Knock, knock, travelers!

Today we’ve got a lot of news on DLC! We’ve prepared new reborn heroes for you— they’ll reveal themselves in a completely new light. Prepare to face hordes of the undead, explore new gear, and experience magic intertwined with the fates of our beloved characters.

In this diary, we’ll talk about mantles, Vanadis’ encounter with dark forces, and Persival’s transformation into a spirit. And there will be surprises, of course. You will see what our heroes might look like in a parallel universe. Gather around the campfire—it’s going to be exciting!

Remember the poll from our last diary? Most of you voted for mantle #2 —an artifact as ancient as Mortis’s magic itself. But the deciding factor was a comment on Reddit by player Anomadner, who explained in detail why a round collar was out of place in the Midian era!

So, we settled on option 2, improved the design a little bit, and even tried the mantle on the other heroes. Now, they can adjust their brooches with an air of importance while looking like true fashion adepts.

What do you think?




The Bog curse looms over Midian once more, and this time, dark magic will make its way into our heroes. Vanadis will face Death herself.

She won’t be a simple archer anymore—she’ll serve the Goddess Death. But in exchange for her new powers, Vanadis will lose part of her humanity. Will you help her return to her old self or side with the ancient force?



Meanwhile, ghostly mushrooms will turn Persival into a spirit,

Doomed for a certain term to walk the night,
And for the day confined to fast in fires

As you can see, we’re inspired by Hamlet’s father’s ghost! Are there any other medieval specters you’d suggest we look into?

So far, we think artwork #1 looks too much like a silver golem, so we’re leaning toward artwork #2. We’re considering making him legless—you won’t need boots, and equipment sets will be much easier to assemble. What do you think? Which ghostly style appeals to you more, 1 or 2?



Last week, we introduced you to Esha, our new NPC mage. Now it’s time to meet her father!

Beneath his stern exterior lies a sincere love for his daughter. Separated by dark forces, Esha and her father are ready to do whatever it takes to reunite. But will they have the courage to face the Bog curse?



What if our heroes looked... different?

Picture elongated limbs, distorted proportions, and faces straight out of Dali and de Chirico’s paintings. In our rare breaks from working on the DLC, we’ve been experimenting with alternate versions of our characters. Soon, we might have enough for a full parallel universe! Some break, eh?




Hi, friends! This is Andrew aka Innrey, the founder of RedBoon.

The work on the game has been intense this week, and I’m excited to share the highlights with you. First, I want to say that we’re not just creating our game thanks to you, but we’re evolving it together, too. Your sessions, strategies, and all your experiences in the game help us make it better.

Much of our progress is thanks to your active involvement. This became possible because we now have real, large-scale data on your gameplay experience—something we didn’t have before the release. We can analyze how you play and use that data to improve KOTCL.

We’ve identified 17 key strategies the players use. Yes, we’re literally analyzing your builds! We track which strategies lead to victory and collect data to make the game more engaging. Our immediate plans include refining these strategies to keep the game challenging even for veterans while avoiding frustrating moments when bosses counter specific builds. Now, we know exactly what works and what needs some tweaking to keep every moment thrilling!

We hope that you’ll be able to play KOTCL on the gamepad pretty soon. We’re working on adapting game controls. It’s a huge work in progress, but our developers are already testing KOTCL on gamepads!

Additionally, we’re tackling sound design for the DLC. Do you love listening to the sounds of rain or the ocean? So do we, but right now, we’re binging "Midian’s Greatest Hits" while working on the DLC soundtrack! Sword swishes, explosions, magic… and maybe some Christmas carols in December. We hope the sounds will be a welcome surprise for you!

Thank you for staying with us, sharing your ideas, and supporting the project. Your involvement truly inspires us.

See you in the next diary! :)

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Knock-knock, travelers!

We’re here with a last-minute reminder: there’s still time to vote for Knock on the Coffin Lid in the Steam Awards!

