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Talk about a nice surprise. KILL KNIGHT is a fantastic twin-stick shooter up there with Assault Android Cactus, which I still consider the best game of this style. KILL KNIGHT is a little different though; rather than working your way through dozens of short levels and some boss fights, the essence here is surviving unrelenting 5-15 minute gauntlets. There's only 5 stages, but they're designed to near-perfection. Every level is a choreographed nightmare with constantly shifting terrain and hazards, and a few mistakes can spell your end due to the meagre health bar. It isn't rare to die within literal seconds when you first start playing. Not moving equals instant death. The game doesn't pull its punches even on the easiest difficulty; this game is HARD.
The beauty of KILL KNIGHT lies in its complex yet elegant central design: two main shot types, a special shot, a close-range sword attack, a dodge, and an absorption mechanic. You need to juggle these five actions constantly (alongside moving and aiming, of course). One of your guns is your regular shot and it's your go-to. Your other gun serves as a stronger, special shot with depleting ammo. The sword is for close-range strikes and leaves you vulnerable. Finally, you have a special shot that runs on a long meter that is filled by absorbing red gems. It may sound simple on paper, but in the heat of the moment you'll come to realize how mentally taxing it is compared to other games of this kind. Rarely do games this intense require the CONSTANT use of so many mechanics, mostly tied to the 4 shoulder buttons on the controller. It can be both mentally and physically exhausting... In a fun way, of course. :-)

In order to improve at the game you need to master its mechanics and learn the patterns of the small yet thoughtful enemy selection. Firing your main shot alone won't cut it, especially once the larger enemies start appearing, so you'll need to rely on your secondary and special shots, along with clever uses of the sword when you find openings. See, in order to refill the secondary's ammo meter you need to get melee kills. And in order to to refill your special you need to absorb gems like mentioned before. In a way, the game is all about meter management under duress. There's also a reload mechanic, where a meter appears after your main gun's ammo depletes, and then a bar will appear on-screen, Gears of War-style, and depending on which of the 3 possible buttons you press, you'll be rewarded with either temporarily enhanced regular shots, an instant absorption of every fallen gem on screen, or a huge sword strike if timed correctly. You aren't greatly penalised for missing a timed reload, but in later stages these can prove crucial in a pinch.
The amount of moment-to-moment decision making in a single second of KILL KNIGHT is the equivalent of minutes or hours in other games. This is an incredibly dense and rewarding experience.
Another great aspect of KILL KNIGHT (I like repeatedly writing it in all caps) is the amount of options. There's 5 types of every weapon and armor set, and 10 passive items with different effects. One look at the in-game leaderboard for any stage will show you that almost any combination can be viable, which is extremely refreshing. Admittedly, the game's title is a little silly, but the artistic direction is phenomenal. This one is all about gameplay and style, and it succeeds at both beautifully. It almost reminds me of something like Devil Daggers, and apparently Sorath's games served as inspirations alongside arcade games generally. It also should be mentioned that all unlockable items are obtained by completing in-game challenges, but they can also be unlocked by means of an in-game currency that takes longer to accumulate. I think this is a great system.
After finishing a round, you're given a score, along with a multiplier bonus depending on the chosen difficulty. It's nice and elegant, and I appreciate how the leaderboards aren't separated, so theoretically even people playing on lower difficulties can score big. The scoring itself is actually surprisingly deep, since the game has a kill streak, and obviously aiming to maintain that in order to get the largest score is ideal, so that adds another layer. Finally, there are blue health gems that will drop from enemies defeated by your special shot, and these reward more points if collected at full health.
This is a fantastic game, and I hope to see more from these developers. Let it be known that there are people out there that appreciate this uncompromisingly focused design and challenge, especially in this day and age. It's great to see new titles with an appreciation of finer arcade mechanics, but with innovative gameplay and interesting aesthetics. Especially because many smaller titles that claim to be arcade-inspired are actually pretty stress-free, and more predatory in their design than some would like to admit. Also, is it a coincidence that both of the best twin-stick shooters are developed in Australia? Wait, Sorath (developers of Devil Daggers and Hyper Demon) is also Australian? Well, keep it up with these fun and unique games, please.
Rating: 7.5/10