Ember Knights

The local co-op and choice for easier difficulty has made this a great game for introducing rogue-lites to my son.

Ember Knights is a fast-paced, action-heavy roguelite that blends slick hack-and-slash combat with tight co-op gameplay and vibrant pixel art visuals. Developed by Doom Turtle and published by Asmodee Digital, it throws players into a colorful yet chaotic fantasy world under siege, where they take on the role of powerful warriors known as Ember Knights. These heroes are summoned to restore balance to the multiverse, traveling through procedurally generated realms and battling a variety of imaginative foes. Though it adheres to many genre conventions, Ember Knights stands out for its incredibly polished combat, addictive gameplay loop, and cooperative design that emphasizes fun above all. Combat is the core attraction in Ember Knights, and it’s clear that the developers poured tremendous attention into making it feel tight, responsive, and satisfying. Attacks have weight and momentum, movement is snappy, and there’s a clear rhythm to dodging, striking, and unleashing special abilities. Each weapon—ranging from swords and axes to bows and orbs—feels unique and viable, with its own playstyle, moveset, and learning curve. Complementing the weapons are relics and skills that can be found or unlocked throughout a run, allowing for varied builds and moment-to-moment experimentation that keeps each run fresh and rewarding. The roguelite progression system balances randomness with meaningful choice. Each run presents new combinations of enemies, power-ups, and room layouts, but never feels unfair or overly punishing. The game offers meta-progression through permanent upgrades, unlocked relics, and weapons that expand the strategic options over time without completely eliminating the challenge. It strikes a sweet spot between player growth and skill-based mastery, rewarding those who take the time to learn attack patterns and make efficient build decisions. Visually, the game embraces a charming pixel art aesthetic with fluid animation and bold colors. The various biomes—from forests to volcanic realms and icy wastelands—are distinct and filled with visual flair. Enemy designs are memorable, and boss fights are both challenging and visually impressive, often requiring precise timing and coordination to survive. The sound design complements the visuals well, with punchy effects and an energetic soundtrack that drives the pace of the combat. One of the standout features is its multiplayer functionality. Up to four players can jump into local or online co-op, and the game truly shines in this mode. The chaos of battle becomes even more engaging when shared, with players combining skills, strategizing on the fly, and reviving each other mid-fight. Importantly, the game scales well with multiple players, maintaining the difficulty and intensity without overwhelming the screen. The cooperative focus never comes at the cost of individual performance, making each player feel empowered while encouraging teamwork. Despite all its strengths, Ember Knights does have a few minor drawbacks. The narrative is mostly a light framing device rather than a deep or emotionally resonant story. For players who crave rich worldbuilding or character development, this might feel lacking. Also, while the weapon variety is solid, some players may wish for more character customization or class differentiation beyond just gear and skills. However, these issues are minimal in a game where the emphasis is clearly on tight gameplay and replayability. In conclusion, Ember Knights is a shining example of how to deliver a high-quality roguelite experience with a strong focus on combat fluidity and co-op fun. It doesn’t try to reinvent the genre but instead refines it, offering a polished, exciting, and endlessly replayable adventure. Whether you’re diving into it solo or with a group of friends, the game delivers a satisfying blend of skill, strategy, and adrenaline-fueled action that makes each run feel rewarding. For fans of games like Hades, Dead Cells, or Enter the Gungeon, Ember Knights is absolutely worth your time. Rating: 9/10

There are basically no co-op mechanics in this co-op game. The most common way players will interact is by getting in each others way; interrupting combos, creating distracting effects, or stealing upgrade pickups from their team. All of these things are very common in co-op games, so I would normally be fine with them. However, that is essentially the ONLY way players interact with each other in this game. There is little you can do to help your team, other than performing well in combat, irrelevant of what anyone else is doing. You might as well just play alone, because then no one will get in your way. There are a frankly pathetic number of skills & artifacts that even interact with your team, a lot of which require the entire team to perform well individually to get any benefit whatsoever. Nothing sets this game apart from any other top-down action roguelite, & there are hundreds of those. Perhaps the co-op was meant to make it unique, but it so, it failed. Very disappointing.

Achievements locked behind DLC Paywall. Really chaffs my knickers. Otherwise, okay game.

