A unique hybrid between turn-based tactical games and traditional, character-centric RPGs. Knight's Tale is a modern retelling of a classic Arthurian mythology story filtered through the dark fantasy tropes, a twist on the traditional tales of chivalry.
Players assemble a party of up to 4 characters from a roster of 12 unique heroes, each belonging to one of 6 classes - Defender, Champion, Marksman, Vanguard, Arcanist, and Sage. The combat takes place on grid-based maps, where characters spend action points to move, attack, and use abilities. Positioning is crucial, as enemies can perform opportunity attacks when players move adjacent to them, and attacks from flanks or behind deal extra damage. Each hero has access to a diverse skill tree, allowing players to customize their playstyle and synergize different abilities within the party. Skills range from melee attacks and ranged abilities to magical spells and supportive buffs/debuffs. Players praise the depth and challenge of the tactical combat, requiring careful resource management, positioning, and skill use to overcome often numerically superior enemy forces.
Between combat missions, players manage their roster of heroes at Camelot, their central hub. Here, they can equip new gear, train skills, and heal injured or afflicted characters. The hero management system adds strategic depth, as players must decide how to allocate limited resources like gold and time to best prepare their team for upcoming challenges. Each hero has their own personality, goals, and relationships with other characters. Players' choices in dialogue and mission assignments can impact a hero's loyalty, potentially leading them to defect or even turn against the player.
As heroes gain experience from combat, they level up and unlock new skills and stat increases, allowing players to further specialize and optimize their party composition. The loot system provides a steady stream of new weapons, armor, and accessories to equip, granting a variety of passive abilities and bonuses. The combination of skill customization and equipment loadouts enables players to create unique, powerful hero builds.
The game offers multiple difficulty settings, catering to both casual and hardcore players. The higher difficulties ramp up the challenge, with enemies becoming more numerous and dangerous. The game also features a Roguelite mode, where player choices and performance in combat have permanent consequences, adding an extra layer of tension and risk-reward decision-making. The narrative branches based on the player's moral choices, providing incentive to explore alternative paths and outcomes. Combined with the hero management and customization systems, this ensures a high degree of replayability.