Gryphon Knight Epic is a 2D Medieval Shoot’em up that mixes elements from classical shoot’em ups, exploration and duel-like boss battles, it tells the story of Sir Oliver and Aquila, an accomplished knight and his loyal gryphon that are forced back to adventure once again.
The controls responsively allow players to move Sir Oliver, the knight protagonist, left and right and change direction on the fly while mounted on his gryphon. The game introduces a variety of power-ups and weapons that enhance the shooting experience, such as the "crossbuster" main weapon that can be charged for more powerful shots.
Each of the 8 hand-crafted stages features unique medieval, fantasy-themed environments, from castles to enchanted forests. Players encounter a diverse array of adversaries, as the game avoids simply reusing enemy types, ensuring fresh challenges throughout the adventure.
The duel-like boss battles pose significant challenges, requiring players to learn and master each boss's attack patterns to emerge victorious. Defeating these powerful foes allows players to obtain their unique, formidable weapons, further expanding the protagonist's arsenal.
The game encourages players to thoroughly search each stage, as they can uncover branching paths, hidden areas, and secrets containing equipment upgrades, consumable items, and lore about the game's fantasy world.
Offering three difficulty levels - Squire (easy), Knight (normal), and Epic (hard) - the experience caters to players of various skill levels, while also providing a substantial challenge for more experienced shoot 'em up fans. Replayability is enhanced by the ability to achieve damage-free runs on the higher difficulties and compete on leaderboards for speedrunning and high scores.