If you’ve enjoyed the dark world of Knock on the Coffin Lid, please consider nominating us for the Steam Awards. Steam lets you choose the category, and we believe "Outstanding Story-Rich Game" suits us best.

Just a reminder: voting ends on December 4th at 10 AM Pacific Time. Don’t miss your chance to support us!

Knock, knock, travelers!

Do you hear the crackling of magic in the air? That’s us, preparing new mage characters for a life in Midian. But don’t be surprised if you also hear the clash of metal and battle cries! We’re also putting your enemies through daily harsh training, to make your fights with them more thrilling. Oh, and by the way, their loot assortment is about to get richer as well. :)

Let’s get started!

Let us introduce a new NPC—Esha the elf!

Dark forces have separated Esha from her father, and she’s begging for your help… You can refuse, of course, but beware—more strength might be hidden in this delicate-looking girl than it seems!

Will you help her? Or will you dare to face Esha’s wrath?



We’ve already made new skins and skills for Persival. Now it’s time to add some real flair. Behold the Elder’s Armor! Now Persival can not only swing his sword but also quote Shakespeare and sit with impeccable posture.

Which version do you like the most? Let us know — your feedback means the world to us!



There’s some new loot in the mix! Here are a couple of new items:

• Music Box: A key piece of the revamped Bored Demon event. Are you ready to hear its tune?
  
• Doll: Who could have left this creepy toy in the dungeons? And who do you think it belongs to?

We won’t spoil anything yet, but remember: this new artifact’s owner can count on unique bonuses… if they’re brave enough to accept the gift.



Hey there, friends! This is Andrew aka Innrey, the founder of RedBoon.

This week, we’ve been busy preparing our next video diary. We’ll share our roadmap (it’s pretty and ambitious) and break everything down for you. We’re eager to discuss the latest changes with you and hear your thoughts because we wouldn’t be here without you.

And now for some spoilers! We’re hard at work on enemy and ally specializations. You read it right—they’ll now have distinct roles, just like in an awesome RPG: tanks, supports, and other strategically important teammates. Honestly, it’s a bit scary to tinker with such core mechanics, but the thrill of it outweighs the fear! We won’t rest until the game is perfectly balanced.

And one more thing: we’re completely reworking the boss mechanics. Engaging in a boss battle head-on? Forget about it! Now, you’ll need to find a certain “key” in each map—this could be a tactic, a resource, or even an object to help you take the boss down. Battles will be much more exciting, so get ready for a real challenge.

If you have questions about development, storylines, tactics, or just want to know how we’re surviving here, feel free to write us! I’ll answer all your questions, and the best ones will be featured in the video.

Thank you for your support, patience, and your love for our game! We’re giving it our all to bring you updates that will make you happy and make the game even better.

See you in the comments and the next video diary!

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Knock, knock, travelers!

Do you hear the crackle of a bonfire in Midian's dungeons? That’s us, waiting for wayfarers with the best of victuals and the latest of news.

Come into our cozy camp and pour yourself plenty of ale—today we’re going to tell you about underground relics and the horrible consequences of imbibing the immortality elixir.

Let’s begin!


Immortality costs a fortune, especially if it comes from the Ichor of the Mite. Persival accepted this power which gave him the possibility to face the most dreadful enemies, but for that, he had to sacrifice his humanity and become a weapon in the hands of dark magic.

These sinister changes will be embodied in Persival’s new appearances. He will be not only visually transformed but also receive new weapons and abilities.




Don’t fret, it won’t be all doom and gloom! One of the new objects in DLC is the rainbow altar which will add some colors to the dismalness of the catacombs. Unknown creators raised this artifact in ancient times to honor their underground gods. They who take a chance and interact with the altar might receive unexpected upgrades!

But, as it often happens, divine gifts come with ironic catches. Those upgrades can easily turn into curses.

There are already four underground altars, each with unique properties. We’ll tell you about the others very soon!




The elven scout’s story will soon get a continuation! We’ve already added some new events and choices, and a couple of unexpected turns of events.

