Rampage Knights is a new cooperative beat ’em up with randomized elements that you can play alone or online or locally with a friend. It’s recently been released on Steam for Windows and Mac.
Upon playing Rampage Knights, there are two games that come to mind due to it borrowing elements from both of them. The first is classic Golden Axe, as the combat and the way you clear dungeons in Rampage Knights is remarkably similar – though, without the clunkiness of the retro game series.
You have one button with which to attack enemies, and you’ll perform different attacks depending on what directional button you press with it. You can smack enemies in the air and juggle them, or pick them up and throw them, or if you get up close you’ll shove a boot in their face and knock them across the screen. You can also stomp on downed enemies.
Some enemies will rampage at you, others have shields you need to break with a charged attack, and others will stand at a distance and fire arrows at you. There’s enough variation to keep you on your toes and the cartoon blood effects along with the shunty sound effects make each blow satisfying.
You can also smash pots, piles of bones, and plants in each dungeon room to find coins, throwing weapons, and power-ups. Treasure chests are always locked and require you to pick them in a timing-based mini-game.
The other game Rampage Knights is comparable to is The Binding of Isaac. That’s on account of its randomized dungeon crawling elements. You’ll always go through the same areas but their layouts and contents change each time. The items and power-ups you find will also change constantly and there seems to be a lot of them.
You might find armor, or magic spells to cast, or perhaps a new sword that swings faster and poisons enemies. There’s also some crude humor in there that evokes Isaac’s grossness. For example, you can drink potions that turn your head into a butt for a while.
As with Isaac, you’re also able to customize your character before you head into battle, choosing gender and look, class, hat, and difficulty. There’s plenty in the game to keep you busy for hours and it’s a lot of fun with a friend.
