The question I’ve been asking myself is: “How do I write a compelling review for Knights in Tight Spaces?” What we’re dealing with here is a game that’s all substance and no fat. It wouldn’t be fun to itemize and ruin all of the game’s mechanical nuances. So, if you’re looking for someone to explain how great the card synergies are in excruciating detail, you’re in the wrong place. Instead, I want to focus on how Knights in Tight Spaces takes the deckbuilder formula and enriches it to be more like a fantasy-boosted game of card-centric chess.

If you’re a fan of the previous game, Fights in Tight Spaces, you’re in for a treat. So, Knights opens up with your standard tutorial. Here is where development studio Ground Shatter lets you know what you’re in for. It wastes no time. “Hey, if you played Fights, skip this. If you’re new, jump in!” Now, I haven’t put as much time into Fights as I have Knights. But, for a game with so much going on in terms of strategies, synergies, and player experimentation? This is one of the best tutorials you’ll ever experience.

Obviously, the art style is gorgeous. But, one of the early standout factors for me was Knights in Tight Spaces‘ well of animations. The first time I played a counter card and some poor bastard walked right into a WWE-style chokeslam? “Hell yeah!” It would’ve been hard to one-up Fights in the “cool-ass animations” department. But, somehow, the mad lads over at Ground Shatter did it! Flips, kicks, grapples — it’s as if you’re in the middle of a brutal medieval-era war!

we interrupt your deckbuilder to bring you a d&d campaign

Knights in Tight Spaces brings you all the deckbuilder nirvana you’re looking for. Building out your roster of cards, gaining party members (coming back to that momentarily), taking on interesting side quests. That’s all fine, dandy, and somewhat expected for a high-end deckbuilder to compete with the big boys. But, Knights went a step further and gave me a D&D-style campaign with an engaging story and meaningful dialogue options (with varying fun effects).

Fights is very much a no-nonsense brawler that rips the door off its hinges and wants some asses to kick. Knights in Tight Spaces, however, is like a juiced-up Bard. It’ll entrance you, luring you into a false sense of security by waxing poetic. Then it’ll kick your ass. As a Lore/Narrative geek, I appreciated the extra emphasis on an overarching story that becomes a necessary break from all the rough-and-tumble battles you’ll encounter.

Knights in Tight Spaces already stands out among the deckbuilder crowd via its animation work, aesthetics, and thoughtful strategic elements. But, it’s rare to see even the most celebrated deckbuilders go for it narratively. …Fine. You want to hear about the battles, huh?

‘knights in tight spaces’ adding party members completely changes the game

Like I said, I’m not going to explain combo points, momentum, or even Knights in Tight Spaces‘ movement options. Part of my personal journey with the game was learning those on my own as they’re slowly given to me. What fun would it be if I gave you everything? I will, however, hype up the addition of party members!

Fights is meant to be one man vs. the world. Knights gives you (optional, of course) party members to join in your quest. But, I’m warning you now: with the added firepower comes added strategic layers. You already have to account for Action Points, Momentum, Combos, and enemies’ skills, buffs, debuffs, and placements. That extra person gives you one more Action Point, sure. But that’s also another person at the mercy of your foes. The team composition synergies can get absolutely insane if you learn to optimize your deck with the Archetypes (Classes, effectively) at your disposal.

‘knights in tight spaces’ is catnip for any and all deckbuilder lovers

To wrap things up here, Knights in Tight Spaces is a necessity if you love deckbuilders. It blends the best of tactical strategy games with the best of frantic roguelike deckbuilding action. There are endless build variants to experiment with. Weapons, Archetypes, Quests — everything is tailor-made to craft an experience that’s yours alone. And, if you’re feeling fancy? You can try to do what I did and suffer by forcing yourself to do as many of the Bonus Objectives as possible. Who knows? Maybe you’ll kick three people into the abyss faster than I ever could!

Verdict: Strongly Recommended

Knights in Tight Spaces is available now on PC. A copy was provided by the publisher for the sake of review. Reviewed on PC.