Knight vs Giant: The Broken Excalibur

In ‘Knight vs Giant: The Broken Excalibur’, players assume the role of King Arthur resurrected to defend Camelot from a cataclysmic giant invasion unleashed after a quest for the Holy Grail. With the legendary Excalibur broken and transported to the Astral Dimension by Merlin, Arthur must rebuild his kingdom by harnessing the essence of fallen knights, each offering unique weapons and abilities. This action roguelite features randomized buffs and upgrades at the Round Table, allowing players to mix and match knightly powers to tailor playstyles and overcome challenges.

Knight vs Giant: The Broken Excalibur: Review

Introduction

In the shadowed annals of video game history, few legends resonate as profoundly as that of King Arthur and his realm of Camelot. Gambir Studio’s Knight vs Giant: The Broken Excalibur thrusts players into a fractured mythos where Arthur’s kingdom lies in ruins, Excalibur is shattered, and a cosmic Void Giant threatens oblivion. Released in October 2023 across PC, consoles, and Nintendo Switch, this action roguelite promises a fusion of Arthurian grandeur and frenetic, permadeath gameplay. Yet, while its core combat and thematic ambition shine, the game stumbles under the weight of repetitive progression systems and an uphill battle against its own design. This review dissects Knight vs Giant as both a love letter to legend and a cautionary tale of untapped potential.

Development History & Context

Gambir Studio, an Indonesian developer with a portfolio of modest localised mobile titles, made its international debut with Knight vs Giant: The Broken Excalibur. As the studio’s first console release, it represented a bold leap into a genre dominated by titans like Hades and Dead Cells. Built on the Unity engine, the game aimed to leverage procedural generation to deliver varied runs while telling a cohesive narrative—a technical feat achievable but resource-intensive for a small team.

The project’s vision, as articulated in official materials, was to reimagine Arthurian lore through the lens of roguelite mechanics: King Arthur, resurrected by Merlin, channels the powers of fallen knights to rebuild Camelot in an extraplanar dimension. This ambition was nurtured by publisher PQube, known for supporting niche indie titles. The 2023 release window placed Knight vs Giant in a saturated market, where roguelites were commonplace but fresh takes on fantasy sagas were rare. The developers prioritized accessibility, targeting both genre veterans and newcomers with a top-down perspective and simplified controls. However, constraints—likely budgetary and personnel—limited polish, resulting in performance hiccups on weaker platforms like the Nintendo Switch and a lack of depth in later-game content.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Knight vs Giant weaves a tragedy of hubris and redemption. The story begins with Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table’s quest for the Holy Grail, inadvertently unleashing the Void Giant upon Camelot. In a cataclysmic battle, Arthur and his knights perish, Excalibur shatters, and Merlin’s desperate spell transports the entire kingdom—citizens, ruins, and all—into the Astral Dimension. Resurrected alone, Arthur is tasked with defeating the Giant’s three colossal aspects, rescuing scattered Camelot survivors, and restoring his kingdom.

The narrative unfolds incrementally, dripped through cutscenes and NPC interactions in the Camelot hub. Arthur’s journey is one of isolation—he is “the last knight” (as one NPC laments), burdened by the ghosts of comrades who now empower him through crystalline statues. Characters like Merlin (a cryptic narrator), Morgana (who offers Faustian blessings/curses), and a silent “alien builder” (who rebuilds Camelot via numerical dialogue) add eccentricity but lack depth. Dialogue often leans on anachronistic humor (“I hate sand…” quips Arthur), which lands inconsistently.

Thematically, the game explores sacrifice and legacy. Arthur wields not his own sword but the essence of knights like Lancelot and Bors, transforming their deaths into tools of vengeance. The Astral Dimension—a liminal space between life and death—mirrors Camelot’s broken state, requiring Arthur to piece together both a kingdom and his purpose. Yet, the narrative never fully capitalizes on this tension, with Merlin’s motives remaining murky and the Void Giant reduced to a faceless antagonist. The promise of “restoring glory” feels hollow when the game’s core loop prioritizes repetition over storytelling.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

At its heart, Knight vs Giant is a top-down action roguelite with RPG elements. Players guide Arthur through procedurally generated stages—Brochalant Forest, Sarrache Desert, and Suidhe Volcano—each culminating in a boss fight and a giant encounter. Runs are structured in “levels,” with rooms locked until every enemy is cleared. Death sends Arthur back to Camelot, losing temporary upgrades but retaining gold and weapon experience.

Combat is the game’s apex. Arthur’s broken Excalibur is infused with knights’ weapons and abilities (e.g., Lancelot’s swift strikes, Bors’ explosive daggers, Tristan’s floral slashes). Players combine one weapon and two special abilities per run, encouraging experimentation. Dodging is tactile and essential, with telegraphed attacks rewarding timing. The “glass cannon” design—Arthur starts with 16 HP—demands precision, though enemy variety diminishes in later stages. Bosses, however, are standout: colossal entities requiring camera zoom-outs, with attacks that screen-fill and demand strategic movement (e.g., the Forest Giant’s rock projectiles or the Volcano Giant’s magma eruptions).

