KILL KNIGHT News

The 2025 Triple-i Initiative is live!

While we are not directly involved this year, we are participating in the Steam Sale, with a 50% off sale!

This showcase is very close to our hearts, as one year ago, during the first ever Triple-i Initiative, we announced KILL KNIGHT! It’s been a wild year…

[h2]Players First Trial in The Abyss[/h2]
The team had been working diligently for months, and internally we knew we were onto something special. For our first true test, we released a the first demo for KILL KNIGHT in June 2024 during Steam Next Fest.

Our initial nerves quickly became excitement; the interest and enthusiasm the community showed was overwhelming. We also got the chance to engage with players directly for the first times provided us with so many invaluable perspectives about the gameplay experience. This feedback was crucial to the team, and without these insights, the game would not be what it is today.

We always wanted this to be a game that allowed for the true heights of skill-expression, and yet, we were still blown away by what players were achieving in the game. It was especially a true joy getting to watch what the top runners were capable of.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RYugBssm3A

[h2]Face-to-Face with the Community[/h2]
Up to and around the launch of the game, KILL KNIGHT saw itself put in front of players in a much more intimate capacity. Being showcased at a number of in-person events, from conventions like Gamescom and PAX, to our KILL KNIGHT activation in Federation Square in Melbourne.


These events were particularly special for the entire team, as we were given the opportunity to interact with the community directly. Standing next to and talking to people playing our game was an amazing and surreal experience.

[h2]KILL KNIGHT Releases to The World[/h2]
Then we get to the game’s full release in October 2024! We were honored to witness such waves of love and passion. The desire of players to unpack the game in every way possible, invent new metas, scour Layers for the hottest routes and ultimately climb to the tippity-top of the leaderboards was everything we wished it would be.


Beyond the direct love we received from players, it was incredibly affirming to end the year with a 94% overall review score on Steam, as well as being in the top 20 games of 2024 on Metacritic.

[h2]Taking it to the Next Level[/h2]
Following launch, galvanized by positive community sentiment, we released our 1.2 KRYSTALIZED Update. With this, we added into the game new weapons, new enemies, Weekly Descents, the Kodex, and an updated Sever Mode, all of which elevated KILL KNIGHT beyond what we had originally planned.


[h2]Thank you![/h2]
It has been an incredible journey and we want to give the biggest thank you to our players! The love and support we’ve received means everything to us and we’re so happy we have been able to create a game which people feel so connected to.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and continue fighting through that Abyss.

The KILL KNIGHT team

Knights,

We’re very excited to announce that KILL KNIGHT has received a Dope Indie Games of the Year Awards (DIGY) nomination for Best Action Game.

Thanks so much to all our players who have dived into the Abyss! We’ve always strived to create a fun, fast-paced and impactful twin-stick arcade experience and it’s been incredible seeing this recognized both by our players and now also by DIGY. The innovation and expertise we’ve seen from players as they melt through the swarms of demons continues to blow us away.


In addition, we are happy to announce that we are participating in the Steam Spring Sale with
our biggest-ever Steam discount: 50% off!

The KILL KNIGHT team

Knights,

Deep from within the Abyssal Keep, something stirs once more…


[h2]Trading Cards are Live![/h2]
From today, you can Wrath Burst your Steam Profile with KILL KNIGHT themed content! The whole works is here to collect: Trading Cards, Badges, Emoticons, Stickers, Frames, and Animated & Static Backgrounds.

Each item has been hand-crafted by our awesome artists and we can’t wait to see them out in the wild.


[h2]Over One Thousand Reviews[/h2]
The KILL KNIGHT team wishes to again thank you all for your support reaching this incredible milestone! Making KILL KNIGHT was a dream come true for many of us here, and your love for the game is what keeps us going.

Now is the perfect time to dive into the recently released KRYSTALIZED UPDATE and start hunting those Trading Cards.



See you in the abyssal otherworld…

The KILL KNIGHT team

—————

KILL KNIGHT is available now on Steam!

Social Links:

Join the Discord
X/Twitter: @KILLKNIGHTGame
TikTok: @KILLKNIGHTGame
YouTube: @PlaySideStudiosOfficial
Instagram: @PlaySideStudios
Facebook: @PlaySideStudios

Find out more about PlaySide Studios on their official website

Knights,

The KRYSTALIZED UPDATE is here!

