Weirdo indie RPG Knuckle Sandwich will finally release in November

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We previously described Knuckle Sandwich as "like Earthbound for adults."

Quite a few years after we first got a look at its early development and it won a bunch of indie show awards, surreal RPG Knuckle Sandwich will release next month: November 23, 2023. The game got a lot of attention back in the era when Undertale was still fresh because it offered something similar, and yet, very distinctly different.

"Guide a young man through his first day in Bright City – a bustling island paradise with a horrible secret. Find a new job, make new friends, and attempt to solve a mystery revolving around a ludicrous gang and a fanatical cult," reads the official description.

The trick is that in addition to an offbeat sense of humor, Knuckle Sandwich's turn-based battles are all played out in minigames reminiscent of the WarioWare series. Specific to each enemy and playable character are a variety of little games to win, "including rhythm games, shoot-em'-ups, memory puzzles, and quick-time events."

Knuckle Sandwich is the product of solo developer Andy Brophy—which would be why it has taken a while to make, since making a game by yourself is neither simple, fast, nor easy. It was partially funded in 2018, via Kickstarter, but that was only after years of teasers and development got our attention. Like an incredibly complex punch, or a cyclops running a puppy store.

You can find Knuckle Sandwich on Itch and Steam. It will release on November 23, 2023. It also has a website with a background the color of a default Windows 98 desktop. Incredible, I know.

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Pixel-art screenshot from indie RPG knuckle sandwich
(Image credit: Andy Brophy)
Jonathan Bolding
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Jon Bolding is a games writer and critic with an extensive background in strategy games. When he's not on his PC, he can be found playing every tabletop game under the sun.