One of the key moments is the attack on the dwarves’ camp. The scout acts quickly and mercilessly, but… to what purpose? Who is he—a spy, an avenger, or simply a pawn in someone’s hand? Unraveling his motivation is left to you.



anadis decided that a bow was not enough to combat the new threats from the dungeons. After many years of learning from druids, she finally managed to tap into the secrets of magic, and in DLC you’ll get an opportunity to try out her new skills.

Can Vanadis combine her bandit past with her present as a mage? You’ll find out soon!




Hello, friends! This is Andrew aka Innrey, the founder of RedBoon.

We always read your comments—everyone gets our attention! Right now, we’re religiously working on the game balance. We want each battle to be a challenge and not a breeze with an overpowered build that lets you finish the whole game with your eyes closed. We’re working hard, so brace yourself—new trials are coming!

What that also means is that the enemies will be smarter. Each opponent will have a clear role, be it tanking, attacking everything that moves, or debuff-spamming.

We’re finishing up the events thanks to your feedback. Now, event difficulty and rewards will strictly depend on the event type—battle, elite battle, or a random event. The farther you go, the harder the journey, and the more valuable the reward. Routes will require more strategy to encourage you to explore new roads and trails instead of using well-worn paths. This is all happening thanks to you sharing your impressions and gaming experience with us.

We’ve got lots of work to do, and your ideas and comments are our best source of inspiration. Thank you for staying with us!

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Knock, knock, travelers!

Do you hear hammering blows and otherworldly singing? That’s our blacksmith making new armor for Persival, while our bard is composing new plotline endings! And that’s not all—there won’t just be ours, but also your creative work in today’s diary.

Now let’s get to the news!


Last time we had a poll to find out which image of Persival the Knight you liked most. Your feedback was unbelievable! Thank you very much for your comments, they helped us to pick the image. We’ll finish the artwork soon and get on to animating it!

On top of that, we’re experimenting with visual effects so that Persival stands out in battle. We’ll have a new vote pretty soon!




We can tell that the plot of the game and the fate of Midian’s folks are important to many of you. That’s why we’re working on the final book that compiles the endings of the main story arcs. Right now the book contains:

We’re actively drawing new pages to help you better feel and see how your actions influence the characters’ destinies and their world.

• 26-34 endings for Persival (there can be additional ones depending on your choices)
  
• 29-37 endings for Bjorn
  
• 28-46 endings for Vanadis

We’re actively drawing new pages to help you better feel and see how your actions influence the characters’ destinies and their world.




For connoisseurs of everything dark and gloomy, we’ve filled the dungeons in DLC with the undead who are ready to battle with you. Not only that, but those undead are infected by some ancient parasites giving the zombies new abilities.



We find great inspiration in seeing our players’ creative takes on our game. Thank you for the memes and fan art! Today we’ll share one of our favorite pieces—thank you, juang3d on Twitch for your imaginative approach! Send your memes, art, and any creation of yours that was inspired by our game! We’ll happily post your works in our future diaries.




Hello, friends! This is Andrew aka Innrey, the founder of RedBoon.

This week we finished our first sprint that included several large tasks. It’s a new model for us, where we organize tasks into two-week periods — sprints. Honestly, I’m thrilled with how it went — we actually finished everything on time, even a bit early! Fingers crossed this becomes the norm and not a one-time thing.

Our work on the COMPLETE GAME REBALANCE is ongoing. So far, we’ve reworked all parameters for the starting cards, a bunch of common cards, and plenty of legendaries. If you’re curious about what’s changing, let me know, and I’ll drop a few spoilers. In parallel, we’re reworking ALL the enemies in the Frontier. We’re tweaking their positions and fine-tuning their stats. Turns out there’s a leftmost route on the first map where you hardly encounter any enemies — making that route pretty easy, but turning the final boss battle into a nightmare.

