The Knightling Review

by

The game named Knightling possesses an undeniable allure. It’s set in a vibrant, seemingly unreal world that brings to mind action-platformers from the early-to-mid 2000s, such as Jak 3. Instead of serving as a foundation for deep, complex narrative, the environment seems more like a playground. In many ways, Knightling resembles a cult classic game from the GameCube or PS2 era that was forgotten over time, now discovered among the forgotten treasures in an old vault of unseen gems.

The character named “Knightling” exhibits a lot of spirit or verve. Beneath the game’s appealing and innocent facade, you can really sense the strong enthusiasm. This is evident in its most remarkable aspects. However, it’s important to note that passion and creativity alone don’t make a perfect game. Although Knightling gave me some truly exciting moments, it also left me feeling annoyed and bored by its less polished aspects.

In its top form, “The Knightling” presents a compelling argument as one of the standout open-world indie games this year. However, frustrating combat, a puzzling narrative, unnecessary open-world tasks, and an overall lack of finesse prevent it from realizing its full potential. It captivates for the initial hours, but your enthusiasm for the game might wane before the end credits roll.

The Knightling Offers Good Vibes and Even Better Traversal

In simpler terms, the ability to move (locomotion) is what makes The Knightling truly shine. The way movement works in the game, including almost every other aspect, revolves around Magnustego, a shield that serves as your only combat tool. You can use it like a sled and its minimal friction allows for quick speed build-up. Whether you’re moving on flat ground or uphill, as long as you have enough momentum, you can slide around freely. The design of The Knightling’s environment is also commendable as it enhances the slip-and-slide movement experience, creating a sandbox for this unique traversal style.

In no time, you’ll acquire a soaring skill, opening up fresh avenues for navigation and discovery. Moving from one location to another remains captivating throughout; it might be due to the game’s straightforward mechanics that make movement feel seamless rather than awkward. Traveling is simple to grasp, thrilling, forgiving, and beneficial. There’s no question that The Knightling shines brightest when it presents players with platforming tests, races, or other tasks focused on movement.

In this rephrased version, I aim to maintain the original meaning while making it more accessible and engaging:

“Immerse yourself in The Knightling’s captivating universe, a place that invites you to linger longer. Though it may not mirror our reality, it offers an imaginative landscape tailored for your adventurous journey. Buildings are designed with the player’s unique travel methods in mind, while odd devices and gleaming collectibles dot the terrain, providing puzzles to solve. The game’s dreamlike environment is one of its strong points; however, this magical feel begins to fade as you progress.

The Knightling‘s soundtrack is perhaps the game’s most pleasant surprise.

The Knightling Doesn’t Stick to Its Bread and Butter

In crafting The Knightling, there was a deliberate effort to create a comprehensive, richly layered action-adventure journey. To achieve this, it offers both a combative sandbox as well as one for traversal. While the traversal aspect is thrilling, engaging, and energizing, the combat in The Knightling feels more like a requirement, a chore, or an obligatory duty. If you imagine the rest of the game as a lively social gathering, then combat would be the unwanted guest crashing the party, awkwardly inserting itself into conversations and making everyone feel uneasy.

The primary concern with The Knightling’s combat mechanics lies in its moment-by-moment feel. Although you can attack opponents using your shield, these strikes often seem overly weighty, giving the impression of slow motion. Typically, adversaries move faster than you, and they often initiate and finish attacks during your strike animation, making battles clumsy and unnecessarily challenging. These issues are intensified by the game’s habit, particularly in Act 3, to swarm the player with multiple swift, high-HP enemies at once.

In a frustrating turn of events, the auto-lock-on function in The Knightling often malfunctions, leading to confusion as you may find yourself attacking the wrong foe or none at all. The game tends to take control away from you periodically, leaving you feeling like your target selection is not always under your own command. This issue becomes particularly problematic when attempting ranged attacks, which come with an imprecise and unpolished aiming mechanism that requires even more precision.

In a more conversational style, the game “The Knightling” could benefit from incorporating a manual lock-on system similar to those found in games like 3D “Zelda” or “Dark Souls”, but this would only address part of the issue. Fundamentally, the combat in the game is problematic as it appears to be primarily focused on defense. The strategy of blocking almost always proves to be the best choice during any battle. However, there’s a catch-there are no repercussions for blocking, such as stamina depletion, shield wear and tear, or resource management. As a result, the typical approach in most battles is to simply absorb enemy attacks while waiting for an opportunity to counterattack.

It’s not surprising that this type of gameplay is often dull, as it encourages inactivity by offering rewards for passivity. The combat, despite having a parry mechanism along with standard blocking, feels slow and awkward due to its sluggishness-exactly the opposite of how a parrying mechanic should feel.

In this game, the character’s protective barrier seems to have a voice and often scolds the player for evading during battles. While not the most significant issue in combat for ‘The Knightling’, it undeniably becomes quite irritating, adding an extra layer of frustration.

Initially, the tale unfolds with minimal commentary, set against the backdrop of a leisurely, captivating atmosphere during the game’s early stages when our protagonist embarks on an unconventional quest to seek their mentor. However, this initial charm transforms into a convoluted fantasy plot that fails to make a lasting impact. Characters behave in puzzling ways, the world-building appears implausible, illogical, and forced, and intriguing concepts are either abandoned or weakened shortly after they appear. Although it’s not essential for a game like The Knightling to have an exceptional story, the writing frequently strays from dull to downright frustrating in various instances.

Despite some flaws in its combat, story, and open-world design, “The Knightling” is far from poor or unremarkable. The game’s traversal mechanics and atmosphere make up for these shortcomings, making it a title worth considering, particularly for its movement abilities and music. Unfortunately, the overall package may not meet the usual standards.

As a captivated moviegoer and gaming aficionado, I recently had the privilege to delve into “The Knightling,” now accessible on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Sadly, the much-anticipated Nintendo Switch port has been shelved, leaving us gamers pining for a possible future release. In this review, I’m sharing my unfiltered thoughts after being granted a PlayStation 5 download code by Game Rant. Stay tuned!

Read More

2025-09-02 08:36