Indie developer Absoism has handcrafted their first game unbeknownst to the general public, so we did a Vivid Knight review. It’s a cute game that has been out for just under a year with a small fanbase. As the game was released on Nintendo Switch just last month, I figured I’d give it a look.
Vivid Knight features a magical world with your typical fantasy setting and characters are in a cute new anime style. Chibis, monsters, and magic with alchemy are the mainstay and mix together for a cute little dungeon exploring roguelike game. How does this indie title stack up? Find out with our Vivid Knight review!
Vivid Knight
Developer: Absoism, Co., Ltd.
Publisher: Absoism, Co., Ltd.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Windows PC (Reviewed)
Release Date: January 19, 2022 (Nintendo Switch), May 26, 2021 (Windows PC)
Players: 1
Price: $14.99 USD
There’s not much context to the story since the cutscenes it shows are quick and use panels. From what I had gathered, you play as a princess that seeks adventure – so she leaves her home. A very simple set up and story that progresses through each chapter.
Characters that you recruit don’t appear in the story but instead are used for buffs for the story. This is a small disconnect from the game and it slightly hinders the experience, where you might end up wanting something more cohesive.
Having a good story with more than just panels that also have no text is needed here for the game’s roguelike elements. It’s a negative that could use more care to make the grinding a bit more important.
Mixing in the minimal story elements, you also get the roguelike gameplay of going through levels and dungeons of enemies. It’s an auto-battler type of game that has skills you can activate for more damage or healing. Different classes of allies can be recruited and have varying effects.
With the party of characters you have, you go from unit to unit to either beat enemies, use the Alchemists services to make gems, or buy items for later. However, each unit (room) you move to costs 1 mana, but you can recover mana from special rooms and items you can carry. Once you find they key to move to the next area, you can proceed to the specially marked exit.
At the start of every area, you will receive an items to use for that Floor. You can see the layout of your run before each floor and it shows you a little information about the upcoming boss. It’s a good simple game that doesn’t require a lot of thinking but it’s not all flat. The gameplay loop is very addictive and something that you can do to pass time.
The chibi style is appealing and works for this cute little game. Characters move fluidly and animations play out quickly with some decent animations. It’s a bright, colorful game with simple but impressive readability and its style really makes it standout.
The music is very upbeat, cute, and friendly sounding. Sounds of slashing swords and magic spells flow very easily and every character is voiced over, albeit if only for some quick one liners. The game itself doesn’t talk your ear off with exposition dumps and lets you just have fun while you strategize your next moves.
There are small nuances that can get and keep you engaged with its roguelike elements. Different characters for each run will present you with a different outcome against bosses that may require more physical damage to take down. It’s a good game that definitely deserves some more attention for it’s efforts.
Breaking into the roguelike space is tough, especially with other titans in the genre. Vivid Knight could be labeled as a beginner’s roguelike, but that’s not a bad thing. I really appreciated that this game respected the grind and enjoyed the good presentation brought to me during my time with it.
Vivid Knight was reviewed on Windows PC using a copy purchased by Niche Gamer. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here. Vivid Knight is now available for Windows PC (via Steam) and Nintendo Switch.