We’ve also revisited the mechanics of curses. There will be fewer of them, but they’ll have more interesting and stronger effects.

Rebalancing is a massive task, and it could seriously slow us down before the DLC release, but we’re trying to stay on schedule. Our minimum goal is to have the event system updated in time for the holidays so you have a reason to come back to Knock ;)

Thank you for following our progress and sticking with us. I really appreciate it <3

See you in the next dev diary, and thanks for all your feedback and comments!

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Knock, knock, travelers!

Prepare your swords and potion stashes, as our DLC is already knocking on… your door! We’re finishing up artwork for underground labyrinths and hidden halls and populating them with opponents you have never seen before! And of course, we’re making new skins for your favorite characters.

The DLC release date is getting closer, so keep your torches lit!


What can be better than setting up your own cozy, underground corner for sacrifices to the glory of the Divine Mite? We’ve decided that it’s time for the cultists to get their own home and altar for conducting sinister rituals and contacting ancient forces!

The work is in full swing! Soon we’ll show you the results of our lovecraftian experiments. Prepare for primeval horrors in the next diary!




Fighting the players turned out to be exhausting for our characters, so we decided to give them some time to recover spiritually and corporally, to meditate and rest in the company of their families and friends.

Who could’ve thought that combat goblins would master the art of concentration and awareness? But here they are—breathing, balancing their energies, and… making new cards for you!

Let us know how you prefer to unwind after a hard week. We’re looking for inspiration for some new illustrations!




It’s mushroom time! Meet our new zombies—the victims of the mushroom curse.

Since many mushrooms feed on decaying organic material, we think we found a perfect source of food for the in-game mushrooms and planted them on your favorite enemies.

Now, you’re going to fight not just undead, but whole necro-ecosystems that have overtaken our dungeons!


New curses are looming not only over the zombies! If you disturb the underground gods, you risk losing everything you’ve earned through honest (and not-so-honest) means. We repeat you can lose everything from gold to allies. Beware, or the ancient curses will take what’s theirs!



We just can’t decide on the best skin for Persival the Knight!

Our artist keeps sending references of Lancelot, while our writer insists on a Templar look. Let us know which skin resonates with you more. Otherwise, our meetings might soon turn into knight tournaments!




Hi, friends! It’s Andrew aka Innrey, the founder of RedBoon.

First of all, I’d like to thank all the members of our Reddit. It’s really come alive; it’s great to see how you’re actively interacting and sharing your thoughts. Thank you to every one of you. Your participation inspires and lets us see what’s important to us.

I’d also like to share a new project we're thinking about. We’re considering creating an open-world RPG, and we’d love to hear your thoughts—do you enjoy this genre? Maybe you have specific ideas or features you’d like to see in a game like that? Your feedback is invaluable, as we want this project to be not only exciting but also meet your expectations.

Additionally, we’re working hard on localization. Interestingly, goblins almost got lost in translation, as there are several terms for “goblins” in Spanish! But with your help, we found the best option—thanks to everyone who contributed to the Spanish localization.

And here’s some fun game statistics. Recently, our game designers calculated the number of routes that can be taken through different biomes in the game. Here’s what they found:

• 52 routes — Frontier
  
• 53 routes — Steppes
  
• 20 routes — Bog
  
• 88 routes — Castle

Hopefully, this will create a true sense of freedom and exploration for our players. We’d love for you to feel the same freedom and creative energy in the game that inspired us to create KOTCL.

Once again, thank you for your support, engagement, and warmth. See you again soon, friends!

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Knock-knock, travelers!

We've prepared a hotfix addressing the functionality of some events, animations, and cards.

Fixed:

• Visual effects have been added for the "Frostbite" buff counter
  
• Fixed an issue with incorrect layer order in Golem animations
  
• Fixed a bug where pet copies would burn incorrectly upon their death
  
• Fixed the display of the outline over the window grid in the "Court Mage" event
  
• Improved the logic of cards that deal damage to random enemies multiple times. Now, if an enemy dies, the damage will be dealt to the remaining enemies

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Boo, Travelers!

