Knuckle Sandwich (2023)

Knuckle Sandwich is uniquely bizarre across all facets of its design, but it helps it stand out as one of the more creative and enjoyable experimental RPGs out there. Sure, its humour won’t be for everyone and some of its mini games could be a little frustrating, but for the most part it, stands out as a memorable and anarchic experience that feels different to almost every other RPG out there. It’s finely crafted, full of funny moments, and gives players plenty of quirky little tasks to complete, with Knuckle Sandwich’s weird adventure always an entertaining one.

Knuckle Sandwich is clearly a love letter to classic 8-bit role-playing games but with a twist. Bright City has some interesting characters and interactions (I particularly love the washing machine save points). The story goes places. And the core mechanics are easy to learn and varied.

Knuckle Sandwich is at its best when it goes off-script. It’s just that when it finally has to go back on-script, we find that the script is a rather tedious one. I spent 15 hours to see the ending in hopes that all the boredom I experienced was building to some sort of pay-off. That there would be some tremendous punchline at the end that brings reason to all my suffering. There was none. Just a fading bruise.

...the game that ultimately comes together is more than the sum of its parts. It might buckle under its own weight at times, but Knuckle Sandwich is an endearing and wild ride worth going on.

Knuckle Sandwich is a unique and stunningly vibrant and gorgeous pixel-animated RPG that will test your resolve with its mini-games and turn-based sequences.