Knights of the Exploding Table

Originally, I left a very scathing review about this game. I dismissed it as a very flawed Bomberman 64 clone and didn't even finish it nor play it fully then. However, thanks to getting a friend to play the game and seeing stuff happen on the third level that didn't happen on my own playthrough, my curiosity was sparked, I played through it again, got all but one of the Gold Clovers and ended up seeing the game on a much more different light. Much of this is tied behind the Speed Potions, which increase character speed, and the lack of a cap for all attributes. What this means is that you can go extremely fast if you know where to find gems to buy the potions from the shop, and that breaks the game because you skip parts and pass through walls. What is fascinating about it is that it turns out this was not an oversight. The game is full of secrets and having high speed and a knowledge of the map is key to fully finding them. This Meta style of design made a huge impression on me, specifically because no other non-RPG Maker game would pull this kind of thing and also because there is no guide so I had to figure out stuff both by fooling around but also fetching software that could view the game's data. I was on my own, but I had a colossal amount of fun and trying to "get on the same wavelength as the game" and turning out to have indeed figured the solution to the bizarre puzzles of Level 4 was insanity and I loved every second of it. It might not be well-communicated or even well-designed at points but this current build of the game is something special, and I would recommend keeping it separate from main game because it is very niche actually, I acknowledge this. I did share my progress with friends and other people I like, sometimes I even bring Knights as an example of videogame whose flaws and experimentation give a lot to indulge about. Its the purity of the game I love. It is unironically art. But even then, I was never taken that seriously as I sang my praises of the things I thought were good about this, because yeah, its not a conventional game, its definitely the game version of "lame on the outside, fantastic in the inside", but it was this same game that gave me some of the best experiences in a game I had in quite a while. I hate Steam's "would you recommend" option is binary because from a good design standpoint I can't recommend nor can I not recommend. It's an experience overall, but you will only maybe enjoy it as much as I did by having an open mind, by playing it blind, going for 100% and maybe the desire to be amused, because videogames are fun, they are meant to be! and I think this can become a very fun game with more oven time and a bit more common sense (Using a metal helmet as an umbrella is something I can't defend, specifically since the little stairs that give the player the hint are not big enough to show the floating properties) I hope to see more oddball games like this because everything is just so by-the-book and corporate these days, you forget what makes a game great, it is ideas, experimentation! Even if it doesn't work in practice, it is still interesting and worth trying. I wish the best of luck to KotET.

the game seems to be a simple old timey game with a lot of similar aspects from older popular 3d games like this to me personally it is quite boring the controls are not really that clear the menu can be confusing and it recommends using a controller but that to me makes it a lot harder to play

This is clearly a passion project for the devs. It has a lot of potential and is very satisfying to play. I've never played Bomberman 64 but I am told this is a lot like it. I'm a big fan of the game right now, and can't wait to see how it develops!

A Bomberman 64 inspired Jank-fest, but not in a bad way. Absolutely love the theme, the levels were thought out (though can be broken with the uncapped speed stat), and overall excited to see this game go places.

I really enjoyed my time with this game. Coming from the perspective of someone who played 3D bomberman games as a kid, I loved to see a spiritual successor to a game franchise that hasn’t gotten much love over the years. I particularly liked the challenge of finding the clovers in the different stages. Can’t wait to see more.

This is quite the game! A very rewarding puzzle game to say the least. Great original sound track and sound effects. I just finished the first level and level two is looking even more entertaining.