Have you noticed that we’re taking part in the Halloween event and our game is on sale? Well, the awfully nice news doesn’t even end there—we’ve also prepared a sinister-funny Halloween quiz and a game key giveaway. Join in!

Our librarians, having emerged from their library vaults, updated the Glossary—making it easier for you to navigate events, cards, and the game world as a whole.

And at the end of this diary, we’ll reveal some hidden corners of our team! Let’s see if our "dark" processes align with your everyday routines!


Many of you voted for this illustration in the last diary, and look, it’s nearly complete! Now we’d like to tell you a bit about the purpose of this illustration and what awaits you in the heart of the Rotten Bog!

The thing is that many players sacrifice the girl from the "Mite’s Bride" event, so we decided to make the moral choice between sacrifice and salvation a bit more challenging. Now you can interact with the Bride and maybe even talk to her about your life a little—you know, chat with the victim in the spirit of the best horror movies, before you... well, you know the rest.

What would you like to discuss with her?




We're adding many new DLC locations and we’d like to show you one!

This illustration aims to convey the hopeless grandeur of the Mite and create his sinister abode—a perfect spot for a certain dark cult and everyone who enjoys the coziness a la grave!

You may have already learned about the Mite indirectly if you've stumbled upon the ichor in the Rotten Bog—the very "cocktail" that extends life for some and turns others into zombies perfectly suited as decor for the Mite’s gloomy lair. They say that only after ichor do you truly understand what it means to lose your head...

In the DLC, you’ll have the chance to confront the deity face-to-face!




We're making Vandis’ gameplay unique; her bone bow is only the start of her magic! We're adding new animations and even more weapons so her fighting style shines in all its glory. Her wardrobe is also brimming with new accessories.

Do you already have a favorite weapon for Vanadis? Maybe there's a bow you never part with in battles? Share your thoughts—we’re curious to know your favorites!



In honor of Halloween, we’ve launched a key giveaway! To participate, take our short quiz to find out which of Knock on the Coffin Lid outfits fit you best—a perfect opportunity to get some costume inspiration!

Winners will be announced in our Reddit community, so join us to stay up to date on game news as well as future giveaways. We are happy to see you there—the more, the scarier!




Hey everyone, this is Andrew aka Innrey, the founder of RedBoon.

Today’s topic might be horribly boring. I want to share a little about the behind-the-scenes of indie game development. Of course, I can’t speak for other indie studios, but I’d be happy to tell you a bit about our work process.

In the last diary, I told you that we switched from Trello to YouTrack. Yes, not to Jira, but YouTrack, because it’s cheaper :P But that’s for those who are in the loop ;) Continuing on this topic I can tell you that we chose to work using the agile boards. Every morning we have a quick 15-minute call to discuss the main news, achievements, and tasks. It allows us to fix bugs promptly and implement your suggestions into the game as quickly as possible.

After getting project and product managers, we’ve added to our toolbox another pillar of the Agile boards—sprints. Now each of our developers sets clear goals for two weeks, and at the end of each sprint, we discuss what worked and what didn’t, and how we can improve. Sounds boring, but it's all under control.

And, believe it or not, we managed to make KOTCL with no project management at all 🙂

Thank you for your comments and suggestions! We organized many work processes around them, and your feedback remains our main guide in development.

The RedBoon team wishes you a Happy Halloween! 🕸️🎃 To celebrate, we’re hosting a key giveaway, and have put the game on sale. May this Halloween be frightfully awesome!

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Knock, knock, travelers!

We’ve prepared a new patch in which we've improved the functionality of the Glossary and added some important changes. Thank you for helping make our game better!

• Reworked the mechanism for counting, tracking, and displaying items in the Glossary.
  
• Fixed animations for pet cards.
  
• Fixed the display of the "Orc Tourney" event in the Glossary (in Bjorn's notes).
  