We’re excited for you to dive into the latest KILL KNIGHT update, which brings with it a host of thrilling new content for you to unlock and unleash - from powerful new weapons and equipment, to the new WEEKLY DESCENT and an updated SEVER mode. Plus, delve deeper into the lore with the Demonic Kodex and enjoy listening to the KILL KNIGHT Original Soundtrack while lifting weights, doing maths, managing your finances, or whatever else you mortals do!



Here are the highlights:

[h2]New KNIGHT EQUIPMENT[/h2]
New Pistols

• INCULCATORS
• Fires puncturing shards that spike into enemies, causing a supercombine explosion
  

New Heavy Weapon

• DREADFALLER
• Combusting laser caster that emits a beam of plasma that ruptures enemies, causing micro-detonations
  

New Sword

• HOLLOWBRANDT
• An unholy regalia, the shape of which unties the souls of demons
  

New Armor

• UMBRARITE
• Forged within the abyss, a cursed aspect that echoes with forgotten carnage
  

New Augment

• METICULOUS AZURITE
• Firing Wrath Bursts restores some Heavy Ammo
  

New Augment

• ABYSSAL FLOURITE
• Quick Absorb also attracts Health Shards, with reduced distance
  

[h2]NEW DEMONIC KODEX[/h2]

• The Demonic Bestiary
  • Spend Tokkens to unlock entries and reveal information on every Demon, including enemy traits, exploits, and lore!
    

[h2]NEW WEEKLY DESCENT MODE[/h2]

• Claim the highest score and beat your friends in the new WEEKLY DESCENT Mode, where random combination of equipment pieces and layers will be selected each week
  
• Leaderboard refreshes weekly!
  

[h2]UPDATED SEVER MODE[/h2]
SEVER mode has been updated to provide a deeper level of challenge!

• New Krystalized Demons
  • These enhanced enemies unleash new attacks, and have increased speed and health
    
  • Killing them before they despawn grants an extra burst of Carnage Score
    

• Enhanced Hazards
  • Traps such as Lasers, Spike Traps, and Blood Bombs are more deadly
    

• Updated Spawn Patterns
  
  • Tweaked to enhance flow and maintain momentum
    

[h2] KILL KNIGHT Original Soundtrack[/h2]
The Official KILL KNIGHT Original Soundtrack is now available to purchase on Steam (and coming soon to major streaming platforms). Stimulate your senses with over an hour of music across 14 nerve-rattling and hand-crafted tracks that will allow you to truly dance with Death.


We can’t wait for you to jump into the new update, plus we can also confirm that KILL KNIGHT will be taking part in Steam's Winter Sale!

See you in the otherworld…

The KILL KNIGHT team

—————



[h2]Changes[/h2]

General Balance

• Carnage Score Challenge Badges
  
  • Slightly reduced Carnage score requirement for some Layers
    

• Speed Demon Challenge Badges
  
  • Slightly reduced Par time for some Layers
    

• REGRET Difficulty
  
  • Reduced difficulty of multiple aspects for REGRET difficulty
    

• ACOLYTE Difficulty
  
  • Slightly reduced difficulty of multiple aspects for ACOLYTE difficulty
    

• Laser Beam Traps
  
  • Reduced damage by 20%
    

Enemies

• General
  • Mortar Projectiles now have a consistent travel speed across all distances
    

