Survival
The real test. 15 levels. Die and you go back to your last checkpoint, every enemy returns, and you lose all your coins, all your special skills and your level.
About the game
A very small hero with a very big weapon
Dense Knight is a bright, blocky 2.5D action-platformer with Souls-like rules and a sense of humour. Here is exactly what is in it.
What it is
You play a tiny cube-headed knight in a chunky, toy-castle world of pink brick, glowing arched windows and cut gems. The levels are 2.5D: you move left and right and up and down, while the world has real depth around you.
It is Souls-like in the way it treats you: checkpoints are benches, enemies come back when you rest, and in Survival mode death takes your coins, your skills and your level. It is a roguelike in spirit: every death shows you a detailed summary of the run, and you go again, better.
And it is deliberately silly. Bosses have gimmicks. Skills drop a mirror ball on the whole stage.
Ways to play
Survival, Journey, Puzzle and co-op
Journey
The same 15 levels with kinder rules. Die and you lose 30% of your coins, nothing else: you keep your level, XP and skills. An optional Journey Assist halves the damage you take.
Puzzle
Ten hand-made levels where flipping the camera 180 degrees reveals paths you could not see before, with three puzzle bosses: Janus, Vex and the Prism Colossus. It is the experimental mode.
Two-player co-op
Pick Survival, Journey or Puzzle, then play on one PC with two controllers and a shared camera, or online with an invite code. Coins and score are shared, both players earn XP, each keeps their own skills and hearts, bosses get tougher for two, and a downed hero can be revived by their partner.
New Game+ ladder
Beat the game to unlock harder tiers, up to NEW GAME ULTRA GIGA MEGA PLUS INFINITY: THE DENSEST KNIGHT.
Leaderboards
Local leaderboards for each mode, so you can chase your own best runs.
Ten classes
Ten classes, ten weapons
Every class is bound to its own weapon and plays differently. Swordsman, Brute and Mage are ready from the start; the other seven are earned by playing.
Swordsman
Long sword. Balanced, reliable combos and a charged lunge.
Brute
War mace. Slow, huge hits and a ground slam.
Mage
Arcane staff. Ranged bolts, a growing orb and a blink.
Rogue
Twin daggers. Fast stabs and an invulnerable roll.
Ranger
Longbow. A piercing perfect-draw arrow.
Lancer
Spear. Long reach and a charged dash-thrust.
Monk
Gauntlets. Rapid fists, parry then counter.
Bard
Lute. Sonic notes and a crescendo buff.
Alchemist
Potion bombs with a burning splash.
Summoner
Spirit lantern. A familiar fights on its own.
Character creator
Make your own knight
Pick a class, then build the hero: five body shapes with height and build sliders, six head shapes, eight eyes, eight mouths (moustaches and beards included), seven hair styles, six ears, six horns, nine headgear options, six capes, seven accessories, twelve skin tones and a 24-colour palette. Name them, hit randomise, and spin the live 3D preview while it plays an attack demo.
Skills
Specials, and some very silly ones
Earn XP, level up, spend skill points to learn and upgrade 15 specials, and equip them to your slots (there are ten).
Seven core specials: Arc Wave, Blink Step, Ground Pound, Chain Lightning, Whirlwind, Titan Morph and Healing Bloom.
Eight whimsical, map-wide specials: Groovy Trip, Disco Inferno (a mirror ball drops and every enemy is stunned and damaged on the beat), Rainbow Road (three beams sweep the stage), Kaleidoscope Cascade, Moon Bounce, Time Warp Waltz, Starfall Serenade and Supernova Smile.
Bosses
Every boss has a trick
Five bosses in the campaign, and none of them is just a pile of health. Each one teaches or tests a different mechanic.
Mega Warden
Level 4. A mace-wielding gatekeeper with charges, leap-slams and shockwaves.
Sir Lobs-a-Lot
Level 5, "Returns to Sender". Only his own orbs can hurt him: bat them back with a heavy hit.
Count Flapula
Level 10, "Afraid of Walls". He flies out of reach and perches: wall-jump up to hit him.
The Ping-Pong Paladin
Level 14, "Bounce Back Champion". Bounce his bolts, then wall-jump while he is dizzy.
Grand Finale-Tron
Level 15, "The Encore That Won't Leave". Three acts: bat-backs, wall jumps and a timed obstacle course in the middle of the fight.
Puzzle bosses
Janus, Vex and the Prism Colossus wait in Puzzle mode.
Levels & progression
15 levels, and secrets behind the walls
The campaign runs through Coin Caverns, Pillar Palace, Sky Bridge, Warden Gate, Ricochet Rampart, Nebula Nave, Mushroom Mire, Clockwork Foundry, Frost Spire, Storm Aerie, Sunken Temple, Ember Forge, Shadow Bastion, Twin Spire Keep and finally The Dense Throne. Difficulty ramps up, and every level has benches to rest at.
Hidden cracked walls lead to whimsical secret rooms: Candy and Ice Cream, Water and Tubing, Bouncy Castle, Pizza Oven, Pinball, Snow Globe, Piano Keys, Kite Festival and more. There is no tooltip and no marker. Find them yourself.
Along the way you earn coins, XP and skill points, level up your hero, learn and upgrade specials, and meet seven enemy types: crawlers, flyers, spitters, hoppers, bombers, guards and burrowers.
Movement & combat
Wall-jump it. Bat it back.
Run, variable jump, dash and a variable-height wall jump: hold longer to fly further, tap for a short hop. Light and heavy attacks in three directions, three-hit combos and charged attacks.
Ricochet: time a heavy hit to send enemy and boss projectiles straight back at whoever fired them. Every class can do both. A free mouse-look camera lets you check out the depth of the world.
Comfort & accessibility
Made to be comfortable
- A photosensitivity notice before the first title, plus Reduce Flashing and Reduce Motion options.
- Screen-shake slider, hit-stop on/off, colour-blind boss telegraphs (danger zones get a striped outline, not just a colour), text size, high-contrast HUD and hold-instead-of-mash.
- Full keyboard and controller rebinding, and button glyphs for Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and Steam Deck pads.
- A short tutorial you can replay, and Journey Assist for a gentler time.
- Streamer mode: one checkbox hides invite codes, addresses, file paths and other players' names so you can stream safely.
What makes it different
Why Dense Knight?
- Bosses are puzzles in costume. Bat back, wall-jump, out-run the obstacle course.
- Skills that are fun to cast. The whimsical specials hit the whole stage, and look the part.
- You choose the stakes. Brutal Survival, forgiving Journey, or a camera-flipping Puzzle mode.
- Co-op that is actually shared. Both heroes are affected by everything.
- Soft, bright and chunky. A Souls-like in toy-castle colours.