyle. Finally, Battle-Hardened Veteran has an increased energy reserve from the very start of battle.
Each of the main heroes has four classes that differentiate them, although Bjorn and Vanadis already have a few differences from Persival. Bjorn will transform into a werewolf after taking damage five times in a row, which makes him more powerful and gives him special abilities, but also means that more curse cards can be found in his deck, putting an emphasis on finishing battles quickly before too many curses can affect you. Finally, Vanadis fights with animals by her side, starting out with her trusty boar.
As is the case with other roguelikes, every time your character dies, they’ll lose all of the items they gained in that run and reappear back in the coffin, ready to try all over again. Much like others in the genre, Knock on the Coffin Lid is ‘easy to learn, difficult to master’, welcoming in newcomers with easy-to-grasp card mechanics before challenging them to learn them enough to complete a journey.
The response to Knock on the Coffin Lid has already been strong, with it currently standing at a ‘Very Positive’ score on Steam. Some of the positive reviews mention that Knock on the Coffin Lid has “huge potential to be on par with the greats like Slay The Spire” and is “extremely polished”.
Knock on the Coffin Lid is currently in its early access period and has been regularly updated with new content and fixes over the past two years. If you’re interested in its grimdark world and unique mixture of deckbuilding and RPG mechanics, you can purchase or add it to your Steam wishlist now.