• ZEEKER
  
  • Explosion damage slightly decreased
    

• ABYSSAL SPHERE Hexagons
  
  • Health slightly decreased
    
  • Slightly more Blood Gems when destroyed
    

• ABYSSAL SPHERE Lasers
  
  • Laser damage collider size decreased for all lasers in “Laser Show” attack
    

• OBELYSK
  
  • Physical collision radius decreased
    

• WRAITH II
  
  • Reduced attack damage by 20%
    

• PURSUER I / II / III
  
  • Reduced attack damage of Pulse Attacks by 20%
    

Equipment

• HOLYBANE
  
  • Wrath Burst Projectile lifetime increase
    
  • Wrath Charge requirement increased
    

• RUINSHOT
  
  • Wrath Burst Projectile damage increased
    

• ARCHBLIGHT
  
  • Wrath Burst Projectile zap radius slightly decreased
    

• FLUXSTRIKERS
  
  • Base Fire Rate increased
    
  • Overdrive duration decreased
    

• SOULRENDERS
  
  • Fire Rate ramp up delay decreased
    
  • Overdrive duration increased
    
  • Overdrive bullets knockback decreased
    
  • Max Ammo amount increased
    

• KILLBLADE
  
  • Sword Trigger damage size increased
    

Equipment Unlock Goals

• SOULRENDERS
  
  • Changed from “Complete Solitude without lowering Kill Power once” to “Complete any Layer with Maximum Kill Power Level“
    

• HADESURGE
  
  • Changed from “Complete Viscera without dashing through a laser” to “Complete Viscera without being damaged by any Laser“
    

General UI

• SEVER Mode is now hidden on the Layer Select screen until it is Unlocked
  
• Brand new Unlock animation for Unlocking SEVER Mode
  
• Layer Select Screen
  
  • New Layer Unlock Visual Sequence
    

• Equipment Screen
  
  • New Equipment Unlock Visual Sequence
    

• Settings Menu
  
  • Reorganized order of Options
    

• Main Menu
  
  • New Visual treatment of the Main Menu background
    

Settings

• Borderless Window mode is now the default window mode setting
  

Miscellaneous

• New Difficulty & Tutorials Popup
  
  • If the player dies many times in succession, a popup will appear suggesting to lower the difficulty and / or complete all of the Tutorials
    

• Abyssal Sphere Boss Fight
  
  • Heavy Ammo, Wrath Charge and Kill Power are fully refreshed when starting the ABYSSAL SPHERE battle, including when using a Checkpoint
    

• Various minor localization changes
  
• General performance and stability improvements
  

[h2]Fixes[/h2]
Enemies

• Fixed instances of ZEEKER enemies appearing during the Final Boss fight
  
• Fixed instances where PURSUER animations would break
  
• TURREKTs can no longer navigate out of bounds on various layers
  
• Fixed an issue that would cause the game to soft-lock when executing a GHAST III
  
• Fixed an issue causing the Pulse Attack status to linger on PURSUER and TURREKT enemies
  
• Fixed an issue where the Final Boss Hexagons from Phase 1 would appear during Phase 2
  

Equipment

• Fixed an issue where HOLYBANE’s Ricochet was not bouncing off of certain walls in SOLITUDE
  
• Fixed instances where some projectiles could clip through enemies without damaging them
  
• Fixed an issue where RUINSHOT’s Wrath Burst would explode without contacting a visible enemy during the Final Boss fight
  

Abyssal Layers

• Fixed multiple areas in Layers where players could get out of bounds
  
• Fixed multiple instances of certain enemies spawning in unnavigable areas of VISCERA
  
• Fixed rare cases of navigation blocking issues that occur after a layer phase transition
  

Goals and Scoring

• Fixed an issue where game time continued to update while watching the Ending Cutscene
  
• Players are now no longer able to mistakenly earn Challenge Badges on SEVER mode
  
• Equipment Goal UI now properly shows which active Goals are still achievable during a run
  
• Fixed an issue where the player could fail the “Speed Demon” goal by a matter of milliseconds
  

General UI

• Fixed an issue where the 'Tutorial Complete' text failed to align properly after completing any tutorial in Japanese language
  
• Fixed UI overflow on the Equipment screen for certain languages
  
• Fixed various privacy policy issues
  
• Popups no longer have textured backgrounds
  
• Removed dotted texture from Weapon hover over highlights
  
• Fixed the health bar PFX sometimes glitching
  
• Fixed various missing strings
  
• Fixed an issue where the Kill Stream UI would turn off before the Kill Stream was actually ended
  
• Fixed an issue causing the Unlock PFX to not trigger when buying equipment
  
• Fixed an issue with the Heavy Ammo UI bar not properly filling
  
• Fixed an issue where players couldn’t access the back button on the Credits screen on Steam Deck
  
• Fixed the fast forward sometimes button not working on the Credits screen
  
• Updated the wording for some Post-run Challenges
  

Audio & Music

• Fixed an issue where the ‘Level Start’ audio clip would play at the beginning of a tutorial level
  