• Fixed the energy consumption icons on cards and in rewards.
  
• Fixed an error where the cost of the "Last Resort" card was incorrectly calculated.
  
• Fixed the display of the energy consumption icon on equipment cards (in the items section of the Glossary).
  
• Fixed an error where playing the "Energy of Ferocity" card caused a doubling of Ferocious card costs in Bjorn's normal form.
  
• Fixed an error where the 4-piece Lunar Druid set buff’s visual effect got triggered with every skill use.
  
• Fixed a reset error for the visual counter for the buff from the "Dwarven Boots" item.
  
• Fixed an error where some visual effects didn’t disappear after buff removal.
  
• Fixed an error where the wrong icon would show up after clicking the "Next" button before the game’s points finished showing.
  
• Adjusted the size of the energy consumption icon on equipment cards in the Glossary (in the items section).
  
• Fixed the search bar for items in the Glossary (previously, the search bar wouldn’t save if you clicked on an item and then hit "back" button).
  
• Fixed incorrect display of values on cards if multiple identical cards were present.
  
• Fixed an error where the cost of Ferocious cards wouldn’t increase when played if the hero was affected by the "Muddled" effect.
  
• Fixed an error where a potion could be put from inventory into an empty accessory slot.

Knock, knock, travelers!

We hope you keep following our diaries, and that we're not writing them in vain!

There weren’t many significant events this week, but we still have some exciting things to share with you. For example, we found an ancient version of the game and want to show you what it might have been like. Besides that, we want to dress up your favorite heroes and liven up the Mite’s Bride, and we hope you will help us with that. Now, let's dive into the details.


Our steppes are getting bigger, which means now you’ll be able to see where the worms live (before they try to snack on you). Get ready to explore new locations, but most importantly—don’t get lost!

We’re currently working on new illustrations for the caves and dungeons. Let us know what you think!




After clearing the dungeons, you’ll be able to dust off Sigismund's castle in new skins! If you want to stay on top of the latest elven fashion, we've prepared new enchanted hats for you—wear them proudly!




The ichor leaves a mark on anyone who dares to drink it... What will it do to Persival?



Have you already saved the Divine Mite’s victim from perishing? Now you can talk to her face-to-face!

We keep working on the Mite’s Bride event, but we’re having difficulties deciding which illustration to use. Which sketch do you like the most?



We spent more than 5 years making Knock On The Coffin Lid! Down below is a screenshot from the 2019 version. The cards in the early versions were completely different, the game had point-and-click elements, and the vendors’ prices were much lower!

However, reaching a vendor in the early version was possible only after a tough brawl. And if you tried to avoid fighting, enemies could still give you a beating.

The characters in the events also moved according to different rules, the interface design was different too. We love our game at every stage, but we’re convinced that all the changes have been for the better!




Andrew aka Innrey, the founder of RedBoon, is here again.

I hope my solo diary didn’t leave you indifferent. We’re waiting for your questions—if you have any, of course :) Overall, this week has been productive, so we have a lot of good news for you.

First of all, we’ve started using a new program for organizing our work processes. It’s much more convenient than to-do lists or task cards and it will allow us to complete many tasks faster.

Secondly, we’ve significantly reworked the UI. The interface is what ties all the elements of a game together, and it’s very important for us to make UI as user-friendly as possible.

And finally, we have great news regarding the Spanish localization. We received a lot of corrections on the translation and will be releasing an update very soon. Many thanks to the volunteers who are helping us with the localization!

I can say that only now we’ve had enough mental rest to start generating new ideas. Before this, everything felt hazy—we were doing things, but mostly on instinct. Fatigue was probably taking its toll. In the next couple of months, we need to rework the events and start working on the concept for our next game.

Taking this opportunity, I want to ask you—what kind of game do you think we’d be able to make the best? What genre for example?

As always, I’m looking forward to your comments :) We are continuing to improve our game with your help!

Well, that’s it for this week. See you again soon!

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