Progression is the Achilles’ heel. Permanent upgrades unlock via rescued citizens (e.g., a blacksmith unlocks weapon upgrades, a librarian reduces enemy info costs). Yet, these are scarce and often locked to late-game areas. Gold and gems (from giants) buy incremental stat boosts (e.g., +1% damage), requiring dozens of runs for meaningful gains. Weapon experience is tied to individual knights, forcing players to underused builds to level alternatives. This grind is exacerbated by a lack of enemy variety, with runs feeling repetitive after just a handful of attempts. Systems like Morgana’s “blessings/curses” or the Pan Piper’s challenge rooms add spice but are too rare to offset monotony.

UI is functional: a clean hub for upgrades and a minimalist in-game HUD. Controls are fully customisable, though the attack range of some weapons (e.g., swords) feels unfairly short, punishing aggressive play. Boss rooms often lack healing, forcing reliance on pre-run potions or fountain pickups—a welcome risk-reward dynamic that highlights the game’s best design choices.

World-Building, Art & Sound

Gambir Studio crafts a visually distinct world. The Astral Dimension’s three biomes are rendered in a vibrant, cartoony art style, with each zone boasting a cohesive palette: the Brochalant Forest’s emerald canopy, the Sarrache Desert’s ochre dunes, and the Suidhe Volcano’s crimson wastelands. Enemy designs are imaginative—sentient mushrooms, rock behemoths with glowing eyes, and wasps that fire stingers—avoiding palette-swapped reskins. Boss giants are masterpieces of scale, their animations fluid despite the camera’s retreat.

Camelot serves as a melancholic hub, its ruins gradually rebuilt by rescued citizens. The hub’s charm lies in its incremental transformation: a blacksmith’s hammer clangs as buildings rise, and NPCs offer quests tied to upgrades. Yet, the Astral Dimension’s procedural rooms grow visually homogenous over time, with textures and layouts repeating more noticeably in later runs.

Audio is competent but unremarkable. The soundtrack, added post-launch, features medieval-inspired melodies that complement each zone (e.g., lutes for the forest, ominous percussion for volcanoes), though no track lingers post-playthrough. Sound effects are crisp—sword clashes, giant roars, and dodge-rolls punctuate combat effectively. Voice acting, present for key scenes, is earnest if uneven; Arthur’s quips and Merlin’s exposition carry weight, while side NPCs deliver lines with mixed charm. The absence of Brazilian Portuguese localisation, noted by some reviewers, limits accessibility for a key demographic.

Reception & Legacy

Knight vs Giant launched with mixed critical reception. On Metacritic, it holds a “tbd” critic score based on sparse reviews, with outlets like Press Play Media (68%) praising its combat and presentation, while Rectify Gaming (50%) criticized balancing issues. Games Asylum awarded an 8/10, calling it an “engaging fusion of Arthurian legend and roguelike action,” whereas TechRaptor’s 6.5/100 lamented a “slog of progression.” Player reviews on MobyGames and Steam echo this divide, with some praising the art style and others citing tedium.

Commercially, the game found modest success as a budget title ($7.99 on Steam), capitalizing on roguelite enthusiasts and Arthurian lore fans. Its legacy, however, is defined by its ambition over execution. In a crowded genre, it stands as a competent but derivative entry, lacking the narrative depth of Hades or the mechanical innovation of Dead Cells. Yet, it showcases Gambir Studio’s potential: a distinct visual identity, tight core combat, and a compelling setting. For Indonesian developers, it was a stepping stone to global recognition, proving that smaller studios could deliver polished, myth-driven experiences. Its enduring appeal lies in its accessibility—a perfect 20-30 minute “run” for commuters—and the sheer spectacle of its giant battles.

Conclusion

Knight vs Giant: The Broken Excalibur is a paradox of strengths and shortcomings. As a roguelite, it excels in moment-to-moment combat, Arthurian theming, and visual flair. The giant boss fights are epic, and the ability to channel fallen knights adds strategic depth. Yet, these virtues are shackled by a progression system that demands excessive grinding for minimal rewards, and a world that grows stale through repetition. Gambir Studio’s vision—of a king rebuilding his kingdom in death’s shadow—is compelling, but it’s buried under layers of unfulfilled potential.

For genre purists, Knight vs Giant is a recommendable, if flawed, entry. It offers a satisfying loop for short play sessions and a love letter to Arthurian myth that deserves attention. As a piece of gaming history, it represents the triumphs and tribulations of indie development: a bold vision from a new studio, hampered by resource constraints but fueled by passion. In the pantheon of knights and giants, Knight vs Giant won’t usurp Excalibur’s throne, but it carves its own niche as a valiant, if imperfect, adventure.

Final Verdict: 7/10 – A solid foundation for a franchise, but one requiring sharper polish to truly shine.