I started playing it not really knowing what to expect, and now I can’t stop thinking about it. Every time I stop playing, I find myself wanting to jump back in. It’s that good. The first thing that pulled me in was the combat. It just feels amazing. Every movement is sharp and responsive. Every weapon has its own personality. You can dash, strike, combo and it all flows so naturally that it becomes second nature fast. You start thinking with your hands instead of your head and that’s when the game really opens up. There’s this satisfying loop where you go on a run, grab upgrades, fight your way through waves of enemies and even when you die, you just want to try again. It never feels like a waste. You always learn something. You always want to get better. And when you finally beat a boss that wrecked you five times in a row, it feels incredible. That victory is yours and the game doesn’t hand it to you easily. What makes it more fun is with others. The game felt more alive when I was playing with my boyfriend. We were laughing, shouting, barely surviving by the skin of our teeth. It became a kind of beautiful chaos and those moments stuck with me. Even the failures are fun when you’re going down together. Visually, Ember Knights is beautiful in a very honest way. It’s not flashy or over the top. The worlds are colorful and alive. The enemies are expressive and interesting. You can tell there’s care behind every design choice. And the music fits perfectly, keeping the energy high without being distracting. This game clearly respects your time, challenges your skills and rewards your effort.

really fun Roguelike, very reminiscent of Hades, but with a different art style. there's a lot of cool build choices, and the story is fun and interesting. I wish there was a little more enemy variety but overall it's a fun game. Oh and I gotta say the multiplayer is awesome. My two sons and I are having a great time playing together and there's no lag or bad net code to hold us back. With the multiplayer, you get to bring in your character, so you get all the progression too, which is great.

played ember knights entirely in coop and it was a total blast from start to finish. the value to cost ratio is through the roof for this one. combat feels super crisp, and the way you can play around with different weapons, and mixing relics and skills to pull off high damage combos makes every run unique and rewarding. it’s one of those games that’s easy to pick up but has a ton of depth once you start optimizing builds. boss rush tier 10 was hands down the hardest and most rewarding thing we tackled — barely any relics or skills to rely on, so it really comes down to pure dodging, reading boss patterns and patience. but as a completionist I had to grab that final achievement. took a handful of tries, but finally beating it felt incredible. if you’re into roguelikes and want something with tight gameplay that’s perfect for coop, this one’s a gem.

Great game. solid progression and very accessible to those that haven't played a hack and slash rough like before. Anyone complaining about the architect has a massive skill issue. Feeding the mimic everything in sight was hilarious

Found this game during middle school and played on my school computer which eventually made me buy this game. Very fun game to play with friends and solo. I recommend this to anyone who has free time on their hands and want to grind something. 10/10

Fantastic game with really fun variations in the weapons and in the modifications of said weapons. Really love the amount of variety in the colors of the characters to make them really stand out. Played in Early Access and it was awesome Now seeing it with the full DLC is something really to behold., great game for action roguelike lovers

Incredibly fun action rogue-like, especially with friends. No run feels the exact same, and love trying new items and weapons, as all are fun to play with.

Played for over 300 hours on switch and bought on steam to play with my friends online. The mouse controls are a little strange, but controller support is provided. Very addicting and extra fun with friends. Gameplay: 8/10 Graphics: 10/10 Controls: 6/10 Controller support: provided Multiplayer gameplay: 9/10

Really fun pickup. Recommend the DLC too. Lots of stuff to do and the meta progression is really smooth and exciting. Multiplayer is also very robust and feels more fun with a friend. That final boss of the base game is CRAZY.

This game is great! The art is amazing and the game play is smooth. My only gripe is that there is not more content to enjoy!

Fun roguelite to play with your friends. So far I've enjoyed using the hammer of the classes I've unlocked thus far.

Great co-op experience and really nice art and animations. Thumbs up

I love this game... Its like Legend of Zelda Four swords Combined with a Rouge-lite Play with friends, its great! I have an Anime PFP I know what I'm saying!!! ~ <3

Hades+Castle Crashers, lots of fun, upgrades, and combos.

if you like the genre, its a fun play through. not too much grind compared to other titles.

probably more of a neutral review but leaning to negative. beat the game in 3 attempts with a friend, then refunded as neither of us really felt like playing it more, which for a roguelike probably isnt what you want.

If you're looking for a new roguelike, this one is a great bang for your buck. Polished, responsive combat, great synergies/upgrades and metaprogression. Doesn't do too much to reinvent the wheel, but it's very well done.

Great game, fun to play most definitely will keep you occupied

A very fun and fast paced roguelike. It's good playing solo or with friends.

Very fun multiplayer, also a good solo play, Well balanced weapons and levels, just challenging enough,

Not a game to play with friends who like to troll

I love playing this game with my friends

Best rogue like I’ve played in years

Love this so much for couch co-op

Pretty good.

fire good

Muy bueno!

its just a roguelike

Kinda baller

NICE!

:thumbsup:

peak

GG

ye