Accessibility

• Fixed an issue where the Health bar would mistakenly appear blue instead of green when the ‘Flicker Reduction’ option is enabled
  

Leaderboards

• Fixed an issue where leaderboard placements above 10 would not properly display ‘Old Best’
  
• Fixed an issue causing leaderboards to constantly scroll even when there is no user input
  
• Fixed an issue where UI elements would be permanently highlighted
  

Settings

• There is no longer a slight delay when opening the settings menu
  

Miscellaneous

• Fixed an issue where dying at the same time as the Final Boss would soft-lock the game
  
• Fixed an issue where the player would spawn facing away from the Final Boss
  
• Fixed an issue causing the Final Boss VO and subtitles to not be in sync
  

[h2]Platform Specific[/h2]
PC

• Fixed an issue in the Tutorials menu where a tutorial would stay highlighted even when not visible on screen
  
• Fixed ‘New Best’ text overlapping with the player’s score in Japanese and Russian
  
• Fixed an issue where the game would minimize when not in focus on Borderless mode
  
• Fixed ‘Submit’ text appearing instead of a button icon on the Controller Disconnected popup
  
• Fixed incorrect navigation on drop down menus when using keyboard and mouse input
  
• Fixed the spacebar icon clipping over boundary box
  
• Fixed an issue causing friends to not appear correctly on Leaderboards when switching Steam accounts
  
• Fixed dpad/joystick inputs not registering on Leaderboard screens
  
• Fixed various UI elements not appearing as intended on widescreen monitors
  

—————

KILL KNIGHT is available now on Steam!

Social Links:

Join the Discord
X/Twitter: @KILLKNIGHTGame
TikTok: @KILLKNIGHTGame
YouTube: @PlaySideStudiosOfficial
Instagram: @PlaySideStudios
Facebook: @PlaySideStudios

Find out more about PlaySide Studios on their official website

Knights,

We have some big announcements to make for KILL KNIGHT, so strap in and read ahead.

First, we are excited to reveal that the KILL KNIGHT Original Soundtrack will be releasing this year. On December 18th at 2pm PST / 5pm EST, you will be able to pick up the OST separately or as part of a bundle with the game, and our plan is to also release it on major streaming platforms in the near future. We know that an OST has been long-requested by you all, and soon you’ll truly be able to dance with death in the Abyss.

This incredible Soundtrack has been carefully hand-made and remastered with all of the music from the game, with plenty of decadent surprises included. Whether it’s for a deep work session, or pumping iron - prepare yourselves for next week’s release by checking out the full track list below!


Second, on the same day as the OST release, KILL KNIGHT will also be receiving a new game update! This content update has been made possible by all of you suffering Knights who have given us the energy and power to add even more to the game. With it comes powerful new Equipment, a WEEKLY DESCENT challenge mode, the DEMONIC KODEX, several changes to SEVER Mode (including Krystalized Demons!) to test our most dedicated Knights, and a castle full of bug fixes and balancing changes. We recently provided more detail about the new weapons and augments in Dev Diary #7, but stay tuned for even more info soon.

Thank you for your incredible support of KILL KNIGHT. Your dedication makes updates like this possible and we cannot wait for you to fight against what we’ve cooked up.

Until then, see you down in the Abyssal Keep…

The KILL KNIGHT team

—————

KILL KNIGHT Original Soundtrack - Tracklist:

KILL KNIGHT - Main Theme
Catharsis Betrayed
Quantise the Tear
Mendacious Counter
Trust the Reprobate
Mesotemporal Severity
Cathexis with Fury
Fear is Copacetic
Contumacious with Ill Intent
Recidivism
Mesmeric (The Arc Asunder)
Abyssal - Damnation
Abyssal - Kuriel, the Last Angel
KILL KNIGHT - Credits

—————

KILL KNIGHT is available on Steam now!

Social Links:

Join the Discord
X/Twitter: @KILLKNIGHTGame
TikTok: @KILLKNIGHTGame
YouTube: @PlaySideStudiosOfficial
Instagram: @PlaySideStudios
Facebook: @PlaySideStudios

Find out more about PlaySide Studios on their official website