"A budget kick-into-spikes sandbox that punches far above its price"
About
A first-person action RPG built by one developer, Stéphane Le Roy, in open homage to Dark Messiah of Might and Magic. You play a knight working through short campaign levels, and each fight can be solved several ways: draw a sword, sling spells, sneak past, or use the environment. The signature move is the kick, which sends enemies into spikes, off ledges, or sliding across ice you have frozen underfoot. Skill trees for melee, stealth, and magic let you specialise, and extras like an Arena mode, a princess survivor challenge, and a level editor sit alongside the four-to-seven-hour main story.
Verdict
For the price of a sandwich, one developer has built an immersive sim that understands exactly why booting a guard onto a spike pit feels so good. The sandbox is the star, and the freedom to freeze a floor, sneak past, or torch a room gives each level several honest answers. It is short, the plain visuals won't convert everyone, and the save system needs urgent attention before a crash costs you a level. None of that undoes how much invention is packed into these few hours.
You'll like it if …
- +you'd rather solve a fight with the level geometry than trade blows head-on
- +you replay games to try a stealth build after a magic one
- +rough, unpretentious visuals don't bother you when the systems are sharp
You'll dislike it if …
- −you want a long, meaty campaign for your money
- −losing progress to a crash or a fussy save screen sours a whole game for you
- −you need polished art and consistent comedy to stay invested
Breakdown
- +The kick is the whole pitch and it delivers: shoving an enemy onto spikes or off a walkway never stops being satisfying
- +Freezing the floor so foes slip, then booting them, is the kind of improvised solution the level design invites
- +Melee has real texture, with directional blocking and tactical movesets rather than a single swing
- +Genuine freedom of approach, so stealth, sorcery, and brute force each stay viable across encounters
- −Straight sword-to-sword combat is the weakest option; kicking and environmental play carry it, and some players feel that imbalance
- −A few levels drop the sandbox thinking for flat, repetitive layouts
- +Three skill trees reward a second and third run built around a different specialism
- +Every level has multiple solved-it moments, which keeps replays fresh
- +Level editor and workshop extend the game well past the campaign
- −The main story runs four to seven hours, and reviewers openly want more of it
- −Bonus modes like the Arena and princess survivor are welcome but don't fully answer the shortness
- +The absurdist, self-aware parody tone fits the physics-comedy the mechanics produce
- +When the writing lands it draws genuine praise for cleverness
- −The humour is streaky; a stray Harry Potter gag or random reference falls flat for some players
- +The rough, simple models read as charming to many and don't get in the way of the sandbox
- +The kick sound is a running favourite for how meaty it feels
- −Visually plain enough that some find it soulless and lacking any art direction
- −The exaggerated kick audio grates on the players it doesn't win over
- +Controls are responsive and smooth, and the game runs cleanly, including on Steam Deck
- −The save system is the sore point: no cloud saves, lost progress on crashes, and a mid-level exit that can dump you back to the start
- −Occasional crashes compound the save problems for the players they hit
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